Free Trial It all begins with an initial thought of bringing a fleet maintenance and inventory management software in-house to make your shop run more efficiently and your job easier. After coming up with this brilliant solution in taking care of all your fleet shop problems, you now have to focus on selling the concept to the final decision makers. There are many obstacles to overcome before this idea becomes a reality.
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Project Leader - a champion to see the project from start to finish
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Pricing - justify the cost
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Resistance to Change - selling the idea to others
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Hardware & Network Infrastructure - ensure meet requirements
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Sharing Information - usefulness to others
By planning ahead and addressing these barriers in advance, your brilliant idea becoming reality is unquestionable!
The first item on your agenda should be assigning a Project Leader, a person who will champion the cause. The Project Leader needs to justify the acquisition of the fleet maintenance and inventory management software to the decision makers. The Return on Investment and measurable goals must be provided in persuading those holding the purse strings to supply the finances for this solution. The Project Leader not only has to sell the authorities but also the employees. If the employees are not sold on the idea of implementing fleet maintenance and inventory management software to make their jobs easier, the project will fail. Everyone has to be playing for the same team. A detailed plan for implementing the software and training employees on the software should be drawn. By planning ahead, software implementation in the shop will be accepted by the majority and run smoothly - a guaranteed success!
Pricing, What is the cost? This will most likely be the first question asked. So prepare ahead of time and have the answer along with justification for the expense. This is where the Return on Investment worksheet will be useful in supporting the cost in implementing the fleet maintenance and inventory management software solution. Other cost savings that need to be factored into the equations is the increased productivity in shop operations. By utilizing software in the maintenance and parts shop, the shop will run more efficiently, reducing repair times and vehicle downtime. Fines can be lowered as a result of less safety violations, fewer expired vehicle tags, licenses and permits and limited driver licenses, physicals and training expirations. Vehicle life span can be lengthened by performing routine maintenance using the OEM recommended schedule. Parts Inventory On Hand can be trimmed down to levels that accurately fit the demand, decreasing wasted dollars sitting on the shelf. All of these factors should be considered when evaluating the price of the software.
You will find many people that resist change. These people will need to be sold on the benefits of changing or modifying the way things are currently done in the shop. Lay out how implementing fleet maintenance and inventory management software will simplify the work flow process making their tasks easier and less time consuming. Emphasize the ease of use and low learning curve in utilizing the software program. Reassure that adequate training and support will be provided in learning the software and in instances of problems that occur during use later on. Basically, soothe the concerns and get everyone onboard with the concept of implementing a new software solution.
Insufficient hardware and/or network infrastructure and support in place would be the next possible blockade standing in your way of success. Verification that the current hardware and network infrastructure meets the requirements to implement the solution needs to be made. Review the proposed software solution System Requirements and Installation documentation to ensure that everything you need is available or outline what is required to make this happen.
Determine whether you:
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meet the minimum requirements for a standalone computer installation
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have the correct framework in place for the solution to be accessed via local area network (LAN)
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possess remote connection access to network server for those not on the LAN
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have a Parallel application to create Windows instance on a MAC Computer
BE PREPARED! Know what you already have and what you need to acquire to make this happen!
Other departments within the organization need to realize the value in purchasing new fleet maintenance and inventory management software. The more departments that will benefit from implementing the software, the easier it will be to gain approval for purchase. Other departments that could benefit from sharing data, need to know that they can freely access data within the application to suit their own purpose.
Building your case in advance will help you overcome the barriers that stand in your way of procuring the fleet maintenance and inventory management software of your choice!