The South African market is probably the most mature in the world when it comes to vehicle tracking and fleet management and if black boxes were cans of fizzy cool drink, DigiCore would be Coca Cola. The company has been around since 1985, supplying transport operators both locally and abroad (130 000 vehicles carry a C-track system) with tracking and fleet management solutions. For this reason, this international experience has enabled DigiCore to fine tune its product offerings in order to offer transporters tracking solutions and fleet management services that actually do boost overall fleet performance.
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Digicore’s
SA
control centres (above) manage data from as far afield as
the UK and Australia |
For Bruce Richards, sales and marketing director, DigiCore, it's about building long term relationships. "DigiCore has implemented a 'Customers for
LifeTM' strategy which aims to give customers peace of mind knowing they're buying into a service relationship that will add value and not drain their resources."
Because technology changes so rapidly, DigiCore has a comprehensive upgrade strategy. "We have 100% backward compatibility in all our systems, which means old and new units talk to the same software. A 1992 DigiCore unit is still functional and fully supported by our technicians. Furthermore, when a new generation box is developed, we offer our clients a trade-in value on their old unit."
This is so important to operators who are afraid of investing thousands of Rands into technology which will be superceeded by new developments. No-one wants to be left with systems that are obsolete.
This customer-centric approach is one that new entrants into the industry should emulate. It also explains to some degree why DigiCore is a world leader in the FM arena. "We employ fourteen Customer Relationship Co-Ordinators (CRC's) on a national basis whose job it is to ensure clients get the service they expect. Whether it is issues regarding speed of vehicles, distances covered, fuel consumption etc, our CRCs walk the path with our customers."
Tailored options
Transport operators vary widely when it comes to the adoption of technology to help manage their fleets. Richards describes the scenario of the owner/operator who owns a few vehicles but still drives one himself. "This person does not sit behind a computer but he does have a cell phone. With DigiCore's polling SMS technology, he can keep tabs on where his vehicles are while he's behind the wheel."
He adds that smaller operators have felt somewhat intimidated by the high-end solutions because of price and complexity. "For this reason, DigiCore has three distinct products running off three distinct technology platforms to service three distinct market sectors starting at R7.00 per vehicle per day.
"C-track Solo is our high end fleet management system that integrates with ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems, used by corporate operations like Sappi, Unitrans and the Western Cape Government Motor Transport division. C-track Assist is a traditional fleet management system which tracks and reports on vehicle speed, areas covered, accident data etc, and C-track Secure which is our entry level offering for transporters who want to monitor the whereabouts of their vehicles in real time via cell phone and the Internet."
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Convergence
in
action - C-track Solo is the high-end fleet management
offering from DigiCore |
Richards explains that intrinsic to the overall DigiCore philosophy is offering as wide a range of technologies as possible to meet specific customer needs. "We let our customers decide which combination of technologies they fit to their vehicles. If they want GPS and GSM on their older vehicles and GPRS on their new trucks, we have the products to meet those needs."
DigiCore's footprint in Africa, Europe and Australia is extensive and its navigational tools on PDAs (palm top computer/cell phones) are popular items among European truck drivers. "We use a basic PDA that runs off our GPS black box which saves on the cost of the PDA," says Richards. "Running costs are obviously optimised when drivers know exactly where they're going and South Africa's truckers will start using these navigation tools more and more in the future."
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Maximum reach
To understand just how big DigiCore is in the fleet management game, one need look no further than their relationship with DaimlerChrysler's debis Mobility Solution (an added value fleet management offering for FML customers).
The system is set up for exception reporting, customised to suit customer requirements, be they accident reports, green band, tachograph or idling information. Once again it's all about giving the clients what they want. Richards sums it up neatly; "It's all about optimising processes through partnerships."
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Call
centre
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South African control centres manage data from as far
afield as the UK and Australia |
