SPONSORING ROCKET SCIENTISTS

INNOVATIVE PAPERLESS COURTESYCAR MANAGEMENT

IN FOCUS: NBRA

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Year in, year outWhy a 12-month courtesy carcontract is less costly for yourbodyshoppage 6

Around CircleS U M M E R 2 0 1 9

Rocketing children towards inspiring careers

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A s well as sponsoring the British Bodyshop Awards as outlined on page 2, we

also recently sponsored an event at a local school dedicated to inspiring the rocket scientists and engineers of the future. The Learning Partnership is a body that was set up to engage children in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Their Head of Content, Mark Robinson, went to Elton High School in March and along with trained teachers from the school taught the first-year pupils about aerodynamics and other concepts. Working in teams, the children then built and streamlined their own cars from a block of

styrofoam. The blocks contained two pilot holes for axles – and also one for the solid rocket fuel motor which meant the cars launched with the equivalent of a 6G acceleration force! A timing post was also constructed using a BBC micro-bit computer. Our sponsorship of the event paid for all the materials and the training of the teachers who worked with Mark on the day. “Almost 80,000 schoolchildren nationwide take part in the project each year. The local sponsors make the events into a really transformative experience for the children,” said Mark. “The only way we can cover the

costs of the rockets is to find financial help. Our sponsors aren’t large, remote companies; they’re from the same areas as the school, which shows the children what exists in their local environment in terms of employment opportunities. “We see children from primary school age to early secondary school, before they choose their GCSE options, so it’s a key age before they decide what they want to do when they’re older. We’re able to change their minds while they’re still malleable,” he smiles. “It is so positive to see a local firm take such a high profile in reinforcing the work done in science and engineering at Elton,” said the

Our table at the British Bodyshop Awards 2019. From left: partner client manager Sarah Minogue, Tom Hadfield, partner client manager Ashley Parkes, business development and e-commerce executive Ben Minogue, sales account manager Robyn Snape, head of sales and marketing Jonathan Reynolds, direct sales team leader Phil Mellor, account manager Nichola Finn

Rocketing children towards inspiring careers

Sarah is an ABPWoman of Influence!In March, the Auto Body Professionals (ABP) Club named their 40 Women of Influence in the vehicle repair industry in the UK – and we were delighted to receive the news that our very own Partner Client Manager, Sarah Minogue, was one of them!Sarah joined 39 other luminaries from a hugely diverse range of backgrounds in receiving her award. “It’s an honour to have been named in the list,” said Sarah. “Together we are a strong group of women and together we are changing preconceptions about the role of we play in what has always traditionally been a male-dominated world,” she added.

Sarah Minogue with her ABP Women of Influence award – well done Sarah!’

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A night of glitzand glamourT he ABP British Bodyshop Awards is one of the nights in

the calendar that everyone in our industry looks forward to. This year’s glitzy and glamorous ‘do’ on 9 May

showed exactly why! We proudly sponsored the event at the Intercontinental at the O2 arena in London as a diamond partner. Like all other attendees, we were wowed by the MC-ing of Gyles Brandreth and the sheer breadth of awards presented which highlights the skill and aptitude that’s out there in bodyshops up and down the country. Members of our team travelled to the capital and enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by a trademark speech full of vim and vigour from the writer, broadcaster and former MP Brandreth. The team also contributed to the record £13,522 raised for AutoRaise, Ben and the Rainbow Trust through the silent auction and dinner raffle held at the event. “The event is a great occasion for the bodyshop industry of the UK, and it was our pleasure and privilege to sponsor it as diamond partners,” said our Head of Sales and Marketing, Jonathan Reynolds. “We were pleased to see so many worthy winners on the night as part of the celebration of all things bodyshops,” he added.

school’s headmaster, Jonathan Wilton. “Circle Leasing’s support has clearly helped the students achieve some excellent results in this project and we are thankful for the time and support – both moral and financial – that you have provided,” he added. The fastest team from the day at Elton went on to the regional finals which were held at Bury Transport Museum in April – and they were victorious there too! They will travel to the national finals at Imperial War Museum Duxford this Summer. We’ll keep you posted on how they get on. To see video footage of rocket cars launching at the event at Elton High School, head towww.circleleasing.co.uk/media/blog

