Out of total, about 23% of the total operating costs of fleet account for fuel expenditure. That’s probably why fleet managers always look for ways to track and optimize fuel consumption. If you back your fleet fuel management plan by a dedicated software, it’d bring you tremendous ease and benefits. 

Let’s read talk some more about this. But first, go through these two articles about best software development companies and finest customized software program improvement corporations. 

The Deployment Model

When it comes to the deployment model, you can choose between two kinds. One is ready-made software with fuel management capabilities and another one is developing your own Saas product which is tailored to your needs.

Ready-made Software

Ready-made software with fuel management capabilities are an easy and fast solution with one strong upside. That is the support and software updates which come along with the software and is included in the subscription fee. You can rest assured that your customers will have access to all the latest features and application functionalities without any issue, while all the requests are handled in time. 

However, they are not perfect. Since these software programs are generalized they cannot fulfill the needs of all customer segments. Customization is usually expensive. Most of off-the-shelf fleet fuel management software owners will charge you per vehicle. So, if you have a wide customer base, you must be ready for spending some bucks. 

Custom Fuel Management

Alternatively, you can also opt for developing your own SaaS (software as a service), which is tailored to your needs. If you are already using a fuel management application, you can extend its functions which you require. 

The advantage of this option is that you will only be extending the program to a specific segment of customers. You can also integrate your application with the customer’s accounting system for accurate calculation of the fuel economy. However, for many businesses the downside of this solution is its cost. It is expensive to get a tailored application for your requirements. 

But, if you get involved in the process of the app development early on you can avoid unnecessary expenses. In return with a better fitting fuel management application you will get more customers, increase your revenue and improve your ROI. Many companies report that you can increase your customer satisfaction by 50% if you get your own fuel tracking application. 

Fuel Consumption Management Enabling Features

There are a number of features which influence your fuel consumption. Below, we share a few features which you can be implemented.

• Integrate the fuel cards with the software. This way you can directly track the fuel consumed. The data will flow into the cloud-based software for fuel management without the need for manual entry.
• Fuel economy calculation will allow you to automatically calculate metrics such as gallons/mile for each vehicle using info from fuel cards and spit out reports. These reports will allow you to get the whole fuel cost for vehicles. 
• Driver behavior and speed monitoring is also crucial if you want to optimize your fuel consumption. Over speeding is not only dangerous but it also increases fuel consumption. Speed monitoring feature in the software will automatically keep the driver’s behavior in check. 
• A feature for monitoring engine idling will help save thousands of dollars.

Final Words

A fleet fuel management software which corresponds to customers’ requirements will not only improve their satisfaction but also attract more fleet owners towards you. You have the options of ready-made and customized software for fuel management. A customized software might be expensive in the beginning but will definitely pay off later.