The Benefits of Deep Collaboration: Cutting Collision Rates in Half

Lytx Client Consultant Michael Sclar represents the core Lytx philosophy on client success. He aims to get to know each part of the client’s business intimately because thinking like the client makes for the most effective collaboration, and ultimately a highly effective and successful DriveCam program.

“My approach to clients can be described as a deep dive into their organization,” Sclar says. “I learn about every aspect of their business—finance, safety, policy, company culture — everything. I learn as much as I can. Once I know what the objectives are from each of the moving parts, I can project or anticipate gaps and challenges and provide creative solutions to implement their plan.”

Helping Kroger Reduce Collisions by 50 Percent During the Trial Period

Sclar, who is known around Lytx for his personable demeanor, played a pivotal dual role as both client account manager and client consultant as he helped national retail giant Kroger pave a path to reducing collisions by 50 percent during the four-month trial period.

With Lytx Account Executive Derick Schmidt, Sclar helped lay the foundation for Kroger’s success with the DriveCam program through close collaboration with the Kroger team.

“Derick and I spent time with Kroger drivers prior to the event recorders being installed in the vehicles so they had a strong understanding of what the DriveCam program technology is—and what it isn’t,” Sclar said. “Kroger being a 24/7 transportation business presented some challenges with timing, so some driver orientations were conducted at midnight or in the wee hours of the morning.”

Deeply experienced, Sclar knows how important having open communication with drivers is to their acceptance of the DriveCam program. “We had representation around the clock from the get-go,” Sclar said. “It enabled drivers to feel comfortable with the technology. They could see that it’s used as a tool to protect them.”

Under the command of Kroger Logistics Safety Manager John Lobenberg, Sclar also spent a lot of time working with local Kroger safety managers and dispatchers in Houston and Memphis for that initial trial phase. He rose before dawn to conduct meetings, ensuring Kroger dispatchers and local safety managers were trained in how to use the DriveCam Online^® portal and understood how to make it work for them.

“From there, I educated safety managers on DriveCam program best practices so they could duplicate them after the trial in other cities when it came time for full deployment,” Sclar said. The results speak for themselves: Kroger achieved a 71 percent reduction in handheld cell phone use and an 82 percent reduction in Driver Unbelted incidents during the initial two-city/four-month phase.

A Great Collaborative Effort with Kroger

Kroger’s success in reducing collisions had a lot to do with the fact that Kroger had a strong program champion in Kroger Logistics Safety Manager John Lobenberg, Sclar said. Having Lobenberg’s early support set the tone for the organization’s willingness to embrace the DriveCam program.

“Having John’s support was a big reason they experienced success so quickly,” Sclar said. “They also had several driver exonerations during the trial period, which helped acceptance, too.”

The executive level of engagement with the DriveCam program was noticeable and critical, Sclar said, and there was excellent collaboration between Kroger and Lytx through planning sessions, calls and emails. A weekly status call between Sclar, Lobenberg and local safety managers in Houston and Memphis helped ensure Kroger stayed on track.

Source:https://www.lytx.com

I´m a Fleet Management expert, and the manager of Advanced Fleet Management Consulting, that provides Fleet Management Consultancy Services.