Activa

The impressive Activa customer base has been built on solid ground.  Our uniquely personalised and attentive service means that clients really do see us as business partners in a long-term stable relationship.  Indeed, much of our new business results from their personal recommendation and we are really proud to receive their valuable endorsement.  Here are some brief profiles of some of our clients, and their thoughts on our service:-

Trevor Ravenhall, Fleet Co-Ordinator, Brook Street (UK) Ltd.

Brook Street is one of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies, running approximately 250 cars from its nationwide branch network.  Vehicles are administered through the Head Office HR function headed by Trevor Ravenhall on a dual supply arrangement, under which Activa has steadily increased its share of the business over several years.

“We’re a small team and we get on well with the Activa people, they are friendly and fun to talk to.  I really like the fact that when you call Activa you get through to someone - a real person - not a call centre or an automated answering system where you have to press buttons and then still don’t get through to the right people. When I call they know me by name and they know my company. You can just ask a quick question and you get an answer pretty much straight away. Activa supply all makes and models, and there don’t seem to be any vehicle types where they are less competitive – they are good across the board.”

Jan Henry, Fleet Controller, Toyota Material Handling (UK) Ltd.

Toyota Material Handling is world’s largest supplier of forklifts and warehouse equipment.  Following a period of rapid growth in the UK, the company operates a nationwide fleet of over 700 cars and vans; controlled by Jan Henry the Fleet Manager based in Leicester.

“We have worked with Activa for many years now, after they won a competitive tender to replace a previous supplier who was giving us service problems.  Our policy requires them to compete on an ongoing basis with our other suppliers and the fact that their vehicles now make up such a substantial part of our fleet demonstrates how successful they have been.

In addition to competitive price, high levels of service are a key requirement for me, as I manage our huge fleet with only one part time assistant.  Activa are in tune with our culture and their day-to-day support team provide me with the level of service I need. They are very helpful and responsive and I know that if an urgent issue arises it will get sorted without fuss; and when I need information it will be supplied quickly and accurately.  At the regular review meetings with the Activa management team I am provided with concise exception reports to help us keep the fleet on track and I am also updated with valuable information and advice on any legislative changes or industry developments that may affect us"

Jenny Hunt, Office Services Co-Ordinator, Macintyre

MacIntyre is a charity that provides residential and day care for some 1,000 children and adults with learning disabilities and Jenny Hunt looks after their fleet of over 150 vehicles as just one part of her busy role. The fleet operates from their widespread locations throughout the UK and includes both cars and minibuses; many of which are specially adapted for wheel chair access.

Activa have extensive experience in this specialist area and have been suppliers to MacIntyre for many years, providing the high level of service support that their operation demands, together with help and advice on policy matters - a good example being the substantial cost savings that resulted from guidance given in view of their inability to recover VAT charged on rentals.  This enabled future exemption from this tax on their welfare buses and a retrospective rebate for vehicles previous operated.

“We have been customers of Activa from the outset. Having had previous customer experience of working with the management team we wanted to retain their knowledge and expertise as they really understand the nature of our business and know what is particularly important to us.

There is strength in depth in their team and it is nice not having to explain everything every time I call them. They know me and they know our fleet; sometimes I don't even have to say who I am - it actually feels as if they are an extension of my own team.

I am very happy with the Activa service support; they are very quick to respond.  Inevitably things do go wrong from time to time, but they normally get resolved very quickly - it is quite impressive that their management always seem to know what is going on at the sharp end!

But this is probably because they are very hands-on and always actively involved in the regular review meetings that we hold to monitor progress."

Richard Pearce, Head of Corporate Services & Business Reform, Konica Minolta

When the two Japanese optical imaging giants Konica and Minolta joined forces several years ago, Richard Pearce was tasked with merging the two separate company car fleets and this proved to be a more daunting task than at first sight in view of major differences in the way cars had been operated.  A completely new car policy was called for that would harmonise such things as car entitlements, makes & models operated, funding methods, driver handbooks and internal management arrangements.

This also triggered a supplier review and as Richard had previous experience of working with the Activa team from his Minolta background, Activa were included in the selection process and eventually won the day, with innovative proposals for outsourcing the management of the fleet being a major deciding factor.  This arrangement delivered cost-efficiency gains from the outset and provided all drivers with identical service support levels and communication channels, irrespective of the multitude of underlying funding and management arrangements that existed.

A transition period of 3 years was necessary to manage out all existing contractual arrangements and following the successful conclusion of this, Activa remains the sole contract hire suppliers to the 400-strong fleet, handling virtually all contact with drivers on company car issues.  This high level of outsourced management has proven very popular with drivers and is felt particularly important to Richard in view of his demanding responsibilities for 22 sites throughout the UK.

“The merger of our business was a very challenging time for us and it must be said that Activa really came up trumps with their help in reshaping our car policy and managing much of the process of change on our behalf.

They operate as though they were our own in-house people and handle just about everything for us in respect of our car fleet, including our daily rental requirements, fuel card administration and the movement of vehicles between our various sites.

Overall, I am very happy with the way Activa look after us.  I know it’s one of those annoying buzz words, but everyone who works for them has a can-do attitude and that sort of culture is very important to us. I need to know that if there is a problem it will get sorted without excuse or buck-passing.  It is rare for anyone to comment when they are happy with something, but I regularly get positive feedback from our drivers on the friendly and helpful way that they have been treated.

In the original review, our global supply chain policy required us to seek a pan-European fleet solution, but our research soon revealed that that nothing existed that would provide any real advantage in terms of either cost or service.  Being a fairly big fish in the smaller UK pond has enabled us to secure exceptional service levels at competitive cost”