ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Still leading the pack

Date: Monday, March 15, 2021

Tireless improvement of its services enabled Northgate to retain its What Van? Award-winning status.

2020 saw Northgate Vehicle Hire cement its position as a customer-centric provider of integrated mobility solutions.

Its ‘Vans as a Service’ (VaaS) approach saw it triumph again at the What Van? Awards, where it was named Rental Company of the Year for the second year in a row. In addition, the company also picked up a Highly Commended accolade in the Customer Service category.

Northgate started 2020 by merging with Redde, enabling the company to further enhance its suite of mobility solutions, utilising in-group capabilities such as FMG’s market-leading accident management service.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic the company was able to keep all its branches safely open, supporting customers and their fleets from its in-house workshop facilities and providing extra vehicles where customers experienced increased demand, and also where they were required for social distancing reasons. Northgate also provided a range of support measures to customers during the initial severe lockdown period.

Northgate customers can access a wide range of LCVs as standard, and any type of vehicle on request. The company recently expanded its electric vehicle advice and consultancy, including ordering stock and rolling out EV infrastructure across the network.

With its fleet management solutions Northgate offer whole-of-life care for vehicles, from dealing with compliance to budget management, leaving customers to run their businesses with an account manager on hand when needed.

Northgate’s accident management provision handles every aspect of an incident, from first notification of loss to vehicle repairs, replacement vehicles and legal services.

The company’s telematics offering has also been upgraded, with improved dashboards and the addition of fuel card integration, enabling customers to see locations of fuel fill-ups, obtain better detail on fuel economy and identify any potentially fraudulent activity.

Northgate’s vehicle inspection app supports compliance through daily vehicle checks delivered electronically, saving administration and turning checks into a safer, paperless exercise.

The company offers driver risk management with a four-stage risk assessment, to help customers understand where extra training could be beneficial, with a reporting suite, a range of e-learning modules and bespoke training that can be used at any stage of the driver cycle from recruitment to reviews.

Northgate’s bespoke packages help customers looking for minimum-term contracts, giving them stability with their rentals. These terms run for up to 48 months, providing customers with assurance that their future van rental requirements are taken care of.

Northgate understands that such a commitment is not required by every business, so it offers total flexibility, allowing organisations to rent for as long as they need to. All hires come with full fleet management, SMR and replacement vehicles included.

For the Customer Service category, Northgate impressed the What Van? judges with its strong testimony from customers such as Amey and Gateshead Council, as well as its ‘excellent’ rating on Trustpilot.

Northgate sales and marketing director Neil McCrossan said: “We understand that times are extremely challenging, and our customers’ needs are always changing. That is why we are continually investing in our people, technology, systems and products to ensure that we can address all our customers’ fleet concerns.

“I’m extremely proud that we have been recognised for our efforts and have been awarded Rental Company of the Year for the second year running alongside being Highly Commended for Customer Service.”

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