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BM Opinion

Is your fleet technology showing you what actually matters?

The challenge is not getting hold of information, but actually working out what deserves attention.

3 min read
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Running a business fleet means making decisions constantly. Which vehicles are costing more than expected? Is fuel spend moving in the wrong direction? Does something need servicing, and what changes when electric vehicles (EVs) enter the mix?

The challenge is not getting hold of information, but actually working out what deserves attention. Before that can happen, fleet managers will find themselves pulling together separate sources covering fuel, EV charging, vehicle costs and driver data.

That consumes time before any analysis or useful decision has been made.

Attention is the scarce resource

Technology has become very good at producing information. Dashboards, reports and alerts can tell a business almost everything that is happening across its vehicles, but more data means more work, unless the technology can do more of the analysis for you.

If 10 alerts arrive and only one requires action, what matters is understanding which one.

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I have worked on digital products across navigation, connected EV charging and fleet and the principle is remarkably consistent. People do not use technology because they want more technology in their day, but because they are trying to get something done.

Fleet tools should be designed with the same discipline: before adding another report, ask what decision it improves.

Make the important things difficult to miss

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has highlighted how digital fleet management systems can reduce paperwork and save businesses time, alongside giving operators greater visibility over costs and vehicle performance.

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The next challenge is using that information more intelligently. That could mean identifying changes in spending behaviour, highlighting vehicles that genuinely need action or providing enough context around an unusual transaction for somebody to make a quick, informed decision.

Where AI actually helps

This is where artificial intelligence (AI), used well, can make a meaningful difference. The opportunity is to reduce cognitive load rather than add to it, helping bring fragmented information together, analyse growing volumes of data and surface the patterns or exceptions that deserve attention.

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Instead of expecting a fleet manager to review every alert or interrogate multiple sources, intelligent technology can increasingly do more of that analytical work in the background and provide the context needed to make a better-informed decision.

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That does not mean removing the fleet manager from the process but the goal is to give them back time and attention for the decisions where their experience and judgement really matter.

For a busy business, that is a much more useful measure of intelligence than the volume of information a system can display.

Will Gill is chief product officer for the international vehicle payments division at Corpay

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