Clockwise from top left:

The children test their cars before launching them in the school playground

A rocket car at the moment of launch, with a 6G force acting on it

One of the finished cars, designed and built by pupils at Elton High School thanks to our sponsorship

Solidity, practicality and reliability are perhaps the three most important features of a courtesy car. With these key functions in mind, we present the Hyundai i10 SE city car. The pocket rocket is everything you need from a replacement vehicle for your bodyshop customers while their own car is off the road.

Its electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, traction control and cruise control with speed limiter will keep

them safe, while its air conditioning will keep them cool during the sweltering summer months. A 1.2L engine

offers a return of 57.6mpg for this nippy car which does exactly what it says on the tin.

To learn more about how you can lease the vehicle on a 12-month

contract with 1+11 payment profile, call 0800 505 3737

today.

Some manufacturer names are a byword for precision engineering and quality. One such name is Volkswagen, a name we’re delighted to feature on our roster of courtesy cars. The Polo SE has a 1.0L EVO 80 engine that results in a fuel economy of 57.6mpg. You can use its ‘Car-Net’ App-Connect to match those two modern day essentials – your phone and your car – without issue

and its colour touchscreen will make it easy to find the content you want, when you want it. As you’d expect from Volkswagen, safety very much takes the front seat in the vehicle. A driver alert system, hydraulic brake assist and hill hold control all feature, as do and electronic stability programme and anti-slip regulation for when next winter’s icy roads take their toll. The Polo has been a stalwart of Volkswagen’s range since 1975. In the almost 50 years that have followed,

its reputation has constantly gone before it. Give your customers the respect they deserve

with such a marvellous courtesy car experience. Start your journey towards leasing the Volkswagen Polo on a 12-month contract with 1+11 payment profile by calling 0800 505 3737.

Aye aye, you’ll love the Hyundai

i10 SE

No holes in the reasons for leasinga Volkswagen Polo SE

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Courtesy and management cars to suit all budgets

The Mercedes GLA180 Urban Edition (pictured below) is the latest in our stable of top-end management vehicles. A 1.6 litre engine and automatic gearbox gives a return of 50.4 miles per gallon which, when matched with its awe-inspiring design, results in a vehicle as irresistible inside as it is outside, thanks to its sumptuous upholstery matched with the finest driver technology. Meanwhile, from Vauxhall, we also have the Grandland X in stock in both manual and automatic transmissions. Like its management car stablemate from Germany, the British car is fantastic to look at and contains a wealth of features with driver and passenger comfort at the forefront. To discuss any of our management or courtesy cars, all of which are available to lease on 12-month contracts with 1+11 payment profiles,

call us on 0800 505 3737 or visit our website, www.circleleasing.co.uk, where you’ll find our product list which is constantly updated. You can also learn about our innovative courtesy car management platform on the website as well as keep up-to-date with what’s happening on the Circle Leasing blog.

The Nissan Juke Personal Edition is a fantastic trim level upgrade to one of our most popular cars of 2018. Available with both manual and automatic transmissions, it’s full of features that make it a joy to command from behind the wheel. The car utilises Nissan’s own Connect satellite navigation system which is presented on a 5.8” touchscreen. You’ll find Bose sound systems in the world’s top hotels and it’s also something you’ll find in the Juke Personal Edition too, so you can play the tunes from your smartphone which integrates with the vehicle seamlessly. A colour reversing camera together with lane departure warning system, moving object detection and blind spot alert keeps the driver safe, while the intelligent rear view monitor keeps watch at what’s approaching from behind. It

all adds up to a complete package for your bodyshop courtesy car needs. Call 0800 505 3737 to discover more about how you can lease the Nissan Juke Personal Edition on a 12-month contract with 1+11 payment profile.

