For the 4th year in a row, ALD Automotive has been named Best Leasing Company in the Netherlands by the Vereniging Zakelijke Rijders! Curious where that success comes from?
It is a great show of appreciation for our work, and above all, a wonderful recognition for the work the Driver Care Team does every day. We spoke with Driver Care Team team leader Rachid Menouane about the award, where the strength of our service lies and what the team does to ensure quality year after year.
When lease car drivers have a question or problem about the use of their leased car, they come to the Driver Care Team. Rachid has been working on this team for five years and is responsible for day-to-day management, among other things. Rachid explains: "The bulk of the inquiries we receive come in over the phone, but lease car drivers choose their preferred channel of communication. Last year we received 75,000 calls and a total of 70,000 messages via WhatsApp. We also processed about 55,000 emails. Our team of 13 is responsible for properly handling all these help requests."
Self-service and personal contact
Personal contact with lease car drivers is ALD's strength, says Rachid. ALD Automotive's fleet has only grown over the years. But that doesn't mean that Rachid's team is able grow proportionately. So how do they do this? The MyALD app, for example, plays a major role in this. Rachid: "We try to steer our lease car drivers towards self-service for things that are easy for them to arrange themselves, such as scheduling a maintenance appointment or reporting damage. That ensures that they don't have to call us, and we can then give extra attention to the people who need us for other questions. Because if the situation calls for it - if a driver has had either a bad experience or an exceptionally good one, for example - we try to focus on that and make it as personal as possible. This could range from sending a bouquet of flowers to someone involved in an unlucky situation to giving a congratulatory hug to someone you learn has a baby on the way."
Hospitality experience with a love of cars
The Driver Care Team selects people who have service delivery in their DNA. Rachid: "For example, we have several people on our team who have a catering or hospitality background. They're used to going that extra mile to make people happy. And some also have a genuine love of cars. Of course, we're very happy to win such an award, but that doesn't mean that everything here is always perfect and that there's no room for improvement. After all, we strive to improve each day. We are critical of our own work every day."
Short lines
To keep the level of service high, the lines of communication within ALD are short and we also work with those in charge of all departments to see where improvements can be made, Rachid explains. "From across the organisation, we look at what lease car drivers are up against, what their feedback is on different processes, and how we can improve them. We do this on a daily basis. For the past year, we've also had an in-house customer journey specialist who is fully engaged in accelerating and improving the app and its service, among other things. The developer of the MyALD app sits just two desks behind us, so that really ensures that the lines are very short in that triangle as well. Adjustments in the app are implemented quickly. We can send a push notification almost immediately if necessary. Improving the app in turn allows us to have more hands on personal contact."
Best of both worlds
And for the future? Integration with sister company LeasePlan is imminent. By the middle of this year, the two organisations will continue under a new name, Ayvens. Rachid is looking forward to it: "It's exciting! Obviously we are already in full communication with their service team. We are going to combine our strengths. It'll be 'the best of both worlds'!"