BT Fleet cuts repair costs

BT Fleet has reduced its average repair costs by more than £500 and reduced vehicle off-the-road time by two days thanks to bringing accident management in-house.

The company has 30,000 vehicles and manages an additional 35,000 vehicles for external bodies. It decided to switch from outsourcing to an in-house solution five years ago.

At the time the company was seeking better service levels and operational efficiency, and it was seen as a necessity to reduce vehicle off-the-road time.

Speaking at the Fleet Van Summit Joe Fielder, sales and marketing director at BT Fleet, said: “We are very acutely aware that when it comes to incident and accidents the total cost isn’t just about the average cost of repair, it’s about lost operational time and other inefficiencies and problems and costs that that generates in your businesses and in your operations as a result.

“We are firmly of the opinion the true cost is well over £2,000 per incident.

“This is a cost we need to be aware of, we need to understand and we need to take action to reduce. That’s why accident management within your fleet is so important.”

BT Fleet set about establishing in-house expertise, putting in place experienced engineers who had an objective to reduce bodyshop costs and creating a network of best repairers.

Taking a proactive approach – making decisions and taking action as soon as possible in the accident management process – was an important part of reducing off-the-road time.

More recently, BT Fleet has begun using smart repairers and mobile bodyshops for cosmetic damage.

The company also repairs rather than replaces, where possible. It repairs rather than replaces 60% more panels than the national average. Fielder suggested that it was “too soft an option just to replace”.