“The hardware and software elements of technology initiatives are the foundation for justifying an investment and therefore do tend to get the greatest level of attention,” said Deryk Powell, chief operating officer at Velociti, a provider of technology deployment services. “However, failure to ensure the solution is deployed in a timely, professional and efficient manner can have significant negative effects, and in many cases completely derail an otherwise promising investment.”
Given the critical role they play in the overall success of any technology investment, Powell noted, IT solution providers and customers should consider professional installation and implementation services. A case in point is the experience of Sentinel Transportation, a private fleet that provides transportation and logistical services for Phillips 66 and DuPont, companies hauling chemicals and petroleum products in the U.S. and Canada.
Sentinel was looking to improve fleet performance and driver safety by installing four different aftermarket technology solutions on its entire fleet. The project entailed retrofitting existing equipment, as well as installing products on new vehicles—which not only needed to be installed and calibrated to operate properly, but also to interface with each other. Sentinel had selected PeopleNet mobile communications and Doran tire pressure monitoring systems, along with DriveCam and Iteris video-based safety solutions.
In order to minimize downtime and ensure proper communication between devices, related Johnny Carnes, special projects manager for Sentinel Transportation, the carrier needed a deployment solution that could handle the myriad of technologies being placed on its vehicles across the country. Sentinel contacted Velociti to meet its needs. The initial phase of the project focused on installing all four products on new vehicles, so Sentinel leased a facility near the OEM factory where Velociti dedicated two technicians to match the build schedule. Phase two involved retrofitting 200 existing trucks across the country with combinations of the four hardware platforms, a project Velociti handled by identifying which units were needed at which locations, matched to hardware vendors’ inventories. Suppliers also advocate technology deployment services.
“The benefit of using a professional technology deployment services company is their ability to handle the scope of a nationwide implementation,” said Marty Faber, director of business development at QuikQ, developer of the SmartQ cardless fueling system. “They have an established network of contractors that are certified to meet strict standards. This expertise is vital for providing complete, precise and professional installations consistently at each site.”
Velociti is deploying SmartQ nationwide, which is now exclusively distributed by electronic payments solutions provider Comdata Corp. The system designed by QuikQ is for use at truckstops, travel centers, trucking company terminals and commercial unattended fueling sites. To use the cardless fueling system, a trucking company simply needs to install RFID tags on vehicles. Once a vehicle enters a SmartQ-equipped fueling station, the tag will activate fuel dispensers according to each trucking company’s specifications for that vehicle and location.
The solutions Sentinel selected, and those supplied by QuikQ to Comdata, all are designed to yield benefits for their users. Without quality installation and implementation services, however, realizing an acceptable ROI on those investments may be difficult.
“Technology deployment is similar to the last mile of a project,” said Velociti’s Powell. “An IT solution provider and customer may collaborate on a combination of hardware and software, but if it isn’t properly implemented, the solution may fail. Proven practices and methodologies can ensure that deployment of a solution will be a success, that it works as planned, and can dramatically improve ROI.”
