Posted 22 October 2014 12:00 AM by Jennifer Andrasik
To some, Halloween may be synonymous with elaborate costumes, spooky decorations or terrifying horror movies.
To the majority of kids, however, Halloween only means one thing: candy.
Successful trick-or-treating is all about laying out an effective plan, including the times, routes and locations of neighborhoods that will result in the most delicious candy. So just imagine the haul a group of children could earn if they used a fleet management system.
Today's successful fleets use highly sophisticated routing and dispatching GPS units that allow companies to know the precise location of every vehicle. Dispatchers are then able to ensure vehicles take the most direct route to their destinations, figuring in current traffic conditions, the proximity of vehicles to a given target and even rerouting based on customer schedules.
Putting the same technology in the hands of a group of children on Halloween could mean bags filled to the brim with candy.
By mapping out the most direct route through the twisted streets of local neighborhoods, kids would be able to trick-or-treat at more houses in less time by taking more direct routes. With proper routing and dispatching, less time would be spent traveling between "jobs."
Taking into consideration the "traffic conditions" - or other children vying for candy at the same houses - the group could avoid the most jam-packed streets and crowds potentially slowing them down. Plus, the costumed trick-or-treater nearest the next row of houses could be dispatched before calling on someone further away, adding to the speed of reaching sweet, sugary satisfaction.
Lastly, calling ahead to the most desirable houses - those giving out the king-sized candy bars - would ensure they're still open for business and well stocked. Nothing slows up a productive day like waiting because the other party is either closed or unprepared for your arrival.
If limited to a certain timeframe, the group of Halloween heroes using a fleet management system could be equally as successful as a large company using the same software. Come to mention it, isn't there an app for that?
Fleetmatics REVEAL can offer fleet management solutions for your small business. Get a demo today!