Councils are not known for their forward-thinking attitudes; but Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council is on a mission to change the public’s perspective. As part of his role, Gareth Healy, Fleet Manager at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, is championing digitising the business. Accelerating the council’s fleet technology was a key element of this. The old fleet management system was archaic and not fit for purpose. The legacy software had limited functionality for fleet operators which meant only some parts of the business used it effectively which made the process and operational workflow disjointed. With one workshop, two supervisors, and eleven technicians’ operational efficiency is critical to success.
Traditionally, fleet management software is embedded into the council’s IT servers meaning the technicians, inspectors, and drivers need to go back to the terminals to record and undertake operational tasks. However, Gareth’s vision for the fleet was more dynamic and required cloud-based technology to increase flexibility for all operational staff. Gareth ambitiously championed app integration for the fleet from day one.
“A cloud-based solution means anyone from the business can access the system from anywhere. App technology enables inspections to be undertaken remotely, technicians to fix vehicles from anywhere and the operational managers can see what is being done and where in real-time. This flexible app solution saves time and money for everyone involved”.
AssetWorks stood out from the start of the process due to its ecosystem of fleet solutions. “We were looking for fleet management software that could do it all”, claims Gareth. Redcar and Cleveland Council aspire to achieve earned recognition from the DVSA. FleetFocus M5 plays a role in achieving this status by providing a fully integrated platform to manage the vehicles. FleetFocus is recognised as supporting the DVLA’s earned recognition process. The system helps regulate the fleet and uses best practices so that the DVSA is satisfied with the management of the compliance. A benefit of this is the operator does not have to manually manage the process, it is done within the system.
Gareth shares “we are excited to have gone live with FleetFocus M5 and the associated App technology, especially electronic daily driver first use checks and workshop management applications. This is another step for us as an authority to improve the efficiency of our Fleet operation with the use of digital technology at the heart of improvement.”
One key driver for FleetFocus M5 was the ease of recording and monitoring vehicles maintenance to keep the whole fleet compliant and safe. The management of information and translation of data is digestible through operational dashboards making it easy to understand your fleet. Gareth states, ‘a big selling point for us was the inspection checklists, compliance around drivers, data management and that managing workflows could all be managed through one system. These features are all in M5s DNA, it’s like it ‘automagically happens’, it’s such a dynamic data approach that will excel our business. I believe this implementation will further contribute to digital transformation for Redcar and Cleveland Council.’
The software will also help reduce overheads by reducing administration time on the phone and chasing jobs. Before, people would call the operations team to track their vehicle maintenance and see when the vehicles were ready for collection. Going forward everyone will be able to log in and see the process in real-time with full transparency. This kind of transparency is important for councils and supports staff with their tasks and goals via the app.
AssetWorks EDGE is a mobile workshop application that was made for fleet managers with a vision for the future. Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s key priority was finding a solid solution that was modern, easy to use, and had familiar interfaces. The end-users experience had a significant role in the decision-making as the technicians needed to be confident with the new workflows and operational processes. The whole business can use this software, from the boardroom to the shop floor. A large selling point was the ability to customise the dashboards making the technology solid and flexible at once. “The software has a modern look and feel, it is a drag and drop solution which can be used by the whole business,” shares Gareth.
"I believe this implementation will further contribute to digital transformation for Redcar and Cleveland Council"
Laura Bigwood, the Professional Services Manager at AssetWorks said ‘the tenacity of AssetWorks and Redcar managed to achieve a seamless go-live despite delays and uncertainty due to COVID and the demands that placed on project logistics and operational demands on the council themselves to provide additional service to the public. It is an extraordinary team, and I am eager to hear about the added benefits they see for the business as they use the software’.
