Growth and profitability in the fleet sector is being held back by a digital skills crisis, tech firm Digital Innk has warned.

Martin Drake, chief commercial officer at fleet software company Digital Innk

Artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to make inroads into revamping the fleet management process, while new technologies are driving more efficient customer service and management of the supply chain.

But these benefits won’t be realised if the fleet sector fails to attract the talent it needs.

A recent study of 5,000 UK workers by And Digital consultancy found that 81% of UK managing directors believe their organisation is suffering due to a lack of digital skills.

Martin Drake, chief commercial officer at fleet software company Digital Innk, commented: “Fleet companies understand the benefits of digital transformation but are finding the brakes applied to their plans by the lack of digital skills available in the sector. We are working with many companies as an outsourced team to help them realise their ambitions and accelerate digital programmes.”

It’s arguing that the industry needs to “act together to address the issue and attract more digital talent into the sector”. This includes identifying the key skills needed to deliver programmes and encouraging staff members to undertake training and work with partners to upskill.

Additionally, building a culture of continuous learning and rewarding those who embrace learning and development will pay dividends.

Drake concluded: “Companies such as ours can mitigate the impact of the skills gap by partnering with fleets. We bring a deep knowledge of the cloud-based technology and AI that will drive the next era of fleet management.”