Management car round-up

No hazards with the Nissan Juke

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One of the things that we as a company pride ourselves on is our standard 12-month

contracts with 1+11 payment profiles. We believe that these offer the best possible

value to bodyshops in need of courtesy cars – but how do they compare to cheaper monthly

rental prices on 24- or 36-month contracts?

Year in, year out

R unning a fleet of courtesy cars can be an expensive part of your business. While a low

monthly rental might appear to be the best deal for your company, have you considered how the added extras on these contracts mount up over time? The ‘1’ in our 1+11 payment profiles refers to the number of monthly payments which are required on an up-front basis, followed by 11 more to make up a 12-month contract. So, if a car is available for £139 + VAT on a 1+11 payment profile, you simply pay £1,668 + VAT for the year. If you saw the same car available for £127 + VAT per month on a 1+23

payment profile, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were getting a good deal because of the lower monthly rental charge. This equates to £3,048 + VAT spent over the course of two years, versus £3,336 + VAT for two separate 1+11 contracts in the £139 car. How about if it was available even cheaper, for £117 on a 1+35 contract? You’d then be paying £4,212 for the car over the course of its three-year contract rather than the £5,004 for three 1+11 contracts. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Especially when saying ’36 months’, which doesn’t sound anywhere near as long as ‘three years’. But within these lower prices there are hidden costs.

7AROUND CIRCLE | Summer 2019

Likewise, a higher up-front payment may not always balance out into lower monthly rentals too. Here’s how costs can quickly mount.

ServicingWith a 12-month contract, there is no requirement to give a car its annual service. Obviously with a 24-month contract you’ll need to shell out for one of these, with the average service coming in at approximately £131. And for a 36-month contract, you’ll need to pay for two services, with considerably more work likely needing to be done to the car resulting in a larger bill of approximately £325. If anything goes wrong with the car during a one-year deal, it’s still in warranty too. You can’t say that if the car goes kaput in the 19th month of a 24-month contract or the 32nd in a 36-month deal.

TyresBurning rubber means burning money when it comes to a courtesy car’s tyres. On a two-year contract, you’ll possibly have to replace two of the car’s tyres which will cost you around £226. You can double that cost on a three-year contract, because during that timespan you’ll probably need to replace the car’s other two tyres as well.

In-life wear and tearThe period during which you’re in possession of a courtesy vehicle is known as its ‘in-life’ and we know that during this time there’ll be bumps, knocks and scrapes: In other words, issues that will need to be corrected before you return the car to its provider. The cost of righting these wrongs

is likely to be in the region of £288 for bumps which happen during a 24-month contract. It leaps to £432 on 36-month contracts. Similarly, you might not need an MOT test as part of a 12- or 24-month contract, but you’ll almost certainly need one during a 36-month deal. While this will only cost you a maximum of £54.85 in the UK, don’t forget that you’ll need to pay for any repairs which arise from the inspection too – and there are bound to be issues after three years on the road.

How else do 12-month contracts help you?

The world is an ever-changing place. If your budget reflects this and you need to reduce outgoings, our deals mean that you won’t be tied into a long, financially-punishing contract.

Treated with respectWe find that a newer, shiner courtesy car commands a greater respect from its driver than an older car. A clean and well-presented car also shows your bodyshop in a much better light than an older, rusty car too which will be reflected in your Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Minimum disruption to youEnd-of-contract costs are vastly reduced with 12-month courtesy car deals. As long as you follow Circle’s detailed guidelines, there will be no recharges on your returned vehicles. Our in-life support is also unparalleled and we find our lessees like having the option to pool their mileage too. Your fleet will look fresh every year too. There will be no need to refurbish it and there should be no need to service it – which will leave more money for you to spend elsewhere in your bodyshop. Year in, year out, we faithfully believe that 12-month contracts are the way forward for your accident repair facility.

Circle Leasing 1-year B-Group deal

Competitor2-year deal

Competitor3-year deal

Term 12 months 24 months 36 months

Mileage 10,000 20,000 30,000

Monthly rental £139 £127 £117

Total rental £1,688 £3,048 £4,212

Servicing £0 £131 £325

Tyres £0 £226 £452

In-life wear and tear £0 £288 £432

MOT costs £0 £0 £54.85*

Total average costs(+VAT)

£1,668£3,693

(£1,846.50 p.a.)(£153.88 per month)

£5,475.85(£1,825.29 p.a.)

