Greater safety on the road with an app for predictive maintenance

To enhance service for its customers, VELO DE VILLE was looking for a partner to develop an app which largely focused on predictive maintenance. We jointly created the Velomate white label app based on technology for IT’S MY BIKE, our own brand of GPS trackers. Thanks to proactive e-bike monitoring and early detection of maintenance needs, customers benefit from increased reliability and can expect lower repair costs.

IT’S MY BIKE is an e-bike tracking solution which opens up new opportunities for providers to build customer loyalty. More than 30 manufacturers and several hundred dealers already use our GPS tracker and not only to recover stolen e-bikes.

The VELO DE VILLE team was particularly impressed by the scope to develop a solution based on this technology, which would integrate seamlessly into its brand world and enhance the user experience for its e-bikes. Maintenance and servicing for e-bikes can be organised in a more predictable manner with predictive maintenance, providing a visible contribution to customer satisfaction.

VELO DE VILLE customers stay in saddles longer with Velomate

Drawing inspiration from solutions for cars, the app automatically reminds e-bike owners of recommended or essential service appointments. Velomate reduces the likelihood of unplanned and unwanted bike breakdowns by setting service and maintenance intervals tailored to each customer’s individual needs.

Should a breakdown still occur, the app includes dealer routing as an option to find the nearest bicycle repair shop. When a maintenance alert is shown in the app, customers can check the map for the closest VELO DE VILLE partner workshop and can be directed straight there.

Photograph and upload repairs and invoices easily

The Velomate app allows users to capture all maintenance visits, non-scheduled repairs and associated invoices through photos or scans, ensuring reliable documentation. This service history enables users to demonstrate diligent care, akin to a car’s service log, potentially leading to a higher price if they sell their e-bike.

Velomate has been available in the VELO DE VILLE configurator since summer 2022. This is where customers can configure VELO DE VILLE bikes to their preferences using different parameters such as the chassis, battery capacity and gearshift assembly. Within this configuration, customers can optionally fit the Velomate GPS module to their bike, initially for a period of one year. They can then renew the app for one, three or five years as they wish.

Custom-made bikes and custom-made app: just the right thing

As a specialist in GPS tracking and data signatures, we have shown in our cooperation with VELO DE VILLE how valuable a manufacturer-specific adaptation of IT’S MY BIKE technology can be. As a customising manufacturer, VELO DE VILLE’s requirements align perfectly with IoT Venture’s approach of tailoring IT’S MY BIKE advantages through white-labelling to suit our partners’ specific needs.

“IoT Venture’s functions and technology fulfil the requirements we envisage for our customer-oriented app service precisely,” states Alan Thieman, Managing Partner at VELO DE VILLE. It is the logical next step for VELO DE VILLE to establish a digital ecosystem centred around Velomate.

In addition to predictive maintenance, each VELO DE VILLE customer benefits from all other basic features the IT’S MY BIKE solution offers. Our GPS tracking can be used to precisely locate e-bikes after they have been stolen – three out of four stolen bicycles are successfully returned to their owners. Other benefits IT’S MY BIKE brings include discounted insurance coverage and an accident assistant for rapid aid in the event of a fall or crash.