Adopting new fleet technology: Why buy-in and onboarding are crucial for success

Fleet technologies ranging from maintenance and management software to optimization platforms and telematics are helping fleets operate more efficiently — not to mention more cost-effectively. These technologies centralize data, automate processes, and provide real-time insights, making it easier for fleets to keep track of what matters most while improving uptime and overall fleet productivity. However, technology adoption doesn’t come without its challenges.

Adoption challenges

Resistance to change, particularly from employees rooted in traditional methods — and especially if the change either makes no sense or is causing workflow disruptions — can hinder technology adoption.

“Change management is a big challenge because there can be some older or less tech-savvy mechanics who just aren't interested in learning a new system, or maybe they still have a flip phone, so they're not used to using a smartphone or even a tablet,” explained Elisa Moore, customer success specialist, onboarding, at Fleetio.

She said that sometimes fleet managers will see the benefits of new software or technology, but it doesn't change anything for the "people on the ground," such as techncians and drivers, "so they're not as invested.”

Aside from change management, there’s the complexity of migrating data from paper records or legacy systems to consider, as this can derail the adoption progress. Fleets transitioning from paper face the mighty task of starting fresh, while those with digital systems can often run into data compatibility issues. Understanding these obstacles upfront allows fleets to approach adoption and rollout strategically, setting the stage for maximum buy-in and long-term success.

Successful onboarding

Onboarding is a key part of the adoption process and, when done right, it helps minimize the chances of becoming overwhelmed while learning both how to use the new technology and how it will fit into the daily workflow. Before going into onboarding, start with a clear goal or goals so that the onboarding process aligns with your operation’s needs. Turning this goal into a “north star” keeps the onboarding process focused so you’re not starting off with features or functionality you don’t really need — or don’t need yet. 

“On our first onboarding call, we will understand what the fleet’s goals are and then we make the action plan based on that. And then we decide what they need in the system to achieve those goals,” Moore said. “If they say, ‘I want to be able to improve my PM compliance,’ there's X, Y, Z things that we're gonna set up in Fleetio for them to be able to start gathering data to look at what their compliance is and then trend towards the goal metric. So onboarding is very much goal-based.”

Once you’re actively in the onboarding process, assign a dedicated onboarding champion and secure leadership buy-in. Having leadership buy-in can help ensure employees fleet-wide are on the same page about the expected use of the technology, but it also serves to set expectations for the timeline of rolling out the software and when leadership can expect to see movement toward meeting the fleet’s goals.

For tech-averse employees, hands-on, low-pressure training can improve technology adoption and use. “My method is ‘lack of training’ — cut back on the Powerpoints and the ‘This is how you’re going to do it,’ and tailor the training [to your mechanics],” explained Tom Rowlings, assistant fleet manager for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts. “I took the approach where, right off the bat, we were utilizing tablets and it has the [app]. I did more of a, ‘Jump on in everybody, the water’s warm. Here’s your tablet.’ I showed everybody how to log in, and I said, ‘Take the next couple of days and get familiar with it. I want you to poke around and figure it out the same way as when you downloaded TikTok on your phone to look at videos.’”

This method fosters confidence which can translate to better adoption rates.

Tips for rolling out technology

Once the initial setup is complete, you can then begin sharing the wealth of information with everyone else in your organization who needs to be involved. But first, you need to figure out exactly who needs access, and how much access they need. A secure fleet technology will allow you to assign certain user roles that align with distinct functionalities and cut off access to anything that’s not needed. For example, drivers can maintain access to inspections and the details of the assets they’ve been assigned, but they might not necessarily need to see fuel card transactions or utilization details, whereas those factors might be important to an employee in procurement or finance. 

Once you’ve determined your users and their permissions, it’s time to let your employees get hands-on experience; letting drivers and techs move at their own pace with new technology is vital to encouraging adoption.

Next, you’ll want to track progress with clear benchmarks. Benchmarking can be as simple as creating percentages for the amount of progress you’ve made. For example, if your primary goal is to create more consistent PM schedules, set a date for when you want 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of assets added, and make sure you work each day toward hitting that cutoff. This incremental approach prevents burnout and allows you to set realistic expectations with leadership. “You have to make sure that your leadership above you understands your expectations of time, that they’re not thinking, ‘Hey, you have this new program, we’re three days in, let me see those cost savings reports and where you spent all your money this month,’” Rowlings said.

Don’t forget to solicit feedback from employees. Encourage drivers and technicians to identify pain points or new needs, such as niche requirements. Workarounds or integrations may be needed and, as new needs arise, you can reach out to your support contact to see what you can do to fill that need.

Fleet technology adoption is an ongoing process. The more familiar you become with the technology, the easier it is to scale up the fleet’s use of it. Starting the process off by determining clear goals, tailoring training, setting incremental benchmark dates, and soliciting continuous feedback sets fleets up for adoption success that can ultimately lead to improvements in efficiency, compliance, and cost management.