We all value road safety and we all would love to run less risk of insurance claims. An integrated Video Telematics solution gives you access to targeted risk management tools.
For example, live camera feeds, back-up video material to protect against claims and alerts regarding road safety violations such as speeding. But not every video telematics system is the same. How do you choose the perfect video telematics solution for your business?
The EchoMaster 5-step plan to buying a video telematics solution will give you a comprehensive overview of the top things to consider when investing in a vehicle video telematics solution.
- Tracking options
It may sound logical, but not all video telematics solutions on the market offer trip and real-time tracking. Choosing a system with advanced vehicle tracking software will allow you to track all the trips your drivers take, where they stop, when they idle, and what their departure and arrival times were. It also gives you the option to live track any single one of your vehicles via GPS.
At EchoMaster, our cloud-based solution enables you to track vehicles in real-time and access vehicle cameras and video feeds of multiple devices at the same time. Trips are recorded and stored in our software system and automatically linked to a personalised reporting system set up for you to be able to report on all trip and driver details that are most relevant to your business.
- Alerts & Notifications
Things like driver speed, fuel usage and general driver behaviour (e.g. mobile phone usage when on the road) are all part of the fleet management suite. However, not all solutions offer automated alerts and notifications in real-time. Instead, many will give you the option to check up on driver data in retrospect. For example, by uploading the data from the vehicle’s DVR system manually, and then importing it into your fleet management system. Solutions that don’t automate notifications and alerts have a few disadvantages: they leave room for devices to be tampered with, as well as being inconvenient to operate as you must take a vehicle out of service to be able to download the video material before it can go back on the road.
Luckily, there are fully integrated and cloud-based solutions in the market. These allow you to get instant alerts, often via the use of a mobile App, whenever a violation occurs. You’ll immediately get access to the latest driver data, without having to come close to the vehicle itself.
At EchoMaster, we believe alerts are the ideal tool to allow fleet managers to react swiftly to problems, as and when they occur.
- Analytics and Reporting
What use is collecting data if you do not have a place to visually and clearly display it in? When choosing a video telematics solution, it is important to request a demo of the software and user interface the provider offers. Live analytics and organised dashboards will help you understand your data and feel comfortable in communicating it across your company.
Reporting is equally important. If you would like to set yourself targets, such as: ‘A 60% collision reduction within 6 months.’ You must have a reporting system set up to show you if you’re on target. Or, if you’re not, what needs to be done to get there.
At EchoMaster, we customise our dashboards and reporting to suit your unique business needs and work with you to train you on the system so that you become your own data expert.
- User-friendliness & Compatibility
No matter how advanced a system, it’s no use if it requires months of installation efforts to get up to speed or would not be compatible with the vehicle types in your fleet. A critical factor to choosing a video telematics partner is to quiz them on their installation and set-up timeline and what’s required from you and your team, to get the system up and running.
You will also want to know about the user-friendliness of their system and their service. Whether you run a small or a large fleet, you’ll need to know if the system you choose can accommodate your unique business requirements and if there’s going to be any help post-purchase.
At EchoMaster, we’re always surprised to hear how few of our customers had a good level of customer service before joining us. We provide 24/7 platform access and care and assign project managers to any customer who comes on board, no matter their size, to ensure we offer the highest quality service.
- Advanced Features
Vehicle tracking devices, like any devices installed in vehicles really, come with different quality standards, the occasional breakage and even theft. It is important to ask your potential video telematics provider about the advanced product features they offer. An anti-theft feature is a popular one to ask about. What happens when someone tries to steal my DVR? What happens if my system breaks down?
DVRs with built-in anti-theft technology are a popular choice in the market. If your video telematics provider offers these, they’ll often have a lockable data case (protecting your hard drive or SSD storage cards) as well as automated alarms that trigger when someone attempts to steal the device. Some will even send GPS coordinates and vehicle details straight to the fleet managers when theft occurs.