A Customer Story: A Large-Scale Geotab Deployment with BSM Technologies

Do you ever wonder exactly what steps are involved in the deployment and integration of a telematics solution for your fleet?

This week we're giving you a rundown of a large-scale Geotab deployment we recently completed for one of our clients, one of the largest government fleets in Canada. We will review what the process looks like from the statement of work (SOW) through to deployment.

1. Establish the team

Once BSM successfully won the opportunity to work on this deployment of nearly 5,000 units, a dedicated project manager (PM) was assigned. The PM's first task was to assemble a team that would work specifically on this project from start to finish. What's essential to point out here, is that the PM chose specific individuals he knew would complement the core client team and form a productive working relationship built on trust.

For BSM, the project team was made up of:

1. A technical account manager who followed-up on specific requests by the client.
2. A solutions engineer whose main focus was to visualize the data the client needed, and customize the solution to extract the data required to measure KPIs.
3. The PM also served as an essential member of the team as the primary point of contact for the customer into BSM.
4. A senior field services specialist who worked directly with the installation crews.
5. A senior member of the sales team at BSM who was able to share best practices and mentor the BSM working team during deployment, then stay on to provide the client with ongoing support.
6. A training specialist who would ensure our client and the relevant members of their team were appropriately trained and able to use the solution effectively.

2. Set firm goals

Like all projects BSM takes on, working with the client to identify the goals and expectations via a statement of work (SOW) was the first client-facing step in the process. Both the core client team and the core BSM working team established what success would look like, specifically focusing on the rollout plan for deploying the hardware to all 5,000 vehicles within the set timeframe identified and agreed upon in the SOW.

3. Meet before you meet!

A key contributing factor to the success of this project was the order in which meetings occurred. The project manager always held an internal meeting before each external meeting. This proved to be advantageous because it allowed the internal team to chat through any red flags and prepare solutions before the external meeting, so the BSM team was always going to the client with a solution before they even knew there was a problem.

4. Plan, plan again, and then install

There's a common phrase, 'measure twice, cut once,' and the same principle was adopted by the senior field services specialist for this project. First, the specialist assigned a BSM field services coordinator to work closely with the installation crew, thereby ensuring proper coordination. Next, he chose local, experienced installers and trained them on the intricacies of successfully installing the hardware.

Since all installers need to have BSM certification to install the hardware, the field services coordinator conducted an in-house training session and then provided mobile resources for the installers should they have questions once they got to a vehicle. This training also included a step-by-step picture tutorial and specific installation and requirements unique to the customer.

5. Follow-up

The field services team used the BSM web app tool to track all installations and their uptake success rate so they could see if there were any issues with newly-installed Geotab devices. If there were any issues identified, the BSM team proactively reached out to the installer (individual or team) and would coach them further to ensure success moving forward. The support mechanism for install truly made this deployment a success.

6. Monitor, analyze, and support

Remember the solutions engineer we mentioned earlier in the post? This is where their data visualization came to life and started providing value to the client. Once the vehicles started reporting back to the dashboard, our solutions engineer opened a dialogue with the clients regarding the information being collected to ensure it was meeting their needs. If it wasn't, then he worked to reconfigure the dashboard and reports according to the feedback.

7. Train and coach

Overall, this entire process took 18 months and is technically still in progress as we continue to finesse the dashboard. This project has been heralded by the client as a resounding success, from inception to implementation.

As we mentioned in last week's post, not all Geotab resellers are created equal. Many have very little experience in the telematics industry and have little to no support to ensure a successful deployment. BSM takes a very holistic approach by providing top-notch, specialized teams and y drawing on its over 20+ years of expertise.