Integrating new technology is always a bit of challenge. When fleets adopt the use of smartphone or tablet applications for document organization, there’s always a chance the drivers aren’t going to use them. Truck stop scanning, overnight mail, and emailing photos are still viable options drivers can use to get documents back to the office. But, if drivers understood how much easier and faster their job could be using a mobile app and that they could potentially receive a reward for consistently doing so, they may be more inclined use new technology.
EBE Technologies offers a mobile application, SHIPS Mobile, that makes scanning paperwork and submitting it back to the office simple. SHIPS Mobile features in-app tutorials and a driver portal for visibility to settlement statuses with indicators that show all appropriate paperwork has been turned in so the driver can be paid for completing that job. The app also offers a module called Settlement Assistant.
“[The module] provides automatic alerts to drivers when paperwork is late or missing,” says EBE Technologies’ vice president of marketing and recruiting and onboarding solutions, Cindy Nelson. “This allows drivers to better manage their pay, because they get real-time updates regarding paperwork status – and [it] provides instant feedback so they are constantly aware of their settlement status as well.”
Using an app such as this, Nelson notes, could potentially change the driver’s behavior. If the driver can see how quickly they can get settlement through the app, then they will be more likely to get their paperwork sent in for confirmation in a timely manner. This can also reduce the need to call drivers about missing or late paperwork.
Additionally, using an app that prompts the driver to submit paperwork can also increase timeliness, productivity, and accuracy.
“If the driver waits a couple days until they're sitting at a rest stop and they've got 40 documents to scan, that can create errors because then they think, 'Am I scanning to the right load? Am I typing in the right information?’ Our platform can eliminate that with simple workflow actions that prompt drivers when it is time to scan the documents,” explains Eleos Technologies’ vice president of sales and strategic partnerships, Wes Pollock.
Of course, an easy way to motivate the drivers is through incentive. For example, notes McLeod Softwares’ DocumentPower product manager, Ryan Sparrow, if a fleet were to promise a gift card to the month’s top performer in submitting paperwork on time and accurately, that would certainly encourage the drivers to use the mobile app.
Aside from competition, Sparrow continues, providing some kind of recognition could also give drivers the push they need. By showing the drivers appreciation and recognizing that they are leveraging the technology the fleet has invested in shows the drivers they are valued employees.
