Here at Sherlock we’ve been talking a lot recently about misconceptions and misleading information in the public domain.
Here at Sherlock we’ve been talking a lot recently about misconceptions and misleading information in the public domain. One of the questions we like to ask prospective customers is ‘what is the true cost of your existing dispatch system?’
There are many misconceptions relating to cost in the industry, which over time, have become trusted and known 'truths'. However, the fact remains that just because something is perceived to be true, that does not actually mean that is the reality.
Let's take the perception of Sherlock versus reality as an example. We often hear feedback from operators along these lines; "we know Sherlock is the best system out there but it's expensive."
If we break that down a little bit further, we can ask why Sherlock is seen as "expensive" and whether that is truly the case. It is certainly true that other providers are offering cheaper headline figures than Sherlock, say, £2 per car per week. If a business is making a price driven decision, this is clearly an attractive figure. Price motivation is particularly strong right now due to the current and challenging economic environment that businesses find themselves operating in.
However, it is important to look at the figures in more detail. What's included in that price? Are you likely to need to pay for further system updates and upgrades? Will the company stop supporting legacy technology to force your business into a paid upgrade? Will you pay for licensing at your peak driver numbers despite downturns or market changes? Is everything you need as standard included in that price or will you be forced into additional payments for new features such as kiosk bookers? What about automation in your back office, are you able to automate invoicing and wages processes for example to keep your staffing overheads down?
Once these considerations are taken into account and you calculate the true cost of your system, you may find that your affordable software solution if not quite as financially attractive as it initially seemed.
Sherlock is a true Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solution. What that means is we operate a licence fee model in which you pay a monthly fee per driver to licence your own instance of Sherlock. The monthly licence fee covers the cost of all updates which are delivered on a continuous basis with the development team providing over 700 new features a year on average including 'big ticket' items such as new apps, our account management portal and support for electric vehicles.
The licence fee also means that you only pay for what you use - so if there is a module you don't need, you can choose to leave that one and pay less with the option to add the module at a later date if your needs change. Equally, if you have less drivers working one month, your fees will reflect this as you are billed in arrears and only for active drivers to deliver better value to you.
With these factors taken into consideration, you might just find that Sherlock is not "too expensive" for your business and actually, a genuine alternative to offer your business truly innovative technology at a price you can afford. So next time you think about your software, think about the true cost rather than perceived - with Sherlock you'll have no hidden fees, no hidden clauses, just true innovation as standard.
For more information, get in touch on 020 3214 5110 or email demo@sherlocktaxi.com.
