Make the app replace something drivers already have to do rather than add to it: the paper vehicle check, the accident form, the email asking them to do something. Van drivers already juggle job apps, so an app that saves them time and protects them gets used, while one that only reports on them gets ignored.
Why drivers don't use them
- It's one more thing. Engineers and technicians already have job apps, timesheets and their own phone. Driving isn't the main job they were hired for either.
- It only reports on them. An app that sends scores up to the office and nothing back gives the driver no reason to open it.
- It's slow at the roadside. A long form is the last thing anyone wants after a bump in the rain.
- Nothing happens. When a driver reports a fault or a problem and hears nothing, they stop reporting.
What gets an app used
- Replace the paper. Vehicle checks, accident reports and requests from the office belong in one place on the phone.
- Keep the roadside part short. Photos, the other driver's details, the location and a signature, with the office filling in the rest.
- Show drivers how it protects them. A rental check done at collection protects the driver if damage is disputed later. That's a better reason to do it than being told to.
- Give something back. Drivers' own scores, where they sit and a well done when they improve.
- Act on what comes in, so drivers see their reports go somewhere.
- Roll it out with a reason, in person, explaining what it's for and what it isn't for.
Where SHIELD fits
The SHIELD app replaces the forms and emails rather than adding to them. Drivers report incidents at the roadside and do their walkaround and start and end-of-rental checks in it. Tasks that would otherwise arrive by email come through the app, with a record of each one. Drivers see their own SHIELD Score and where they sit, with check-ins when their driving changes and a well done when it improves. Orkin has rolled the app out to every driver.