When you’re considering the costs your business is facing right now, you should be thinking of your technology in terms of the value it brings to your business.
Consumers and businesses alike are aware of the pressures of inflation and increases to the cost of living at the moment. Many of us have acted in the face of rising prices – the gas market being a prime example. Consumers have switched providers en masse to ensure they are paying as little as possible for energy as regardless of which supplier you use, the product is the same.
Similar comparisons are often made with the dispatch software market but these comparisons are unfair. Despite software being an intangible product which you may think is the same regardless of supplier, this is simply not the case. Different dispatch providers offer different products and varying degrees of flexibility, service and support.
When you’re considering the costs your business is facing right now, you should be thinking of your technology in terms of the value it brings to your business. What are you paying and is it bringing value to your business? Is your tech enabling growth and scale? Does it allow you to manage more jobs with the same number of drivers? Or scale up without needing lots of additional staff (and overheads) in the office?
Many operators think that technology is simply a cost to their business and therefore getting it as cheap as possible is the ultimate goal. This is a narrative which has become commonplace but many other suppliers are beginning to acknowledge (whether publicly or privately), that this is not a sustainable model for anyone and could potentially lead to consequences that are not in the best interest of your business.
This kind of thought process doesn’t consider the value that technology can bring to a business; what kinds of configurations does the technology offer that mean it can be tailored to your individual business needs and truly bring competitive advantage through efficiency savings and improvements to your bottom line. Additionally, this line of thinking doesn’t consider the service levels provided; what kind of technical support will you get from the provider?
Sadly, many operators have had bad experiences with tech partners that lead to business owners thinking “all technology is the same.” This is not the case. Technology matters. Just look at the difference in quality and functionality between an iPhone and cheap handset. Different dispatch suppliers will offer different features as part of their software and the service levels or support will vary. When you’re thinking about your dispatch, you should always consider the benefits it can bring to your business.
Will the technology allow you to use automation throughout your business? We’re not just talking about automating taking a booking through an app, portal or IVR – will that job be automatically dispatched, with automated and accurate ETAs provided to the passenger, the option for the driver to add job amendments directly in the app and payments automated?
If the answer to above is yes, then technology is an asset (not simply a cost) to your business as you can use it to bring genuine value to your business. Technology can help you to be more efficient, make overall cost savings and scale your business without the expense of continuously needing additional ops staff to manage your increasing workload.
For an informal chat about how Sherlock could help your business to be more efficient and improve your bottom line, get in touch today. Call 020 3214 5110 or email demo@sherlocktaxi.com
By Adam Ross, Sherlock Technical Sales & Implementation Manager
