Q: You were using a different GPS tracking service before you found ClearPathGPS, right? What was that experience like?

We have a sister company that installs and services interior components for boats and ships. We were using a GPS provider to track some of that company’s vehicles, but we weren’t thrilled with the service and the subscription was pricey. 

So, when we decided to look for GPS fleet tracking for Bay Climate’s vehicles, we focused on companies that had affordable solutions and reputations for quality service. That, of course, led us straight to ClearPathGPS.

Q: What sent you looking for GPS fleet tracking for Bay Climate in the first place? 

 Our primary business is emergency-response repairs for commercial refrigeration and HVAC equipment. When a restaurant calls us because their kitchen equipment is failing, or a grocery store calls because their walk-in freezer just stopped working, those aren’t “let’s see when we can schedule a visit with one of your techs” problems. They’re “please help us right now!” problems.

Having ClearPathGPS trackers on all our technicians’ vehicles, and the ClearPathGPS map on our monitors in the office, helps us speed our response time to these emergency jobs.

We might have all our techs in the field on scheduled projects. But if we get one of those high-priority emergency calls, we need to shift people around on the fly. The ClearPathGPS service lets us know—at any moment of the day—which techs are stationary on job sites, which are traveling between job sites, and which are the closest to the emergency job. 

That saves us so much time because we don’t have to call a bunch of techs and ask, “Where are you right now?” We can dispatch the right person very quickly. And that means we’re able to provide better service to the customers who need us most.

Q: In order to run your day-to-day operations, we know you use our partner, ServiceTitan, as well. How are you using the two tools to get better results? 

Yes, the fact that ClearPathGPS integrates with ServiceTitan was a key selling point. However, we’ve found a different way to use the apps together, side by side, to improve our operations. 

We use ServiceTitan’s location tracking to see when our field techs sign in and out of jobs throughout the day. But then we review this against our ClearPathGPS location data, so we have two independent ways of verifying where our techs are and how long jobs take them.

We’ve found that this is a great way to make sure our location data is accurate—especially to help us ensure payroll accuracy—because we’ve got two independent sources. ServiceTitan gives us location data on our techs’ handheld devices, and ClearPathGPS tracks the locations of our techs’ vehicles

Q: So, ClearPathGPS is helping you respond more quickly to customers, and you’re using the location data to make sure you’re not overpaying your techs. What other ways are using our GPS tracking service to improve operations? 

 There are at least two other big benefits I can think of – customer billing and maintenance.

First, the ClearPathGPS app gives us a huge advantage in terms of supporting evidence in customer disputes. This sort of thing happens more than you might think, where a customer calls and says, “Hey, your tech didn’t show up.” 

But now we can immediately pull up the ClearPathGPS dashboard and respond: “Well, according to his vehicle’s GPS unit, he was there for 3 hours today. Is it possible you weren’t on-site, or that maybe our guy spoke with someone else?” That usually settles the issue. 

Another major benefit we’re seeing is vehicle maintenance. Before ClearPathGPS, we just relied on our technicians to keep track of the time or mileage since they last had their vehicle in for a regular maintenance appointment and to let us know when the vehicle was due for preventative service. But that obviously wasn’t the most reliable way to do it.

With ClearPathGPS, we’re much more proactive now in making sure our fleet vehicles get the regular service they need to stay road-worthy and last longer.

I’ve set up the ClearPathGPS app to send an automated report to our dispatch team every week, letting them know if there are any vehicles coming due to be scheduled for maintenance. That’s a great way to help us protect the investment we’re making in these vehicles and prevent us from having to take vehicles out of commission while we fix bigger problems.

And because we’re less likely to have vehicle downtime due to missed maintenance, we’ll have more trucks on the road—which also means we’ll be able to provide better service to a customer-facing a real emergency.

Bethany, thank you for walking us through how you’re using ClearPathGPS to improve your operations… and to Bay Climate Control for being a great customer!

At ClearPathGPS, we are focused on helping our customers improve their operations and bottomline. Our top-rated GPS fleet tracking solutions provide real-time data insights and tools needed to more effectively manage the vehicles, people, and assets businesses send into the field everyday. Can ClearPathGPS help your operations get better results? Let’s find out – request a demo or contact us today.