Having good technology and good driver relationships is often overlooked, yet it doesn’t have to be difficult.
Make an effort to listen to concerns and include them in your decision-making and rollout processes. Here are five suggestions from NTI to help you have better conversations.
Explain why
Nobody likes having a decision, or a new process, dropped on them with no explanation and no idea what it’s all for.
Take the time to explain why you’re investing in a new system or device – and be 100% honest. Team members will see through sales pitches that aren’t on the level. Are you fixing a specific problem, making a general improvement to fleet safety, or simply updating existing assets?
Letting your team know what’s going on gives them a better context to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. It’ll also make them more likely to accept the changes.
WHY? Because you want your drivers to understand and accept what you’re trying to achieve.
DO: Be clear on the problem it’s solving and what success will look like.
Demonstrate benefits
Show, don’t tell. Bring some real-world examples, data or statistics to the conversation to demonstrate the new technology’s effectiveness.
Make sure you know the tech inside-out so you can answer questions confidently. Getting buy-in for new tech is twice as hard when you don’t know how to drive it first.
Better still, see if you can get someone from another organisation using the technology, or a sales rep or technician from the vendor, to visit your business and explain how it works and how it helps.
WHY? Because seeing is believing – and if you can’t make a good case for the technology, you’ll have trouble with user acceptance.
DO: Include practical demonstrations, test machines and conversations with experts in your deployment plans.
Listen to feedback
Take careful note of your team’s concerns and objections. This is insight into how they view the technology and what the business intends in rolling out that technology.
They may identify issues that you have not considered.
Address concerns, even the ones you don’t agree with. Creating opportunities for open and honest discussion allows ideas to be shared and misunderstandings to be cleared.
WHY? Because your drivers will know if you’re not listening to them.
DO: Listen carefully, speak honestly and always get back to drivers about questions you couldn’t answer on the spot.
Instruction and training
Trial the technology before a full-fleet rollout so that you can iron out any bugs. Operational or compatibility problems can spell disaster and make teams less receptive to future programs.
And make sure your drivers know how to use it before it’s deployed.
Even a single session will make a big difference – some people might enjoy figuring out a new device or system, but most just want to get on with their jobs.
After the new technology has gone live, offer follow-up training or refreshers if needed; don’t leave your staff unsupported.
WHY? Because you want your drivers to use the technology properly.
DO: Provide training to everyone who might use the technology and follow up with refreshers as needed.
Share feedback
Once you’ve deployed the tech, ask for feedback. In person, by email, on a form. The critical thing is to show the team you want to know how it’s working for them.
With feedback in hand, you can make adjustments, offer additional training or take other steps.
Critically, share the feedback and the actions you’re taking as a result with the whole team, so they can see you’re listening.
WHY? Because you want the feedback, and you want the team to know you’re fine-tuning as needed.
DO: Schedule a message or communication to share the feedback with the whole team.
For more information and tips visit nti.com.au/better-business-hub.