In another Africa-first offering for connected-car services, Vodacom Business, Toyota South Africa Motors and Netstar have launched a web-based tool called MyToyota Fleet Lite has been added to the Toyota Connect Hub.
'Fleet Lite is an innovative Wi-Fi solution,' explains Pavesh Govender, Managing Executive for IoT at Vodacom Business. 'Keeping businesses connected is critical in today’s environment, and Fleet Lite meets this need. It gives small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners a real-time, secure, and digitally connected way to manage up to 50 vehicles, while being able to activate and top-up Wi-Fi data across these vehicles through their smartphone, wherever they may be.'
This free web-based tool is activated and accessed through the Toyota Connect hub, which has been a standard feature on new Toyota and Lexus cars since September 2019. For SME owners who rely on a small fleet of vehicles to run their business – this could be a plumber or electrician doing on-site calls, or the owner of a school-lift business or a small ride-hailing fleet, for example – this web-based tool takes on-the-go business management to a whole new, streamlined level of success.
Embracing the digital highway
With customer consent and once activated, a Digital Logbook automatically tracks any connected vehicle’s mileage and service history, which is handy for tax submission purposes.
Drivers will also have access to a GPS Locator with the allocation of business- and personal trips; a Battery Health Check tool that displays current battery status; and in-car Wi-Fi.
The in-car Wi-Fi feature has proven especially useful for SMEs. For fleet owners, customers in their cars can now connect to Wi-Fi, which is a great perk, but the benefits extend beyond that. For any business activity that needs to be conducted on the go – think about real-time courier logistics, or immediate invoicing after job completion at a site – having Wi-Fi at the driver’s fingertips is crucial.
SME fleet owners can access the driver behaviour feature to analyse a driver’s cornering, braking, speeding, and accelerating for proactive performance management of drivers. Fleet Lite’s GPS Locator can also be used to track stationary or moving vehicles in real-time in proximity to a location, which is handy for managing schedules and assigning tasks.
'SMEs behind the wheel need to embrace connected-tech solutions to drive business success in today’s digitally-led society,' says Govender. 'Vodacom Business and its partners are helping SMEs do just that, taking them further together, thanks to the connectivity, convenience, and safety features extended to drivers through the Toyota Hub and MyToyota Fleet Lite solution.'
Find out more about the MyToyota Fleet Lite service
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- Header image by Jonas Von Werne on Unsplash
