A lot of service managers have been road techs.Maybe the ones who are ****holes are the ones who were home by 12 on friday when they were on the road.

I wonder why some companies implement GPS and it is a great success while others use it and it fails miserably? Is it due to management or techs? Do the companies that fail use it solely for the purpose of "watching" road techs and why can't management figure this out, don't they research the idea before using it?

Does anyone feel like your management team is totally incompetent? Should you have had to be a road tech in the past to be a service manager? Does experience as a road tech prepare you better to manage road techs? Would a road tech turned service manager even want GPS on the service vans?

It just depends how it's administered, it can be a very productive tool or it can be used to spy on field techs and cause distrust. I worked for the local dealer in Phoenix Az. that had a GPS system installed into all field trucks, right away all the Tech's were against the idea, they thought management would use this tool in a negative way, they turned out to be correct. The Gps units were used for everthing except dispatch, the tech's would attempt to disable the units or just ignore it. This is an example of how not use a system like GPS although used correctly can be very a productive tool. One last comment, at any dealership Management should be used in part to support all Tech's field & shop so they can properly service the customer, most often they end up supporting managemnet, think about it!

if you ask most people over what gps is they would point to the little screen sitting on the dashboard that they follow directions from. most people use them to get to work , same place everyday. nobody can read a map these days or remember routes to places

Management wants to get every problem solved without conflict.The problem with that is you need to tell everyone one at a time if they are a shoe or a duck.Most shoes think they are a duck so everything rolls right off their back.

Kevin K calls GPS "tracker". I wonder why, here in the US everyone feels so obligated to sugar coat everything. We call a tracking device installed on your service vehicle: "GPS system for improved efficiency". Here in the US we need to sugar coat everything so as to not insult or hurt anyone's feelings. Instead of firing or reprimanding the few techs who take advantage of the system we "watch or track" every tech regardless of what kind of job they are doing. Sort of like banning all guns to stop gun violence instead of implementing mandatory minimum sentences to get criminals off the street.

I think Kevin has opened the flood gate to why I really don't care for GPS. Why does management try to get everyone to believe they are installing GPS for "safety and efficiency" instead of just telling it like it is: We need to track everyone because some techs are boning us!

I have always been straight up and told people exactly what I was thinking. Maybe management should do the same and be straight with their fellow workers. Tell it like it is!

this subject is a huge factor in the trade over here. all the big players have or are using tracker. some companies use it as selling point. i don,t mind tracker cause i have nothing to hide and yes will have lunch on the move to get the job done. excellent subject

RESPONSE TO: edward T----"AMEN BRUTHA!"----

"YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD"

PS: Good to see you back ED!

Griping is not so much at branch level its from main office. Service supervisior takes care of me so I want to take care of him.He makes any mistkakes I make right with customer, I make sure this is keep to a minamum.We do have a logistics person who runs off the reports and crys what about this or this or this.He just tosses it out unless it comes from higher ups.I dont mind the big brother watching.And once more Im sorry for highjacking this post to cry over poor sevrice techs.People who dont pull their weight tick me off Im a big boy and got enough to pull without extra. ED I hope all is well with you

consider Elliott Spitzer;
another consideration for management;
People generally accuse others of the wrong doing they are considering.
An honest person gets taken by a crook because they expect the crook to be as honest as they are.
The crook expects everyone else to be the same kind of crook they are.
A person (Elliott Spitzer, former NY state Gov. but I could name a dozen others) going to hookers thinks everyone else goes to hookers.
Managers **** off expect everyone else to be **** off. The managers that think that a visit to a customer that has not called in a service call might be stealing from possible company business, must have at least considered doing the same bit of "'piracy".

I've been and am on both sides of the GPS is good/micromanagement discussion. The GPS companies do a great job touting their product, and GPS is a great tool if you suspect that someone is cheating. We've all seen techs that cheat companies, and most of them get caught, on the same hand companies have cheated us, and they eventually loose their techs and then their customers.

Crown in Atlanta had GPS years ago. Their techs left in droves and the ones left learned quickly how to disable the system. It may have saved the company a few bucks in the short term in hours and fuel, but the long-term cost was prohibitive in lost customers (they could not get their equipment fixed) and increased hiring and training costs.

The real problems facing any company today are scary. Company vehicles are becoming targets for people on the road who want a free insurance ride, techs are 'encouraged' to get to the customers more quickly, skip that lunch break and eat and drive etc. These types of things have driven the cost of insurance through the roof. Couple in the tripled price of gas, and any one offering to save you money on vehicle expenses is listened to. I've tested GPS on vehicles, in both cellular and satellite forms. It's amazing that the drivers know we are testing it on their vehicles and the gas usage goes down, and we get less calls complaining about 'that crazy driver'; the downside is big brother is watching. We tested on volunteer's vehicles, and that was still a comment.

