By installing trackers in its fleet cars, GAE has been able to collate useful data that has brought efficiency and financial benefits.

"We have installed trackers in the cars of all our engineers, demonstrators and sales people – we now have around 40 cars with tracking devices.

"At first some staff were wary of the system but the trackers have served to provide a great pool of data. By going online, we can find out where our drivers are and what routes they have taken. It has proved to be useful in terms of mileage and overtime claims.

"Drivers can use them to calculate the hours they have worked and what they are owed, and we can use them to make sure claims correspond with the jobs that they have said they have done. It can even report details such as how fast people have been driving. The system has helped us plan the most effective routes for our sales team to use. Also, if a client calls to ask where a rep is we can immediately tell them where they are and inform them of their ETA.

"The devices cost a couple of hundred pounds to install and there is a monthly rental fee – but we recouped our investment in around 16 months. It is also great in terms of security. If a delivery van goes missing, we can relocate the vehicle."

Bryan Godwyn, joint managing director, GAE