More and more companies, especially those where fleet management and travel functions coincide, are considering their total mobility needs and looking for external guidance and support, but many are unsure how to approach the subject.
That’s the view from fleet management provider, Fleet Logistics, which has over 130,000 cars under contract with major corporate customers across 24 countries in Europe.
Fleet Logistics is experiencing rising levels of engagement with international fleet operators wanting to assess and optimize their corporate mobility but, although interest has risen sharply in the fleet community, many are unsure about how to approach the subject.
Thibault Alleyn, Director of Fleet and Mobility Consulting at Fleet Logistics, confirmed that the company is increasingly being asked to provide guidance and support about broader corporate mobility. “We are definitely seeing a surge of interest towards a more holistic view on mobility which clearly goes beyond the provision of company cars. But many corporations are still shying away from the topic as it requires a good understanding of mobility needs and available solutions on the market. It is our role to facilitate this and execute the project steps,” he said.
According to Fleet Logistics, there are a number of key steps in the consideration and implementation of a total mobility approach. This goes beyond the current population of company car drivers to include each type of employee.
A recommended starting point to a total mobility approach is to gauge the total mobility spend across the business as a whole. This can be done by accessing the company accounting system and combining the output with fleet reporting to compile the total spend on mobility by the organization. This can include company cars, reimbursement for employees who use their own cars on company business and other forms of cash allowances, as well as other mobility costs, such as rental cars, taxis, trains and planes, plus public transport costs which the company pays for directly or indirectly.
Patterns can then be identified to see where the largest proportion of spend is going, in which areas of the business and with what frequency and seasonality.
The next step to consider is the mapping of company expectations and, as mobility is a transversal need across the business, each stakeholder department, including HR, compensation and benefits, corporate social responsibility (CSR), finance and other business leaders, need to be involved.
Key questions for the business to consider at this stage include: “How relevant is mobility for retaining/recruiting?”, “What is our financial / risk standpoint?” — ”How does it impact on our business activity?” and “What image do we want to have?“.
Once the company expectations have been established, the next step is to consider how to consolidate the requirements into one vision on mobility that everyone can sign up to. This includes a development path and high level timeline for the vision to be implemented.
This step should also consider any internal factors which might affect a mobility management policy, such as working time flexibility, the outsourcing position, office location, business needs, CSR, branding, and health and safety. It should also take into account external factors such as the availability of suppliers, the boundaries of the current service offering and any current or expected changes to tax and legislation.
