30-04-2021
Here at Cogent, we’re always clear that we’re a collaborative credit hire company. One that stands beside you, with you and for you – whether you’re an insurer, a policyholder, or someone who’s been in a road traffic accident.
But we don’t just collaborate with our customers. It’s not a case of you and us against the world. Because there are companies out there breaking new ground in their industries and sectors. Challenging the old ways of doing things, and finding newer, more effective methods that bring in new technologies and new ways of thinking.
Companies that share our vision for a more collaborative credit hire sector with less friction and suspicion. Companies that are able to do things we can’t. Companies that we want to work with.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll explain the expertise that goes into every aspect of our supply chain. From the AI-powered Heads Up anti-fraud software we helped to launch, through the expert repairers we trust to put vehicles back on the road, to the ADR experts at Claimspace who help us resolve disputes without needing the courts.
But first, we want to introduce you to perhaps our most widely-known partner. Europcar.
“We share a vision” – why Cogent Hire chose to partner with Europcar
“We share a vision.”
That’s why Cogent Hire MD Kirsty McKno wanted to partner with Europcar.
“We don’t just say we’re collaborative and then go back to putting our respective businesses first. Europcar and Cogent both share a vision for a more collaborative way of working that puts customers first. They were our very first partners, and it’s all because we share the same vision and values.”
As a credit hire company, Cogent Hire needs to put drivers back on the road by giving them credit hire vehicles. And the simplest, most frictionless way to do that was to partner with a business who had an existing fleet and the infrastructure to supply vehicles whenever and wherever they’re needed.
James Roberts, Europcar’s business development director explains:
“Cogent Hire has big plans and a clear strategy. And like Europcar, Cogent Hire recognises its strengths. Rather than procure its own fleet, Cogent is trusting in our experience to manage its vehicle hire requirements. We’re excited to be a part of Cogent Hire’s journey. And its success.”
Much like Cogent’s leadership team, James and the Europcar team know their way around the credit hire industry. And like us, they know that friction is the biggest challenge we all face. We decided to partner with James’ team because they knew exactly how important a frictionless, seamless and transparent service is to all of our customers:
“[Europcar has] worked with several credit hire companies for over 20 years. We understand how important it is to deliver the right vehicle to the right place at the right time and to ensure the rental process is as seamless as possible for customers.
We were very keen to partner with Cogent Hire because we were impressed with their vision on doing things differently not only for their customers but the insurer, through a transparent and collaborative approach when processing claims.“
Collaborative. Seamless. Transparent. You’ll see those words that James uses all over the Cogent Hire website, all over our brochures. You’ll hear them when you speak to us. Because those are our key values. And the fact that Europcar share those values made them the clear and obvious choice as our first key strategic partner.
Shared values form the foundations of our relationship, and they’re why our partners are so excited to work with us. But we’re excited to work with them too, because they also share our approach. People plus technology – a way of giving our teams the tools they need to make better decisions, and provide you with a better service. It’s an approach Europcar also use, as James outlines:
“[Connected technology] is such a huge and exciting area of development for all parts of the automotive sector.
At Europcar, we will be the first major provider to adopt connected automotive technology wholesale as we roll out our ‘Connected Vehicles’ programme across our entire fleet of cars and vans in the coming months.
[Connected Vehicles] will deliver crucial fleet management benefits for our own operation and, therefore, for our customers, including reduced vehicle downtime due to a more proactive approach being applied to servicing and repair work; more accurate fuel gauge readings at the beginning and end of of every rental and more efficient collection processes.”
Better technology, and highly trained teams allow Europcar to have what they call a ‘get it right first time’ philosophy. It’s this philosophy, this commitment to finding better ways of working that makes them such a natural partner for Cogent Hire.
And as you’ll find out in our next blog, that ties in well with how we approach the triage portion of our supply chain with Coplus’ unique First Call Resolution technology.