(£152.11 per month)

*This is the maximum charge for an MOT test in the UK.

All figures are what Circle Leasing have previously been recharged by approved manufacturer repair networks.Our zero charges for servicing, tyres and in-life wear and tear will result in following our Best Practice and Fair Play guides which can be found on the FAQs section of our website. We know from our records that on average 70% of vehicles come back to us requiring no work at all, thanks to good management on the part of the hirer(s). Our current end-of-contract recharge is running at £143.79 across the remaining 30% of vehicles, or £64.03 across all vehicles.

Pictured:Repairs, re-sprays, MOTs and tyres – it’s always worth checking the duration of that contract to avoid nasty, costly surprises

8 AROUND CIRCLE | Summer 2019

We’re understandably very proud of our courtesy car management platform, MyFleet Vehicle Hire. You may have seen in the Spring 2019 edition of Around Circle about how the system could have helped deal with the administration time – all 655 working days of it – that followed on from the 9,174 penalties incurred in our cars in the 2018 calendar year.

Alternatively, you may have seen in the Winter 2018 edition of our newsletter the many milestones that the system had passed in the time that it had been live up to the point of the newsletter’s publication. From more than 150,000 courtesy car bookings to more than 2,600,000 hire days completed and 4,327 tanks of missing fuel recharged, it had been quite the journey. But despite all our pride in MyFleet Vehicle Hire, we’d never spoken to the people who could give the most insight into what it’s like to manage your fleet of courtesy cars using it. Until now.

MyFleet Vehicle Hire:

The view from the users

From top:MyFleet Vehicle Hire is your complete courtesy car management platform

Fines and fixed penalties incurred in courtesy cars are diverted to us, taking the administration away from you

The system intelligently analyses your fleet, so the right car goes to the right customer

Recharge for fuel and damage when the policyholder gives the car back

9AROUND CIRCLE | Summer 2019

“We’ve been using the system for about two months now, but we’d heard about it a while ago. We have our courtesy cars with Circle Leasing and we’d heard about the platform that way, so two members of the team came in to show us what it could do for us. “We saw the benefits of Vehicle Hire straightaway when we saw it in action. The electronic check-in process is something we had been looking for especially and it ticks a lot of boxes for us in that it helps cover us. “We wanted the electronic check-in process and this is exactly what Vehicle Hire gives us. It moves us into an electronic world and brings our business

up to modern-day standards in terms of checking-in vehicles. As such, it’s something we’ll be spreading the use of to our other sites. “Just conducting the electronic check-in process with the addition of taking photographs on a tablet in front of the customer presents a professional outlook to a customer on how you’re handling them and their vehicle. It’s straightforward and easy to use and it doesn’t entice them to try and get one over you by saying that scratches and minor damage were not there when they took the car from you!”

Rye Street Group

Rainbow Bodyshop Group

Nick Ferris,Group Development Manager, Rye Street

Group

Rob Franklin, Assistant Manager,

Rainbow Reading

Graham Henwood, Group Compliance Manager, Rainbow

Reading

Rob Franklin, Assistant Manager,

Rainbow Reading

“We lease our cars from Circle and were told about the facility for our courtesy cars and for use as a check-in tool. We had a demonstration of the system from Ben at Circle and we took it from there. “It’s a really good tool to be perfectly honest. We had previously used another system which to a certain degree did what we wanted, but it didn’t go far enough. We were trying to look for something that we could use both on-site and off-site, and MyFleet Vehicle Hire fitted the bill really well. It suits different sites in different ways. “Vehicle Hire talks to the system we currently have in place. We also like the fact that you don’t have to use it specifically for your courtesy cars; you can also use it as a check-out and check-in tool for a customer’s car too. They might claim that some damage had been done to their car while it was in the bodyshop’s care and we can look at the check-in images as evidence. “The appraisal app is flexible and works well on tablets. All of the team can use it, whether they’re in the workshop or outside in the customer service area. “Using Vehicle Hire on the courtesy car

