Ensure there’s a good system to help staff on the road

1. Provide adequate training from the outset so that employees do their job efficiently, drive safely, make risk assessments and understand risk management, provide good customer service and contribute to your business’s positive image. An SME’s training budget may be modest but it is important to invest in ongoing development too.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Apr 2012, 07:00 BST

2. Schedule regular ‘reporting in’ times between mobile employees and line managers – it is possible that staff will have valuable customer insights due to their role ‘out in the field’ which can avoid costly market research for SMEs.

3. If employees ever work alone, due to the nature of operations or because the team is small, implement protection mechanisms such as efficient and reliable navigational devices, functional phones and vehicle tracking systems to ensure their safety.

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4. Analyse and plan routes taken by employees on the road. Simple journey adjustments can improve fuel efficiencies, cut costs and ensure a greater level of customer satisfaction.

5. Even if your team is small, you should have a good system in place for scheduling drivers’ duties, whilst taking account of all the relevant drivers’ hours, working time and health and safety regulations. Compliance with VOSA’s (Vehicle Operator & Services Agency) working time regulations for a mobile workforce is a must.

6. Planned journeys must be practical and must not jeopardise road safety, so ensure employees and management allow some time for general congestion on routes especially around places where delays often occur.

7. Driving speeds are very important for the health and safety of operatives on the road, so consider restricting vehicle speeds or fitting vehicle tracking so over-speeding is immediately identified.

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8. Provide employees with the correct vehicle for their mobile role and inspect the vehicles regularly.

9. Set achievable targets for your workforce to strive towards, and regardless of whether they’re office based or on the road, remember to provide feedback, good or bad. Maximising resources in SMEs is vital, but thanks to technology, reports and feedback charts can be collated and presented in only a few clicks.

10. If you decide to monitor your employees’ activity, explain the reasons why so that it is not misinterpreted as mistrust, and so it doesn’t impact upon morale. The real reason is to protect your greatest assets; your workforce and reputation. Controlling costs and ensuring effective productivity will strengthen your bottom line, especially important for SMEs in the current business climate.

Related topics:SMEs