GE Capital Solutions has seen a significant increase in the number of fleets that are embracing recommendations made via its consultancy operation Key Fleet Solutions.

The company, which last year took the decision to focus its business away from smaller fleets to concentrate on those with 200 or more vehicles, puts it down to the fact that decisions are increasingly being pulled into the boardroom.

But it also says fleet managers are becoming more strategic and less administration focused.

Gary Killeen, GE Capital Solutions commercial director fleet services, told Fleet News that the biggest challenge facing the Key Fleet Solutions operation since it was set up more than seven years ago has been getting fleets to adopt recommendations.

“This year we are seeing our resources pulled in at a senior level and we are getting an endorsement on our recommendations very quickly,” he said.

“We are seeing an increasing dominance of finance – whether that’s extending vehicle lifecycles, wholelife cost policies or deeper use of service provisions. Our customers are paying more attention to what’s happening around them.”

GE recently introduced a new quoting order system on its IT platform to help drivers choose the right cars for them. Killeen describes it as a “retail type environment”.

It is now looking at tax advice policies for an efficient segmentation of the fleet based on the right funding options.

“A fleet might be best off with two or three funding methods that drive tax efficiencies depending on the type of car, usage and driver,” Killeen says. “Tax is a key component of wholelife cost but it has not been as heavy focused on as it should’ve been.”

He believes that the fleet manager function is becoming more strategic and less about the day-to-day administration.

“They are also taking on a wider role, including corporate liability, short term rental provision, affinity car programmes and other ancillary services,” he says. “By removing the admin side, it gives them the opportunity to get a hold of this wider and more strategic role.”