University of Colorado KeyValet Case Study

Challenge:

Motor pool vehicles were only available for customers to pick up and drop off Monday through Friday between 8am and 5pm, which was inconvenient for many people who depend on the motor pool service.  

Like many fleets, the University of Colorado (UC Boulder) operates a motor pool as part of its overall fleet structure. The motor pool serves the many employees of the University who rely on the pool vehicles for anything from short trips around the university to longer term rentals for research trips. Motor pool customers had to make a request via fax or email which was then processed manually by a Transportation Services staff member. Customers had to come into the department to pick up the keys and then come back into the office again to return the vehicle. The customer also recorded an odometer reading which was manually input into FleetFocus Fleet Management System by the Transportation Services staff member. UC Boulder wanted a solution that would reduce manual entry, improve accuracy and expand service.

Solution: AssetWorks KeyValet Automated Motor Pool System

UC Boulder sought a system that would increase motor pool availability to university staff through an automated system that provides secure 24-7 availability AND integrates fully with the University’s Fleet Management Software Solution – FleetFocus. After a competitve selection process, they selected AssetWorks KeyValet.

Results:

Since implementing the system in July 2010, the University of Colorado has highlighted several areas where the KeyValet system has been a success.

• 60% reduction in administrative staffing which will result in an ROI in less than two years.
• 5% increase in motor pool reservations, with much of the usage taking place during non-business hours:
• 38% of vehicles dispatched during off-hours
• 53% of vehicles returned during off-hours
• Savings in administrative costs passed on to the customers in the form of a rental rate reduction of 5% that began as soon as the system was implemented. 

Additional Benefits

• 24x7 Availability: Access to the motor pool is improved as reservations can be made 24-7 using the online FleetFocus Motor Pool reservations functionality. Upon reservation, a confirmation email is sent to the customer with a code that unlocks the specific vehicle at the lot using KeyValet’s secure dispatch procedures. The entire process can be done without additional visits to the Transportation Services office, which saves the customer a tremendous amount of time.

• E-invoice: At the completion of a motor pool trip, the customer is automatically emailed a usage and cost summary.

• Automatic Meter Update: The odometer reading is automatically transmitted wirelessly in real-time to the KeyValet box and directly into FleetFocus through the Vehicle Data Collector (VDC) which saves time through the reduction of manual recording and entry, as well as improves accuracy through direct communication between the vehicle and the Fleet Management System.

• Fully Integrated: With a fully integrated Fleet Management Software and Automated Motor Pool system, data integrity is preserved. Mileage readings and usage data are prevented from being out of sync with the single system solution.

• Self Service: A single system allows for ease of reporting and data sharing. Motor pool users with access to the FleetFocus Customer Access Portal can easily log in to the system to view their current usage. Additionally, the system can be configured to send automatic notifications based on parameters set by the motor pool administrators, such as Late Return Reminder; Monthly Cost Summary; and Trip Summary.

• Award-Winning: For his innovation and process improvement, Bryan Flansburg, Director of Transportation Services, University of Colorado, was honored with the 2011 Larry Goill Memorial Quality Fleet Management Idea Award by the NAFA Fleet Management Association.

“Together FleetFocus and KeyValet have allowed us to improve the service that we offer our customers. As long time users of FleetFocus, it was very important to us to find a motor pool system that worked seamlessly with our existing system. Other systems were available, but they only offered one way communication with the fleet management software and that wasn’t good enough for us.

By adding KeyValet automated motor pool boxes to our motor pool we are able to make the service available 24/7/365 and get improved fleet data with less administrative costs. This has been a win-win for the fleet department, as well as for the customers of the motor pool.

Additionally, because of the integration with FleetFocus, we can address the situations that may arise with motor pool vehicles in real-time using our existing software. We have had a tremendously positive reaction from our staff and our customers. KeyValet gave us the rare opportunity to improve customer service while simultaneously reducing costs.”

Bryan Flansburg, CAFM
Director of Transportation
University of Colorado