I suspect that we will keep looking at GPS or something like it. When it's offered by the vehicle manufacturers as an option we will get it. The gas savings are too real; the insurance breaks are real, as are the OBDII fault codes coming into our fleet manager (from the GPS system via e-mail). These have saved us significant down time and vehicle expenses. How the GPS info on route and driver speed is used will be open for discussion. Excess speed is a valid safety issue, as is what happens to vehicles after hours. With the service vehicles we use we have ignored where they are between 5AM and 6PM, too many stops, and to be honest too time consuming to work out, before and after is a lot more interesting. Speeding is tougher to work out, though >75 mph is emailed to the manager and the tech. The downside of GPS in the cost of the unit; its install costs and on going monthly service fees.
.
We are also in the process of having our vehicles speed controlled to 70 MPH by the manufacturer. Not as easy to defeat, only a one time cost, and this also gives us an insurance saving.

This really boils down to companies being abused by techs, and techs not trusting their management to fairly use a tool. If you're a good tech you'll leave (I've done it and seen it), a 8-5 mediocre tech will stay, and eventually the company itself will be mediocre..
We've noticed that by slowing the vehicles down we've achieved a lot of the same savings I fuel and insurance..

My apologies if I rambled..

I appreciate you last post batman, I believe that we are all on the "same page" with this issue. If everyone did the right thing then companies would not have to resort to these measures.

I totally agree, If the customers are happy and productivity is high as well as profits, Then we can leave things alone.

We live in a time where the cost of doing business is high because of taxes--insurance--fuel prices--sevice fleet vehicles and so on.

Businesses are having to implement every cost cutting measure that is available to keep the doors open and keep profitable to stay in business and provide jobs as well as maintain their position in the marketplace. The "intellegent" business owner with common sense will explore "all" aspects of their business to "TRIM FAT"
and implement cost saving measures throughout the whole company, not just one area.

It is hard to "police" the actions of employees so they do the right thing, in the old days you could trust folks. I can't blame companies for having to do what they have to keep a float. Modern technology has made a way to make that happen.

After the bad apples are weeded out, we will see a difference in the Industry.

It is a touchy subject and it is easy to get ruffled.

Sorry about sounding like I was saying you cut hours. I was just trying to get some feedback, it wasn't my intent to put words in your mouth and just so we can get one thing straight, I am a road tech, not management. My company is going to GPS on road vans to improve efficiency. My opinion on the whole GPS deal is this: Micro management will succeed to bring the great/good tech down to slacker level. Not quality of work but in other ways like no more courtesy calls. I think there are other ways to weed out poor techs and to take care of the good techs. I am right with both of you guys (proshadetree, roadrat), I am happy if I can cover most of my travel in a day, I don't need to only work five hours and bill eight. When I do rental PM's (customer never gets bill) I don't even charge out the full time allotted me by my company because I feel like if I get done quicker and only bill what it takes me the company makes more money and my job is more secure. However, there are guys who won't even PM a rental and charge for it anyway. I am a road tech because I like the fact that I can schedule my own work, take care of my customers my way and be sort of like my own boss. With GPS I might as well be in the shop! Final opinion: When you need GPS for disciplinary reasons the problems run deeper than what GPS can fix. I always do a good job and give an honest days work so GPS will not change anything that I do. The slackers will still be slackers but will come up with more creative ways to be slackers.

And one more thing: Why is GPS never installed on sales peoples vehicles? What? As long as they are selling they are doing their job. How about as long as my customers are happy I am doing my job, no need to micromanage?

I goy ticked because A person who dont even know me wants to say every service man cuts the clock.Like I said we do have GPS it still didnt stop slopy work. Want to save money,cut fuel costs,be a hero to your customers?Dump the slackers,Even some jiffy lube guys can do more.
It will make you more money.As far as questions on bills.I just called the service manager in 15 years I never got a call about to much time on a bill.Why?Customers trust me.Has it took me way to long to fix a truck?Yes I worked on a stopped up muffler for 3 days on and off.I can personaly say that wont kick my tale next time.I can name a hundred things that have done the same.Im not a forklift god,only a man who cares about what he did in a day.I dont care who is looking over my back.GPS is not a cure all.I welcomed it at first I thought well now these men will have to do their job.Ask me how I know GPS can be bypassed.I have talked to other techs till im going to puke.I dont write the check so I dont matter.I was in management before this I would never go back.You cant be a buddy and then crawl down a mans back.Why dont you pay the service tech who stands out what that stupid box cost?I do like the fact if my van is stolen and they dont see the GPS I might get some of my stuff back.It also would good to use if you get a ticket and know you wasnt speeding.Maybe when you cant find a customer so you put it in and then are told where to go,only ours will take you 100 miles out of your way to do it.The thing Im saying is dont think GPS will keep your people in line.A theif will come up with a way to bypass it.Ask anyone who has had a car with VATS stolen.If and operator can bypass a seat switch or a height switch a service man can bypass GPS.

I totally agree Mike,