Remember when receiving a phone call was a big deal. Getting a long-distance call, in particular, used to be an unusual and exciting occurrence reserved for a special occasion. But now the phone is just another commodity that we take for granted, with rock-bottom pricing at pennies a minute making the average call less expensive than a bottle of water. For many, the phone is now an afterthought if other quicker and more convenient methods of communication such as email and text messaging are available.
Stop wasting your time and my time and dump the phone as this aging technology has become an ineffective tool that only hinders the way fleet managers, technicians, drivers and service locations operate and attempt to work effectively with each other. Relying on phone conversations to conduct business must become a thing of the past unless you want to be as relevant as a dinosaur.
But if you enjoy throwing money out the window then keep that useless phone as your primary communication tool. The average service event involves 32.5 minutes on the phone including 20 excruciating minutes spent on hold. This awful scenario can cost a fleet at least $30-50 per event. This expense along with lost time quickly adds up as missed calls, extraneous conversations and the need to return calls only damage the bottom line for all parties. Or maybe you enjoy making less profit.
The answer to overcoming many of today’s industry inefficiencies can be addressed in 140 characters or less. Email or text messaging provide a quicker, more accurate and proven communication option that is time-stamped and offers all the information needed to manage and complete a service event. It is that simple.
There’s little doubt that texting has truly become a reliable and invaluable way to get your message across. Nearly 197 billion text messages are sent each month, according to mid-2011 figures from the CTIA, the wireless industry’s trade association. Compared to 2006 when “just” 12.5 billion text messages were sent monthly, texting can play an important role in the business world.
The benefits to the trucking industry couldn’t be clearer. Now’s the time to shut up and let your fingers do the talking.
We must take a stand together or else wither and go the way of the dodo. The next time that phone rings tell the person on the other end of the line to stop calling you and join the 21st century. But before you slam down the receiver, let that caller know that short bursts of critical information are much more valuable than verbal conversations. They’ll thank you, although hopefully not through another phone call.
Comments (1)
Dick,
You are 100% right. However, while texting is much more efficient than an actual phone call, FMCSA is close to imposing a ban on texting for commercial drivers. We all know that commercial drivers should not text while driving, and the law abiding ones don’t, but the stigma around this issue is causing more and more carriers and fleet managers to be slow in adopting this amazingly efficient form of communication.
In addition to the ability for drivers to mark loads as “Picked Up” or “Delivered”, the Masslogics Mobile Dispatch feature provides “canned” messages for communications between drivers and dispatch, eliminating the need for typing a message. Dispatchers can create a list of these messages specific to their daily operations, and drivers select messages to send from a pick list on their cell phones. We can also provide text-like message typing, with a lockout feature for when the phone is moving at driving speeds (via the phone’s GPS chip).
http://masslogics.com/cell-phone-trucking-dispatch/
Ben Evans
Masslogics Software
Leave a Comment