Selecting the Right Remote Tank Monitoring Partner
By SkyBitz • Published January 31, 2019 • 4 minute read
When choosing to implement a Remote Tank Monitoring solution, distributors should consider taking a hard look into optimizing their entire distribution chain – management and office processes, the type of and the number of tanks in their inventory, geographic area of tanks, operational challenges, other software integrations, and the number of drivers and delivery trucks available.
Identifying gaps in your current organization and knowing which of your traditional practices needs improvement will help lay the groundwork for the implementation and help identify which partner is best for you.
How to Choose Right Remote Tank Monitoring Partner:
Remote tank monitoring solution partners must include a proactive customer care organization that can assist in a broad range of areas from implementation to training, troubleshooting and ongoing service needs. The solution partner should use a methodical on-boarding approach to ensure for rapid ROI by addressing the most problematic locations first.
Scaling the implementation further is based on the data intelligence captured so reporting can then steer management in quickly identifying the gaps where efficiencies can be gained across all aspects of the business operations.
Regardless of the product, service or mode of transport, all assets can be categorized through software for more intelligent reporting. Distributors can now take control of their operation and begin projecting different operational scenarios far ahead of what they were able to do before. They can access this data to determine how to maximize truck capacity based on a customer’s immediate and forecasted needs.
As well, they can proactively communicate with customers based on factual reporting and deliver more gallons per shift in less time. When marginal or emergency scenarios arise, they can automatically apply fees to ensure delivery profitability.
Be sure to compare apples to apples as well. All wireless tank monitoring partners are not created equal. Some accel in hardware or network offerings, potentially due to mergers and acquisitions in recent years. It’s best to lay out your organization’s requirements and a set of priority-driven questions across each department. Identifying your must-have’s with features that can be added on at a later time is also an option.
Then, select two or three partners based on a couple of key parameters such as cost versus offerings, lead response time, knowledgable sales staff, and online rating. Of course, referrals are always a good idea so reach out directly to companies listed as customer case studies on your selected vendor websites. Finally, understand that cost should not always be the deciding factor.
Once fully vetted and your staff has selected the right partner, the onboarding process and relationship should only get better from there.
