24 / 09 / 24
The post lockdown boom in people working from home has changed the way businesses work… and that includes logistics companies. Employees who work outside a central office or hub location, perhaps from home, co-working spaces or on-the-go, may be scattered across the country depending on the nature of the business.
Advances in technology mean remote working has become increasingly popular, allowing employees to communicate and collaborate effectively despite being physically distant. That might include businesses with field service agents, sales reps and even drivers can all now operate a remote workforce. But doing so can be challenging, especially when it comes to travel expenses and fuel costs.
For companies with a remote workforce, tracking travel-related expenses can be a daunting process. Simplifying expense management is the only way to combat the headache and save valuable time and money on admin.
By ending the laborious system of employees submitting individual receipts for fuel purchases and replacing it with a centralised technology-driven set up, you can wave goodbye to paperwork and guesswork. That’s where fuel cards can play a critical role in bringing your remote workforce closer.
All fuel-related transactions feed into a dashboard in real-time, giving the finance department itemised reports showing who purchased fuel, where and how much they spent. Greater transparency gives businesses better control over travel costs and reduces errors or fraudulent claims. It also cuts the need for manual reimbursement, meaning employees and finance teams save valuable time they can spend doing other, more important things.
Fuel cards often come with discount programmes that offer significant cost savings, and some even allow individual users to accrue loyalty benefits from the supermarket or fuel chains they’re linked to. These discounted rates can mean the difference between surviving and thriving for companies with large remote workforces for whom fuel is one of the largest outgoings.
The debit cards also enable businesses to access bulk fuel purchasing benefits or loyalty schemes, which further reduce operational costs. Used well, they’re an all-encompassing tool for managing remote workforce expenses. As e-commerce continues to grow, particularly with the demand for quick and efficient deliveries, fuel cards are reshaping the economics of e-commerce logistics by providing streamlined expense tracking and enhanced operational efficiency, crucial for staying competitive.
Remote employees often need to travel frequently to attend client meetings, visit job sites or conduct service calls. The last thing they want is to pay out of their own pocket and wait weeks for reimbursement, which can be inconvenient, time-consuming and not good for morale.
If employees don’t need to worry about tracking receipts or using their own funds, they are likely to be happier while the office teams will face less administrative work. Both can then get on with their core tasks with the aim of keeping customers happy.
One of the biggest concerns for companies with a remote workforce is the potential for fraudulent fuel claims. Traditional reimbursement methods can be prone to misuse, with employees claiming for personal fuel usage or submitting inaccurate receipts.
Dedicated fuel cards offer enhanced security features, come with PIN protection and can be programmed to limit purchases to fuel only, thus preventing any unauthorised transactions. Real-time tracking also means companies can monitor transactions as they happen, so any suspicious activity is spotted immediately. This not only safeguards the company from fraud but also builds a more transparent relationship between employer and employee.
Knowing where employees are and how much they’re spending on fuel is invaluable. Fuel cards for remote workforces offer real-time tracking features, allowing businesses to monitor fuel purchases as they happen. This means managers can see exactly where employees are refuelling and how much they are spending, providing insights into their travel patterns and fuel consumption.
This data can be analysed to identify potential inefficiencies, such as employees taking unnecessarily long routes or using more fuel than anticipated. These insights allow companies to make informed decisions to tweak routes, reduce travel time and save on petrol and diesel.
Better sight of spending on helps with future budgeting and forecasting for fuel expenses, giving businesses better control over their resources.
All logistics companies need to be committed to sustainability because it’s what their customers want. Fuel cards can play a key role in promoting more eco-friendly business practices through carbon tracking features that enable firms to monitor their emissions based on fuel consumption.
This data can help businesses identify ways to reduce their environmental impact, such as switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles, encouraging carpooling among employees or optimising routes to cut down on fuel usage.
Adopting such environmentally conscious practices enables companies to save on fuel costs as well as contributing to their broader corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals. This stance enhances a company’s reputation and attracts like-minded clients.
Firms with disparate workforces need to keep their people feeling like they’re part of a slick, hard-working team all pulling in their right direction. That’s not easy with a haphazard fuel payment and expenses system.
A good fuel card brings every colleague under one umbrella, saves money and helps fleet managers and company car logistics chiefs to see where their money is going and when.