U.S. Bank is on a mission – to make mobile technology work for everyone across the fleet space. According to Jeff Pape, the company’s transportation product and marketing manager, the way to accomplish that is by creating a balanced ecosystem.
“We really think you have to come up with a balanced equation, or ecosystem” Pape told Fleet Owner. “A mobile ecosystem exists when you can drive benefits to buyers, fleet administrators, merchants, carriers, drivers – everybody wins in that equation. That’s how we see things.”
That’s the approach the company took when it developed its Voyager Fleet Card mobile app in June. The app helps fleets find fuel and maintenance locations that accept its fleet card, and it allows drivers to find fueling sites across the country by price, distance and fuel type.
When Voyager developed its app it considered how the technology would work for everyone – not just drivers. Pape stressed that it is critical for organizations to think about transparency of all parties and to not alienate anyone.
To make mobile technology work for everyone, Pape suggests asking:
-
Does the technology enhance transparency among all parties?
-
Does it enhance control, efficiencies and savings?
-
Have clients and business partners been consulted to determine interest, need and effort required to make it happen?
-
How do you keep your mobile app fresh?
Pape said Voyager’s focus has remained on making the app user friendly for everyone and fun for drivers to use. He also suggested that fleet managers could entice their drivers to use more mobile technology by offering fleet-based incentives or friendly competitions among drivers. He added that using driver scorecards or rankings to encourage desired behaviors – safe driving and efficient fuel use – could also be useful.
“With all of the things that drivers are responsible for these days, we thought, ‘How can we make this advantageous for them? How can they get discounts?’” Pape said. “What’s really important to us is the convenience and safety for drivers.”
