Former CFC directors go on to do well for themselves once they escape the confines of the Pendragon-owned software firm.

Jason Francis went on to launch Jaama, while Andrew Leech has joined Mycompanyfleet, owned by HR software provider Northgate Arinso, as business manager.

Both said CFC was a leading fleet software supplier but both also complained about a lack of investment.

It’s why they went elsewhere.

Mycompanyfleet builds on Northgate’s relationships with human resource directors – Leech claims that half of fleet managers report into the HR operation.

What makes the company stand out from its competitors is its pricing structure – one pound per vehicle per month.

Leech has a simple but compelling calculation he uses to gain the attention of fleet decision-makers for the core Fleet HR product.

“If you have 25 vehicles, the software costs £25 per month and you can save £25,000 per year.”

He adds: “Fleet is often the biggest company cost after payroll, and that’s a fixed cost.”

Fleet HR’s target market is fleets with fewer than 50 vehicles that are still using spreadsheets to manage the operation.

Switching to the fleet management system can save on average 5% of their fuel bill and cut accident costs by 20-25% by profiling high-risk drivers, according to Leech.

So why don’t all fleets make the change?

“The traditional reasons why fleets haven’t invested in specific software is due to the cost – it’s seen as non-essential by finance directors – and because spreadsheets are easy to use,” says Leech.

“But our costs are low and our software is easy to use.”

The system uses a web-based dashboard facility at the front end which details actions due, such as servicing, actions overdue and cost centres above and below budget.

Fleet managers don’t have to run reports to find the problems – the system does it automatically and flags up the issues. “It can even be sent to your mobile phone,” adds Leech.

Mycompanyfleet was launched at the end of last year but the marketing effort has only just begun.

Fifty fleets – all HR customers of Northgate – have already signed up for Fleet HR.

“We have 10,000 SMEs using the Northgate payroll system – we want to convert 10% over the next two years,” says Leech.

For bigger fleets, leasing companies and manufacturers, he has Fleet Acumen, a bespoke solution.

It has just been adapted for an unnamed major fast-fit provider.

Mercedes-Benz and Citroën are customers and Leech is keen to build on those relationships by attracting more blue-chip automotive companies.

“The small and large ends of the market are where traditional software suppliers aren’t active so this is where the most opportunities are for us today,” he says.

“We want to sign 200 fleets of 100 vehicles-plus over the next two years.”

Some of those 200 will be non-Northgate clients; others will be existing customers.

orthgate has around 5,000 larger companies with 400+ employees on its books and it works with most public authorities.

At that level, the costs come down.

The £1 per vehicle per month fee could fall to as little as 30 pence.

To achieve those growth aspirations, Leech will be taking on more staff. The company has 13 now, including three sales staff. Within two years, it expects to have 60-70 employees.

Although the plans appear ambitious, there’s no shortage of market to aim at.

Leech estimates there are some 70,000 fleets with 10 or more vehicles.

Of those, only around 3,000 have fleet management software.

“According to a speaker at a Fleet News event, the average company car costs £8,000 a year. We can save £1,000 per vehicle per year,” he says.