New Tech Gives Towing a Boost

When we think about towing companies, it is not always imagined as the cutting edge of commercial use of technology. But perhaps it should be! Towing companies are always pushing the boundaries when it comes to using technology with their regular operations. We are going to go through some of the ways that technology has helped towing companies in the past few years.

Easier Payment Process

The days of having to give customers a receipt are long gone. Customers would have to take that receipt to a location later on, as it was the only place they could pay. But towing companies have completely revamped that process, as they are now able to accept payments on the go.

The employee who is handling the tow will offer the customer a chance to pay using their card, on the spot. It is done through card readers that work with modern smartphones. The customer sees their receipt, their card is swiped and the payment is done. They can even ask for an email of the transaction, so they have a record of having paid for the tow.

Scheduling Employees

Most tow truck companies that are at the top of their profession are using special scheduling software to make their lives easier. They are using the software with the intention of having as many hours covered as possible. And it is much easier to allow for people to adjust their schedule, as the software helps determine who may be available to cover those hours.

We spoke with many people who are in charge of managing the schedules at towing companies. And they all had a similar sentiment. The process is a lot easier now than it was five or six years ago. Some still remember how problematic it was in the past, when they had to manually call every employee to figure out if they could cover a specific shift.

Now employees provide a list of the hours they are available. Then everyone is scheduled to cover different days and hours. If someone has to pull out for a given day or set of hours, the program helps the company figure out who can cover those hours!

GPS Tracking

Towing is very much a rushed interaction, where a customer calls and asks for a tow in a hurry. Then it is up to the company to get someone to them quickly, who must then get the car to a specific location in a hurry. The whole process is very quick and can feel very scattered.

It is why adding GPS tracking to the armory of a towing company has helped so much. Now companies can figure out who is the best driver to send out on a specific call. They can also generate the best route for the driver, based on the traffic patterns and what roads may be open at that time.

Customer Support

Even a few years ago, calling a towing company would be an almighty hassle. It was lucky if you could get someone on the phone at odd hours. But now the top towing companies have call center-like operations, where someone is always answering the phone.

Whether it is to request a job, talk about a previous interaction or pay a bill, customers have an easy time connecting with towing companies in their area. And it is thanks to technology that such call center-style operations are possible, even for smaller towing companies.