side of things helps us deal with the fines that are incurred in our courtesy cars, like speeding and other traffic offences. The platform takes care of them at that point rather than our guys having to get involved. We find that really useful and it is a big tool for us. “Also, the images we take as soon as a car comes in are helpful. They go to where we want them to go so we have immediate visibility of them. They’re the backup if we have disputes with customers and because they are time- and date-stamped there is no dispute. If someone tries to argue, these photographs and video footage make us the winner all the way! “We’ve been very impressed. Managing our courtesy cars is now all linked on the one system, so we don’t have to do any of the joining ourselves. This is the system’s most impressive aspect. As we roll out its use to other branches in our group, the ability to manage all of your fleet in one place is what I’ve used as its major selling point.”

10 AROUND CIRCLE | Summer 2019

T he NBRA arose from the National Association of Bodyshops (NAB) and the Vehicle Builders and Repairers Association (VBRA) joining forces. These

two long-standing organisations along with the Motor Vehicle Repair Association (MVRA), which merged with the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) a decade ago, had helped vehicle repairers look after their own for decades. The previous system was flawed, as these several different bodyshop organisations had spent so much energy competing that the businesses they were supposed to be representing ultimately lost out. Now the industry has recognised associations to meet their requirements: the NBRA looks after car body repairers while VBRA Commercial takes care of vehicle body builders and commercial vehicle repairs. Each body

is run by their members and all are part of the RMIF. A single platform recognised throughout each industry had been necessary for some time. Chris Weeks was appointed to lead the NBRA when it was launched in March 2017. “My background is predominantly in insurance albeit with a constant connection to vehicle body repair,” he explains.“I have experience of repairing cars as well as training as an engineer, followed by being an engineer and network manager. I spent the last six years of my 23 in the sector running Direct Line Group’s (DLG) wholly-owned bodyshop business and was a director at an accident management company after my time at DLG. I’ve seen the vehicle body repair industry from most perspectives now,” he adds. The association’s committee is composed entirely of

If you’re ever unsure on an issue in the workplace, help is at hand from our trade body, the National Body Repair Association (NBRA). The association’s advice and guidance has been there for countless bodyshop and accident repair centres up and down the land. We caught up with its Director, Chris Weeks.

In focus:NBRA

11AROUND CIRCLE | Summer 2019

repairer members and goes through an ongoing process of reselection managed by the Chairman in line with its constitution. The intention is to make the committee more like a corporate board with strengths around the table but with representation of the smallest bodyshop through to the largest groups. Membership of the NBRA offers many advantages including debt recovery assistance, advice around law and human resources, workshops and conferences and member discounts. “The most significant benefit of being a member of the association is that we spend time on our members’ behalf seeking to build relationships with and influence the key work providers in the industry,” claims Chris. “We have a clear strategy which is constantly evolving as we learn more about our members and their challenges. We work to our natural strengths and have genuinely helped key individuals at most major insurers understand the repairer’s perspective. Repairers are starting to understand the work provider perspective too,” he adds. “That perspective is fiercely competitive and very difficult to change even with a clear benefit case, never mind without one! The biggest change we’ve influenced has been the relationship we have built up with decision makers at work providers, and that’s where most of our effort has been spent. “Nothing changes without a perceived win-win and collaboration doesn’t happen without trust. We’ve gained trust, which is critical in bringing about change. “We recently published a report into insurer treatment of the vehicle repair industry. Many of the topics raised have generated approaches from work providers keen to change but seeking support on how to help without necessarily disadvantaging their own brand,” says Chris. The association also recently carried out a survey on what its members think of insurers. “In some ways the survey reinforced things we already knew from the ABP Club’s survey,” Chris says. “Insurers that do a good job of supporting the industry were reflected in the ABP results and ours. However, ours went far deeper on a range of measures such as contract term evaluation, attitudes to safety, flexibility around service levels etc. This was revealing, but the real value came when we had conversations with insurers before and after the report was released. “The report catalysed conversations that helped us understand there is a willingness to change and that some things are not where they should be. We’re going to set up an NBRA Insurer Advisory Board to facilitate deeper debate and change,” he claims. Findings related to courtesy cars and mobility were the biggest areas of dissatisfaction in the survey. “Repairers understand why insurers push for better overall terms in the market, but they are incensed at the industry for

