Top-notch fleet management guaranteed

At Alphabet, we strive to build great partnerships with our clients. And in a great partnership, both parties bring something to the table. That is why we are always happy to work with experienced professionals and fleet managers like Denis Didriche.  

Denis is a freelance HR and C&B consultant and is currently working for one of our clients, a Belgian life insurance company. Denis is responsible for fleet management, among other things. We spoke to him about his role and the partnership with Alphabet. 

A gradual transition to leasing 

"I am a freelancer and have been with the company for just over a year. I am responsible for payroll, so compensation and benefits. This includes writing and implementing compensation and benefits policies, managing the HR budget, and managing the fleet. The latter is quite a big part of my day-to-day responsibilities.” 

The company in question was already working with Alphabet and another leasing company before Denis arrived. Before the company started leasing, it bought and managed its company cars. 

However, as the company's core business grew, it began to look for a partner to take over its fleet. After sitting down with several parties, the company chose Alphabet and another leasing company (the one that was mentioned earlier). 

When Alphabet and the other leasing company took over the fleet, they did so gradually. It was a transition in which the company kept its own cars. The first leased cars were chosen by new employees or employees who were due to get a new car. These employees were able to choose between Alphabet's range and that of the other leasing company. 

Service sealed the deal 

“As I said, when I started here, the company worked with Alphabet and another leasing company. When we needed to order a new car, we usually went with the company that gave us the best deal. But that wasn't the right approach. 

By comparing the offers from Alphabet and the other company, I realised that Alphabet is more of a service provider and offers a more complete package. It's basically a one-stop shop. That's why we decided to work with Alphabet exclusively. 

There are currently around 65 leased cars in our fleet, which are leased through Alphabet's full-service operational leasing formula. Tyre management, fuel management, insurance, etc. are all included in the package.  

We are also working on changing our budget-based financial approach to a total cost of ownership approach, which we hope to implement in the coming weeks.” 

A happy fleet manager  

“Since we've been working exclusively with Alphabet, our partnership has become really strong. I have a dedicated contact, with whom I systematically discuss all the ways I want to do to further optimise the fleet. I'm very pleased with the way things are going. I'd go as far as to say that I've never had a better partner than Alphabet. Of all the fleet management projects I've done, this is by far the most enjoyable. 

I've also heard positive things about Alphabet from our employees. They can use the Alphabet app to enter their details, schedule maintenance for their cars and more. People can use the app to do everything themselves. But some people like that more than others [laughs]. 

We encourage people to use the Alphabet app for their own convenience. They no longer need to come to us with questions, although many still do.  

A few days ago, an employee came to me and told me that she had lost the insurance certificate for her car. I told her she had nothing to worry about and that she could easily find it in the app. It just goes to show that a lot of people still need to change their mindset. But I'm sure that will happen in time.” 

Developing a general mobility policy 

"Our biggest mobility goal for the (near) future is to focus more on general mobility. At the moment we only have a car policy. But we also want to introduce a mobility policy. 

As part of our efforts to expand the company's mobility package, we recently added bicycles to our fleet. We're promoting this new addition by allowing employees to trade in their current car for a cheaper one so that they can also lease a bicycle. It makes bike leasing more interesting and attractive because people don't have to choose one or the other. I can see that the employees like it. 

One of the reasons we chose bike leasing was because it was interesting for the company. It has two locations in Belgium, one in the heart of Brussels and one in Liège. From a location point of view, it's much more convenient to take the bike to work. 

Another reason why we decided to go with bike leasing was that it was also an interesting option for the employees. Many of them live within cycling distance of where they work. If that wasn't the case, we wouldn't have introduced bike leasing. A good mobility solution should be good for both companies and the people who work for them. 

We expect a lot of people to start leasing bikes and maybe even give up their cars. At the moment, we only have one leased bike in the company, but this number will undoubtedly increase in the future.”