8 Things To Consider when Switching GPS Tracking Providers

How modern systems like FieldLogix makes switching easy!

Since GPS tracking technology has been around for a while and the technology evolves so rapidly, many organizations are now on their 3rd or 4th systems. In fact, many organizations are switching GPS tracking systems to FieldLogix because of our innovative features and the fact that our service pricing is typically 20% to 40% lower than many of the legacy systems.

We ranked the 8 items that organizations typically consider before switching GPS tracking systems and how FieldLogix helps make the process easy.

#1 Existing Contract

If you are stuck in a contract, you must reach out to your existing provider and determine when the contract expires. Also, keep in mind that each device may have an individual contract based on the installation date. It is fairly common to have a fleet with “rolling contracts” where the devices drop off of the contract at different dates.

The auto-renewal
Be warned that many providers will auto-renew your contract for a 1 year term if you don’t provide 90 or 60 days notice prior to the end of the original contract. It is actually in your best interest to opt out of the auto-renewal as early as possible so you have options once your contract expires. You may not realize that it’s there because it’s often in the fine print. We’ve worked with companies who were ready to make the switch to FieldLogix but realized that their contract had another 12 months remaining because of the auto-renewal. To avoid being unexpectedly stuck in a contract, simply send your provider an “opt-out” email. Be sure to check your contract to see what is required.  Here is an example of what you can send to your provider:

“I would like to Opt-Out of the Auto Renewal and continue on a month to month service basis at the end of the contract date for all devices currently under contract.”

It is in your best interest to send this notification as soon as possible, even if you don’t plan on switching GPS tracking systems once your contract expires. Also, be sure to receive a confirmation that they received your notice. Once you are on a month-to-month contract, you are free to switch to a different provider.

5 reasons why companies select FieldLogix

#2 Vehicle Downtime

Time is money, right? Often times, this is perceived to be the second biggest obstacle to making a switch. Because of potential downtime, organizations believe that they cannot afford to pull all of their vehicles off the road for installations. However, thanks to the latest technology, FieldLogix provides plug-and-play devices which take approximately 5-10 minutes to install per vehicle. With proper planning, vehicles can be brought into the shop during the day and rotated out as the installations are complete, minimizing any downtime.

Go to our support center to see our installation guides

#3 User-Friendliness & Training

Many organizations are concerned about their users’ ability to pickup the new system. While many legacy systems were often complex and required extensive training, modern systems like FieldLogix were built to be very intuitive and user-friendly. The user-friendliness of your new system will determine how fast your team can make full use of the software. Also, keep in mind that your users are always very busy, so scheduling training may take some time. Therefore, the system should be user-friendly enough for them to pick-up right away without extensive training. Also, the system should include tools such as embedded training videos to provide your users with additional assistance when needed. Since your users will be learning a new system, you want to have as much support as you can to train your team without much downtime. Checking with the provider to ensure training is available can save you this time. FieldLogix offers free online training and continuous training when new people join your team, or if you just need a refresher.

“The devices have worked very well, and our users are very, very happy with the usability of the solution, especially when compared to [our previous provider]. Much more user friendly, better features and lower cost. Wins across the board.” – Chris Miller – Harshaw Trane

#4 Administrative Involvement

Understandably, you may be concerned over the amount of time it will take to get your new system “on-par” with your existing system. Some believe that it will take considerable time to configure your new system with all of the information that matches the configurations of your existing system. Fortunately, we took this into account when building FieldLogix. We include tools that you can use to quickly import all of your landmarks from your existing system into FieldLogix within minutes. In addition, we created many simple-to-use wizards and profile types that you can use to configure your rules and alerts. In fact, most of our users have setup all of their configurations before we completed training. We also only work with best-in-class devices to ensure that there is an extremely low failure rate with our tracking equipment. With FieldLogix, you will find that you spend less time dealing with user training issues as well as device maintenance issues.

It may even be helpful to conduct a cost benefit analysis to determine the cost savings based your investment of time. For comparison see a real example from one of our customers below:

A small electrical company recently switched to FieldLogix to save over 50% in monthly service fees. They are saving over $5,400 annually (or $16,200 over 36 months) with our system versus the legacy system they had. They took an estimated 5 hours of management time to purchase the system, schedule installations, configure the settings, at a cost of approximately $500. Now, their net cost savings with FieldLogix after subtracting out the administrative time is $4,900 annually, or $14,700 over 3 years.

Use our ROI calculator to see your cost savings

#5 Integrations

While not prominent with older legacy systems, integrations with other systems could make it feel like switching GPS tracking systems would be extremely difficult. Fortunately, modern system like FieldLogix have open API’s that allow you to easily connect our system to your other operating systems.

FieldLogix combines GPS driver behavior monitoring with powerful driver management solutions like dispatching & time keeping. We also have an API accelerator tool that allows you to connect FieldLogix to many 3rd party software systems within minutes.

 Learn about our integration options here

#6 Vendor Relationships

Let’s face it, you have been dealing with the same company for years, and for better or worse, you know how they operate and what to expect. Occasionally, this can lead to complacency and a lack of willingness to try something new. At FieldLogix, we have been working hard to establish a strong reputation in our industry since we started in 2002. In fact, we are one of the most award-winning providers in our industry when it comes to both innovation and customer support. We have had an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau since 2003 and our customers gave us a 97% Customer Satisfaction Score when surveyed by Dunn & Bradstreet. When establishing a new business relationship it is important to ensure that they will provide the support you need and will continue to innovate their solution after the initial purchase. A simple test to see how a vendor prioritizes customer support is to call their customer support line and see how long it takes them to respond to your request.

See our customer success stories here

#7 Entering into a New Contract

Another reason why organizations are concerned about switching GPS tracking systems is the fact that they don’t want to enter into a new contract. FieldLogix is one of the only providers that has different purchase options so that you can select the one that fits best. We offer multi-year Service Terms that allow you to avoid up-front equipment costs as well as purchase options that allow you to avoid contracts. In addition, some organizations will start with a pilot program by purchasing 5-10 units on a month-to-month contract term to evaluate the solution before equipping their entire fleet.

#8 Sunk Equipment Costs

The rule of thumb is that today’s technology will be obsolete in 3 years. Holding on to old systems or hardware because of any previously invested time & money could put your organization behind. Just think about how much has changed with your cell phone over the past 3 years. While our system is built to last for over 7-10 years, many organizations are ready to upgrade to the newest technology after 3 years.

Based on the fuel and labor savings you most likely already realized from your equipment, the investment in your existing system has likely paid for itself many times over. If switching GPS tracking systems is cost efficient, you could take advantage of even greater savings and benefit from the newer technology. The technology provided by FieldLogix is the latest and most innovative and will give you greater savings than you see today.


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