Arval, the European fleet car giant which has its UK base in Swindon, has gone against the trend for outsourcing in its sector and ‘insourced’ much of its accident management work.
The firm, owned by French group BNP Paribas, said the move – unique approach within the vehicle leasing industry – would give it greater control over dealings with customers and leverage in-house technical expertise.
Under the scheme, Arval staff will manage the initial ‘comfort’ call with the driver, book and authorise repairs and hire vehicles.
They will also manage the collection and off-hire of any courtesy or rental vehicles via in-house, expert teams.
At the same time, Arval has switched the outsourced elements of its accident management product to the RAC, using its systems and expertise to handle first notification of loss and uninsured loss recovery. 
Arval said combining the power of RAC systems with its own technical and customer support expertise would provide new levels of support to its customers and their drivers at what could be a stressful and upsetting time.
Latest RAC research shows that 36% of companies are concerned over the costs of recovering and repairing vehicles involved in an accident. Arval said its new approach could alleviate some of these concerns, keeping accident costs to a minimum while ensuring that the vehicle was repaired and back on the road in the shortest possible timeframe.
Arval UK managing director Benoit Dilly, pictured, said: “Accident management is one of the most important interactions that we have with our customers and their drivers.
“That influenced our decision to bring many elements of the process back into Arval, ensuring that we can fully support drivers and limit costs and business impact to our customers. At the same time, we are utilising a trusted supplier to manage those remaining areas where they can add value.”
RAC business services director David Wallace added: “We’re very excited to be extending our roadside relationship with Arval in this way, to provide support in accident management services.
“The combined strength of the two brands working together will offer clients an industry-leading service, putting the customer journey first which comes from our shared value of putting the customer at the heart of all we do.”
“The key to the success of the new relationship is the flexibility of our systems and service expertise, which means Arval has been able to design the solution specifically to meet their own goals to provide the best service for their customers.”
Last November Arval leapt from from fourth to second place in European fleet car market after completing the acquisition of rival GE Capital’s European fleet management activity. The group now funds more than 140,000 cars and vans, working with businesses ranging from start-ups to FTSE 100 companies. Its products span funding, including contract hire, vehicle maintenance, fuel management, accident management, breakdown recovery, short and medium-term hire, insured lease vehicles, telematics, salary exchange, full outsourcing and consultancy services.
