Garages increasingly being integrated into fleet SMR processes

Garages are being increasingly integrated into fleet service, repair and maintenance (SMR) processes in a notable new trend, FleetCheck is reporting.

Callum Haymon-Collins, COO at the fleet software company, says vehicle operators are expecting much more from their external SMR providers when it comes to driver communication, connecting to internal systems and updating data.

In a typical example, a driver will use FleetCheck’s walkaround vehicle check app to submit an issue electronically and this is reported not just to the fleet but also its preferred garage supplier through an interface.

This SMR provider will then arrange with the driver to rectify the problem directly, with the fleet’s internal systems being updated automatically as the job is booked in and progresses through to completion.

Callum said: “This is something we have seen adopted more and more in the last year or so, especially by commercial vehicle fleets where defect reporting tends to be much more integral to day-to-day operations.

“Effectively, fleets and their suppliers are using the technology to condense the chain of communication. Instead of an issue being reported by the driver to the fleet, then the fleet to the SMR provider, the latter becomes more central to the process.

“Of course, this is only made possible by a high level of integration between the software used by drivers, fleets and garages – and this is an area where we have carried out a lot of work on APIs in recent years.”

He added that a high level of understanding and trust, backed up by contractual clarity, was required to make these processes work, even though the systems used meant fleets were kept informed every step of the way.

“Fleets are making their suppliers part of safety processes that may have legal ramifications if they go wrong. Extensive safeguards are provided by the systems used, but there still needs to be a very strong relationship with suppliers.”