Mikko Kerkola, who leads the sales and development of SmartFleet’s PRO solution, knows what a job fleet management can be without proper tools. Many large organisations still rely on manual work and fragmented lists.

“Having been responsible for the fleet of hundreds of vehicles myself, I know very well how tedious it is to work with notepads and Excel spreadsheets. There’s more than enough manual work to remember and error-prone. PRO is the solution I needed at the time.” Mikko Kerkola sums up.

PRO is SmartFleet’s new SaaS-based solution that complements the long-standing Manager service. Manager is a complete service for organisations that want to outsource their entire fleet – fleet management, maintenance and reporting. PRO is aimed at organisations with their own fleet management staff and the need for a powerful, integrable tool. Typical users are cities, municipalities, welfare areas and large companies with a fleet of hundreds or even thousands of units.

What PRO brings to the customer:

• An up-to-date view of your entire fleet – in one place, without the need for separate software installations.
• Automatic data transfer, for example on fuel purchases and consumption, eliminating manual data collection.
• Managing and reporting costs easily and transparently.
• Integrations with e.g. financial and HR systems, reducing duplication of effort and the risk of errors.

The City of Espoo is the first user of PRO, and Smart Fleet was originally commissioned to develop the solution. The old, slow-moving system was replaced by a modern package that provides an up-to-date view of the management of more than 1 300 vehicles and equipment. The roll-out went according to the agreed schedule. Espoo particularly appreciated the smooth cooperation and the fact that the SmartFleet team spoke the same language as the user.

The best thing is to make the customer’s everyday life easier

SmartFleet’s strength lies not only in software development, but the team has a deep understanding of what fleet management is really like.

“We have a diverse background from within the automotive industry in different roles, which helps us to understand the real needs on the ground. On the other hand, we have also gained experience from outside the automotive industry and seen the challenges of fleet management within companies, which helps to ensure that we don’t just look at things through the windscreen,” Kerkola laughs.

Kerkola, who has a background in engineering and is in the final stages of his postgraduate studies in production economics, brings a touch of technology alongside commerciality.

“There are so many adjustments and details involved, especially with company cars, that our wide-ranging experience helps to keep the whole thing under control. Ultimately, the fleet is one piece of the puzzle to support the actual business. It should cause as little hassle and cost as possible, yet always remain in working order.” Kerkola says.

Mikko Kerkola’s role at SmartFleet is to ensure that the voice of the customer is heard in service development. He acts as a link between customers and developers and emphasises that solutions are built with the customer at the centre.

“The best part is seeing how the customer’s time is freed up for what matters and costs are kept under control – that is ultimately the most important result of our work.”

At SmartFleet, Kerkola particularly appreciates the agile team, where things move quickly and unnecessary bureaucracy is avoided. This also benefits the customer: deployments stay on schedule, communication is open and changes can be implemented flexibly.

Want to see how PRO could also improve your fleet management? Contact us for a demonstration.