EV leasing and salary sacrifice firm Fleet Evolution has launched a new specialist fleet management division to expand its solutions to a wider audience.
Dubbed Mercia Fleet Management, the business will offer a comprehensive portfolio of fleet management services, backed with a focus on high levels of customer service.
While Fleet Evolution launched bespoke, personalised fleet management services four years ago, it’s the first time the West Midlands-based business has launched a specialist, stand-alone operation.
“Through Mercia Fleet Management we will be providing what are seen as standard fleet management services – but with a personal twist,” said Andrew Leech, managing director at Fleet Evolution and head of the new fleet management division.
“Many conventional fleet management companies are very volume-focused and are keen to offer minimal level services in return for large numbers of vehicles at low cost.
“Our approach is different. We provide high levels of personalised customer service where the needs of the customer are the first things that we consider, rather than simply ticking boxes and providing basic levels of service,” he said.
The new division will be largely Midlands-centric – as reflected in the new name – to ensure it can offer a higher level of customer service, and will focus on three key areas of business.
The first is care providers – an existing stronghold for Fleet Evolution based on its ability to adapt and customise vehicles.
The second key focus will be on SMEs – the company believes these are not well served by current fleet management offerings which tend to be volume-driven and not customer-focused.
And the final target area will be on grey fleet operators, typically businesses with large numbers of employees who use their own vehicles on company business. Such vehicles are generally older and in poor condition, leaving the business open to duty of care risks.
Services include fleet policy provision, vehicle acquisition advice, licence checking, risk management, fleet service scheduling, vehicle logistics and daily rental, plus wider mobility solutions. Vehicle solutions include for cars, vans and adapted vehicles for care homes.
Leech continued: “The new division has been borne out of demand from existing salary sacrifice clients who want deeper levels of customer service.
“One of our core objectives will be to provide savings for our clients. For example, allowing employees to make long journeys in their own vehicles and then reimbursing them at 45p per mile may be less cost effective than hiring a brand-new vehicle for the day – which will have lower duty of care risks into the bargain.
“As well as arranging the vehicle hire and the associated logistics, we can then factor these savings back into our rates which make for a more efficient and cost effective for the client all round,” he said.
