Bill Howe Plumbing Reduces Annual Accidents by 87%

The challenge

Bill Howe Plumbing has a mantra: “Take care of the employees, they’ll take care of the customer.” Staying true to that credo means keeping their employees safe and informed. So when they noticed an increase in accidents on the road, they knew they needed to find a solution to help improve driving behaviors and maintain their good reputation.

The solution

Together with their Risk Manager, Rhett Wheeler, they considered systems to help improve driver safety. They knew they needed a solution to monitor driver behavior and see that data easily, and they knew they weren’t going to get that with their previous provider. With Reveal, they can see actionable data, and now enjoy many additional benefits they weren’t expecting.

• Weekly reporting and alerts: When unsafe driving occurs—speeding, hard braking, fast acceleration and hard cornering –Wheeler receives immediate alerts, as well as weekly reports. This helps him coach his drivers on their safety scores.

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• Vehicle maintenance reminders: They used to rely on their technicians to tell them when a vehicle needed service. Now they receive alerts for oil changes, part replacements and other critical maintenance—without having to ask anyone. This helps their mechanic keep vehicles in top condition.
• Customer support: Bill Howe needed to have a good relationship with their vendor. Verizon Connect provided the total experience from the beginning with a quick implementation. Four technicians completed the installation on 130 vehicles within three days, and they handled the backend process of inputting employee contact information into the devices.

The results

According to Wheeler, “the [safety] reports initially were very shocking.” Their average safety score was a 77, and some were below 30. Through driver coaching the average improved to a 97. The year before implementing Reveal, the company had 16 accidents totaling nearly $1M in damages. After implementation, accidents dropped to 2. One driver commented that his “driving habits have changed dramatically.” They’ve seen other positive side effects, including lower insurance costs and reduced fuel consumption.

With less accidents and better vehicle maintenance, their technicians are on the road more often to do more jobs and bring in more revenue. The Live Map feature and GPS tracking also helps them route guys to jobs more efficiently and provide quicker service to their customers. According to Vice President Tina Howe, “It helps us stay in front of our guys 24/7.”

“Safety is hugely important to us. We looked at many programs, and one of them was Reveal. We made the choice, and since then, our records have been improving, our individual driving records are improving—we couldn’t be happier with the growth we’ve seen.”