Pictured: Koen van Grimbergen, Sofico Services Australia, Eden Shirley, AutoGuru, Frank Morberger, WEX
Australian fleet operators, with more than 300,000 vehicles managed between them, attended Sofico’s inaugural innovation day for fleet operators. The event was designed to look at a number of new services, including streamlined supplier payments and more competitive rates for repairs, maintenance and tires.
Sofico also shared the news of two new strategic partnerships that it has forged in the region to introduce a number of fleet efficiencies for fleet customers.
The first was with the WEX Payment Gateway, a global leader in corporate payment solutions, and in designing dynamic innovations and driving revenue gains across a number of different industries.
The new relationship with WEX will allow the streamlining of fleet supplier payments by the use of Virtual Credit Cards through Sofico’s Miles software platform.
Fleet operators were also introduced to an exciting new initiative with AutoGuru, a pioneering local company with a sizeable and rapidly expanding network of mechanics and repairers across Australia.
AutoGuru aims to connect established fleet management organizations with a competitive and collaborative marketplace for repairs, maintenance and tires, thereby driving cost efficiencies across the vehicle fleet.
Together, AutoGuru and Sofico plan to transform fleet processes for searching, booking, authorising, rating and analyzing services for repairs, maintenance and tires in a new solution that is fully integrated within Miles.
The new initiative aims to bring the consumer retail model for repairs, maintenance and tires into the corporate business world for the first time.
The innovation day also include a detailed look into the way in which the Miles platform integrates with e-Document and e-Signature solution providers to drive paperless operations, and to enable Sofico’s customers to streamline processes and drive efficiency.
At the same time, these relationships provide fast and secure document management and transactions, and a seamless digital interface between fleet operators and external parties. As a result, some of the most complex manual and paper-dependent operations can be rendered paperless and fully integrated with the latest technologies, all within the Miles platform.
Koen van Grimbergen, Head of Sofico Services Australia, said: “Our inaugural Innovation day was established to enhance our customers’ ability to do business using our Miles software platform by bringing together ideas and partners both old and new.
“This is a new concept, different from our traditional customer or technical forums and their focus on the Miles product suite, in that it introduced new partners, with fresh ways of thinking and opportunities for growth and change.
“The innovation day was a great success and warmly received by our fleet customers, with new relationships forged and valuable discussions surrounding these new ideas and how they will equip the industry to face the significant challenges ahead.
“With this event, we hope we have been able to create a stimulating environment for new ideas and functionality to address innovation, as well as also being able to look at the impact of disruption in certain markets,” he said.
