A new tool lets drivers book servicing in minutes.
Saving customers time, money and frustration is a goal for any company – but if you are already at the forefront of doing so in your industry, how do you improve it further?
In the case of Yoogo Fleet, which manages around 6000 vehicles, you take the principal reason for being in that leading position and make it better: technology.
Dave Riches, Yoogo Fleet’s GM Operations, saw it first hand when he joined the business about a year ago.
“There were highly capable, customer-focussed people, but they were flat out all the time,” he says.
Much of that workload came down to the manual work involved in routine servicing.
On average, Yoogo estimates that coordinating a single service, warrant of fitness or repair could take between 45 and 60 minutes, once calls, follow-ups and scheduling were factored in.
Digital Concierge, which Yoogo says is the first automated fleet servicing platform by a fleet company in Australasia, has now launched across its customer base – reducing that process to an average of around two minutes.
The system builds on Yoogo Fleet’s existing telematics technology, which comes with every vehicle. When a vehicle signals it needs attention, the driver receives a message with a link to book and can choose a time and location with a preferred service provider.
“The biggest frustration we hear from fleet managers and drivers is that servicing is a constant admin battle,” says Riches. “Digital Concierge takes that off their plate. The vehicle tells us what it needs, the driver books it in, and the fleet manager knows that their fleet is compliant and mechanically sound. It’s proactive, not reactive.”
Fleet costs are not just repayments – money is also lost through downtime, missed servicing, compliance admin and preventable wear-and-tear.
Before Digital Concierge – even with telematics identifying a vehicle needed attention – the next steps relied on coordination between Yoogo, the driver, and the service provider. Sometimes customer fleet managers also needed to step in to keep things moving.
The new system shifts that dynamic, putting booking directly in the hands of the driver while maintaining visibility for fleet managers.
Antony Clere is Group Freight, Logistics & Procurement Controls for Steel & Tube, a Yoogo customer and a large national business running a fleet of approximately 200 vehicles, including SUVs, utes and working vans.
The vans operate on sites around the country, carrying out repairs and maintenance work, which means drivers are often in different locations from week to week. Flexibility around when and where servicing and WOF bookings can be made is therefore important.
The main benefit, Clere says, is Digital Concierge gives drivers direct control over their own servicing and WOF bookings, removing back-and-forth between drivers and service providers and giving drivers a clear record of the booking rather than relying on verbal conversations – reducing confusion and inefficiency: “It gives control back to the driver. They can book their own servicing and WOF in a way that suits them, without all the back-and-forth phone calls.”
“For us, one of the biggest advantages is flexibility. Our drivers can be in Auckland one week and Wellington the next, and they can still book servicing in the location that works for them.”
The system also benefits service providers, who receive earlier visibility of upcoming work and can schedule servicing more efficiently, helping them to plan capacity.
For Yoogo Fleet, the development of Digital Concierge reflects a broader shift in how fleet management is evolving – from reactive processes to more proactive, automated, data-led systems.
“It’s next level, taking what used to be a manual process and digitising it – and it is home-grown; our team put it all together in-house. This is an example of NZ Inc at its best,” says Riches.
That’s echoed by Michelle Herlihy, CEO of parent company Speirs Finance Group: “Our technology doesn’t just sit alongside the business, it underpins everything we do. Digital Concierge is exactly what Yoogo Fleet is about – using smart technology to solve real problems for New Zealand businesses.”
“I’m incredibly proud of the team. With Digital Concierge, fleet servicing has never been easier. Your vehicles stay maintained, your people stay safe, and when it’s time for a service, drivers just click, pick, book.”
To find out how Digital Concierge can simplify fleet servicing for your business, visit yoogofleet.co.nz