Implementing a Journey Management™ solution is a massive undertaking.

It’s not something you’d ever purchase without a tremendous amount of due diligence. 

And that due diligence can be a real pain, so we put together this checklist of 7 things to consider before choosing your Journey Management™ technology and service partner.

Fit-for-purpose technology

Many suppliers of work alone or telematics technology say they have Journey Management™ technology when they really don’t. A complete Journey Management™ platform will include trip risk assessments and approval workflows, which are essential to Journey Management™ processes. Verify that the platform has the following:

- 3rd party device integration
- Approval workflows
- Customizable trip risk assessments
- SMS text integration (for easy check-ins and non-smartphone users)

If the platform you’re evaluating doesn’t have all of the above, move on to the next option.

A proven track record in the energy industry

Does the vendor have experience working with other companies in the energy industry to implement and monitor Journey Management™ systems? Journey Management™ is a complex process that weaves together employees from various stakeholder groups, multiple software and hardware providers, and layers of procedures. It takes in depth knowledge of the day-to-day operations of companies in the energy industry to understand the risks drivers face and how to best protect them. 

Detail is everything and experience is the best teacher. Choose a vendor that understands your business and the needs of your employees on the road.

Training and support

Buying the right technology and 24/7 response service is one thing. Getting your employees to embrace the system and service is another altogether. You need a partner who can help you design an effective roll-out plan for your employees complete with content, training, and user support. 

Journey Management™ has the power to dramatically improve driver safety, but your success depends entirely on getting employees to adopt the process. Ensure the partner you choose can support you beyond the purchase and has tools to help track and encourage user adoption.

24/7 Journey Management™ Centre

There is a difference between real-time response and a 24/7 monitoring service. Real-time response is simply delegating automated alerts to someone. This could be internal supervisors or an internal dispatch centre. A 24/7 monitoring centre is a dedicated, 3rd party centre that is responsible for monitoring the journey from start to finish, not just responding if something goes wrong. 

A 24/7 3rd party monitoring service will have dedicated agents monitoring the Journey Management™ software and all active journeys at all times. Alerts or requests for assistance are responded to immediately by trained professionals. In addition, a true Journey Management™ centre will also book journeys for non-smartphone users over the phone and perform critical functions such as mass communication and geofencing during weather stand-downs.

Template customization

The procedures and templates that make up a Journey Management™ process vary greatly from company to company. It is important that the software or platform you choose can be customized to your Journey Management™policies and procedures. It is not a cookie-cutter approach.

What risks do you evaluate in your trip risk assessment? Do check-in times vary based on the risk score of a journey? Are approvals required for high risk journeys? Do your drivers travel in convoy? All this and more requires a high level of customization from both software and service providers.

Telematics integration

If you have vehicle monitoring technology installed in your fleet, incorporating BOTH the real-time data and alerts from these devices into the Journey Management™ monitoring software provides more context when an incident occurs. Crash-type alerts from telematics devices can fire long before a missed check-in, minimizing the time it takes to get help to an employee in need. 

Go forth, drive safely

Now you’ve got all the know-how to successfully choose a Journey Management™ solution that will work for your organization. You know the technical requirements, the software requirements, the monitoring necessary to keep your drivers safe 24/7 and the integrations you’ll need. Work with a team that understands your needs and you feel confident in to back your drivers each and every day.

Find this checklist helpful? Grab the PDF here.