This case study is part of an ongoing series that gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most challenging and sensitive business problems that Real Time Networks has helped solve. The clients are confidential. The results are real.
Many law enforcement agencies struggle with cost-effectively managing motor pools without compromising their operations. It doesn’t matter whether they’re a small town police force, a major state or provincial division, or a federal agency, lives and property are at risk if vehicles aren’t ready when they’re needed.
In 2017, the Fleet Management Coordinator at a police division headquarters in a small, coastal city saw the writing on the wall. He had been tasked with managing fifty vehicles used by detectives, forensic teams, and other investigative units that needed to cover the local city and the entire surrounding rural region. These cars and trucks collected a lot of mileage. Maintenance schedules were very full. And on top of that, the scope of their work was expanding.
Budget constraints meant that he alone would be the only staff member managing their expanding motor pool. “The difficulty [was going to lie] in ensuring oversight and accountability of all the keys,” the Fleet Coordinator said.
They already maintained primary and secondary key sets for each vehicle. But more often than the coordinator would like, an investigation would be delayed because neither key set could be located. Busy detectives would often forgot to return keys, or misplace them when urgent questionings or phone calls took precedence. “Before [using] KeyTracer, the keys could just be on a cup hook near the back door or left on someone’s desk,” when they were needed the most. The Fleet Coordinator realized he needed to take action before an investigation was compromised. So he contacted Real Time Networks to find out what could be done.
After several consultations to dial in the exact specifications, the Fleet Coordinator agreed that the proposal for a 64 keyring KeyTracer system with RFID technology was the best option on the market. Once the key cabinet was installed, and the software configured for the division’s particular needs, the system was ready to be deployed for full use.
With Real Time Networks’ help, the Fleet Coordinator conducted training sessions on the new system for his office’s personnel. The KeyTracer system automated many tasks, but staff still needed to be trained in how the key transaction process worked, how they could reserve vehicles for specific assignments, and how they could log maintenance notes when returning vehicles to the motor pool.
The Fleet Coordinator was blunt. At this point his personnel were wary of the new system. But while “it was met with some hesitancy and reluctance...eventually everyone came to see the benefits of the system.”
The results were impressive. “[Setting up] KeyTracer made my job easier, as I now had complete control over fleet keys,” the Fleet Coordinator said. Tasks that were previously long and complicated, like tracking maintenance and servicing schedules, managing reservations, and getting notifications for unreturned keys, were handled automatically.
And his staff were able to make use of a whole host of new features that made their lives easier and put any initial wariness to rest. The problem of misplaced keys went away almost overnight. Staff were able to reserve particular vehicles when they needed to and automatically retrieve keys without waiting for the Coordinator.
The Fleet Coordinator was able to rotate key sign-outs to distribute vehicle usage and reduce maintenance. Drivers could log fault codes and incidents to aid mechanics when problems did occur, so their cars were back in service faster.
KeyTracer was critical to this law enforcement office’s performance improvements from the date of implementation onward. Costs dropped, efficiency ticked up, workflows improved. KeyTracer let this small regional office continue to grow, cost-effectively.
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