Customer service is fundamental to the AA’s offering for fleet operators, and its customer retention rate – 100% for major fleets and 8% for SMEs – is testament to that.
The organisation’s values of care, courtesy and collaboration, along with expertise and dynamism, ensure that customers and their drivers are at the heart of everything the company does – whether that is to ensure their safety, streamline administrative processes, keep them abreast of new legislation, or reduce downtime.
Every investment and every innovation is centred on improving the customer experience, and customer service goes hand in hand with this. The organisation says this is why it is critical to ensure the business has the right balance between investment in products and investment in processes, and is what sets it apart from the crowd.
The AA was able to produce a range of testimonials from long-standing customers to support its submission in the Business Car Awards, including Arval, LeasePlan, Swarco eVolt and others.
The company also saw an opportunity to step up to ensure customers were reassured during the Covid-19 pandemic, including supporting manufacturers by extending their warranty breakdown cover if it was due to expire during lockdown, and carrying out vehicle repairs for customers while dealerships were closed.
The firm also received heartfelt messages from representatives of the NHS for offering free breakdown cover to staff travelling in response to the pandemic.
More than 7,500 NHS workers were rescued as part of a free breakdown offer, while around 200 AA personnel joined London Ambulance Service and others around the country to provide 24/7 coverage maintaining ambulance fleets, commissioning additional vehicles, and providing emergency repairs.
And the AA’s work to offer its customers the highest levels of service is ongoing. As well as winning the Business Car Customer Service Award in 2020, the organisation has once again been named a Which? Recommended Provider for breakdown cover.
The organisation also topped the table for breakdown cover in the prestigious Which? survey for third-party cover, and also provides cover for six of the top ten-ranked manufacturers.
AA president Edmund King OBE said: “On behalf of the AA, we are delighted to take home gold in the Best Customer Service category at this year’s Business Car Awards.
“Recognising excellence from across the industry for customer-oriented service, it’s a real honour to win such a prestigious accolade.
“Our team works extremely hard to put our customers first. To be acknowledged for our high retention rates and increasing client base is truly testament to this commitment.”