failing to address the problems of repairers still paying for courtesy cars or fault mobility. There is no excuse for it now – repairers should not be paying, especially now margins have been so badly eroded elsewhere,” blasts Chris. “We want to establish the benefit to insurers of having a thriving, safe, sustainable bodyshop industry. Can insurers really gain true competitive advantage through vehicle body repair? If they ever can, it will be through developing a real win-win situation that allows an insurer to offer something genuinely unique – it won’t be through more bottom-line discount or holding inflation flat.

“Insurers should be great at underwriting and customer service as that is how they truly win.

Quality, safety and availability of repair to the highest standard should be a given for insurers over which they needn’t worry about brand risk. “We need to convince the insurance industry that they will get all this from

adequate investment. They can then focus on their factors which make them the real

winners.” What does the future hold for the NBRA? “That

will depend on the value and security we bring to our members,” concludes Weeks. “In an ideal world, insurers would be certain of the quality and safety of repairs and bodyshops would be adequately funded to provide this through appropriate training and investment. “We want to have delivered our long-term goals of workers in the industry being rewarded in line with their competence, training and investment. We want the industry to be held in the same esteem as other highly trained professions by the public. “We want to exist in harmony with work providers striving for shared goals that transcend company objectives. We want all responsible bodyshops to be members. Together we will achieve more!”

‘‘Insurersshould be great at underwriting and

customer service as that is how they truly

win”

Chris Weeks,Director

Opposite page top & bottom:Chris Weeks on the I Love Claims panel discussing the future of vehicle repair in 2018

This page above:Chris can often be found at industry events talking to bodyshop and accident repair professionals

Find us and follow usThis newsletter is your quarterly reminder of all things Circle Leasing, but what if you need more up-to-the-minute information on us and the services we provide? Find us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for daily updates on new cars on our roster, prices and updates to our intuitive and intelligent courtesy car management, booking and appraisal tool, MyFleet Vehicle Hire.

Above:The Circle Leasing team at CardamomCream in Ramsbottom

circle-leasing circleleasing circleleasing

Easter fun and frolics

The day before Good Friday, we held our annual Easter activities as we answered questions in a seasonal quiz and hunted chocolate which had been hidden around the office by Lesley and Robyn. We also took delivery of some treats from our friends at Cooper Corporate.

Circle Leasing LtdThe Barracks, 400 Bolton Road, Bury BL8 2DATel: 0800 505 3737 | Fax: 0800 505 3744hello@circleleasing.co.uk | www.circleleasing.co.uk

Produced by Circle Leasing MarketingPlease call 0800 505 3737 for more information.©Circle Leasing Ltd 2019. Printed on recycled stock

Look out for Barry in the ABP Club magazine

Barry Beeston, our Managing Director, will be making an appearance in the Summer edition of the ABP Club magazine. He’ll be talking about his first six months in his role and how he’s found his time steering the Courtesy/Replacement Car Provider of the Year for the last four years. Look out for his interview!

Curry-tesy car, anyone?

We were treated to a night out at an Indian restaurant in Ramsbottom in April, as a thank-you from our management team for an excellent year so far. Can you think of any curry/courtesy car puns better than the groansome effort in the headline? Tweet us your best suggestions to @circleleasing.

A D:Ream job for James

James Bentley, our Marketing Executive, has recently published his second book about Bury FC. It concentrates on how the club rose from the depths in the mid-1990s and came to be playing – and beating – the likes of Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Sunderland in the second tier of English football. “I got to interview more than 30 former players from a great period of the club’s history. It was a real labour of love!” said James. Log onto www.buryfcinthemid90s.co.uk for more details.

And finally...