HAPPY 20 TH ANNIVERSARY E.ON & MEDIAFLEET!
THE AFTER SALES SERVICE & HOW THIS CAN WIN YOU BUSINESS
Q&A: SIMON SIMMONS OF ALPHABET, PART OF THE BMW GROUP
Branding Britain’s Fleets
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Welcome ...
Things are now happening at Mediafleet that are more complicated, bigger, and more significant than I could manage on my own… and I think that’s a good thing and a sign of progress!
Many of you reading this will know the history of Mediafleet: a company created in the year 2000 determined to prove that vehicle branding could be more exciting and play a greater role in a company’s brand mix. The idea worked and the business grew steadily over the proceeding years. We kept at it, and as our interaction with the market grew, slowly but surely we started to engage with some of the country’s leading fleet operators and develop more ambitious branding plans.
Fast forward to 2025 and it’s clear that both B2B and B2C marketeers are now taking vehicle branding more seriously!
Buoyed by this growing interest in our market, Mediafleet has continued to invest in its team and in its customer offering, and we are now one of the most prolific branding suppliers in the UK fleet supply chain – possibly even branding more vehicles than anyone else. It has not been without its challenges, but I’m immensely proud of our team, and indeed grateful to our customers for the opportunity to work on such fantastic projects.
In this issue of Inside Track, we take a look at work which has been at the forefront of Mediafleet’s activity, and we also try to provide some insight into the technical level we are striving for.
Exciting times, and I do hope you enjoy our latest edition.
Barnaby Smith Managing Director
6-17
In this issue
Technical Masterclass
Mediafleet demonstrates that its services in fleet graphics design, production and application is breaking new ground in vehicle media and standards of finish.
18-27
20th Anniversary - E.ON & Mediafleet
Mediafleet is proud of its long-standing relationship with E.ON, being involved in the branding of its vehicles for the last 20 years.
6-17
28-37
Market Insight
How a market leading ‘after sales service’ can drive your business forward and how this can win you business
38-51
Q&A - Simon Simmons, Alphabet
Simon Simmons, LCV Consultant for Alphabet (GB), and Rob Rudd, Head of Development for Mediafleet, got together for a chat about the benefits of the working relationship between the two organisations.
18-27
38-51
Technical Masterclass
Mediafleet demonstrates that its services in fleet graphics design, production and application is breaking new ground in vehicle media and standards of finish.
We’re sometimes asked to keep the identity of our clients confidential, both private and manufacturer, but we are grateful to those customers which have allowed us to showcase some of the work we have been doing.
Vehicle graphics excellence is a multifaceted discipline. It encapsulates excellence in all areas of graphics production, from design, vinyl specification, production, and especially vinyl application. Mediafleet applies the same high level skills and diligence to all vehicles regardless of the vehicle’s value or purpose. Using those same skills and disciplines, we are frequently asked to work with a manufacturer team or private customers to wrap and commission some very special vehicles indeed.
Service Excellence
This is an overused term, often used as a coverall for organisations trying to give confidence to potential clients in the ability to deliver a product or service. At Mediafleet, we recognise that ‘service excellence’ means a commitment to providing superior levels of performance across the ‘scope of service’. The underlying principles are operational efficiency, continuous improvement and consistent quality.
Josie Arnold, Head of Installation, said,
It is ‘quality’ that binds all the disciplines together.
The vinyl installers at Mediafleet have demonstrated excellence in their field in wrapping these special project vehicles. The process starts with a complete de-trim of the vehicle. Ancillary items such as wing mirrors, bumpers, badges and logos are carefully removed prior to the branding fitment. This enables our installers to achieve the very highest level of finish.
Our processes are exactly the same for fleet vehicles. Mediafleet will remove the same items on an LCV as we never compromise on our wrap standard. Mediafleet employs real-time quality monitoring to quickly identify and rectify any imperfections ensuring the quality of the graphics application.
“It’s always exciting and a privilege to work on special project vehicles. It’s my job to drive for a perfect finish, and then take the technical lessons learned and apply it across our fleet customer work as well.”
Mediafleet Installer Lewis Mann commented,
Barnaby Smith, Mediafleet’s Managing Director commented,
“Training is the cornerstone of what we do, and we’re lucky to have Josie taking the lead. In fact, we have a number of very experienced installers and we take the time to build and develop the skills of those younger members of the crew, identifying those who really want to push on and take their wrapping work to the next level.”
“Mediafleet’s commitment to providing high-quality services goes beyond the commercial fleet work we are perhaps best known for. The team continue to do a marvellous job on these special projects, and we see some very interesting vehicles come through.
A certain EV and recent success story has to be my favourite though...”
2 TH
Mediafleet is proud of its long-standing relationship with E.ON, being involved in the branding of its vehicles for the last 20 years.
James Parry, head of design, Mediafleet said,
The new ‘E.ON Next’ branding has been developed by E.ON, and once again, Mediafleet were tasked with transferring the branding concept to the vehicles. This means a new and exciting launch for its new fleet of Ford E-Custom Transit vans – the E.ON Next vehicle wrap. The task for Mediafleet was to help E.ON maximise the branding effectiveness and fully wrap the first tranche of 225 vehicles.
“Over the last 20 years, Mediafleet has worked with E.ON in developing the various generations of the E.ON fleet look - and this time was no exception. It is always a pleasure working with the E.ON team. The new branding looks really strong on the vehicles – it will definitely turn heads.”
Mediafleet’s successful 20 year supply relationship with E.ON is based on delivering a ‘full scope of service’ to E.ON so all aspects of the graphics conversion is handled internally by Mediafleet.
The process begins in garnering a full understating of the E.ON branding ambitions and then working with E.ON to ensure the graphics work correctly on the vehicle. James comments “The creatives provided by E.ON were spectacular, so it was a highly rewarding task of working with the brand team to get the biggest impact on the vehicle”.
Barnaby Smith, Mediafleet’s Managing Director commented,
Mediafleet’s production hub at Witney has been utilised and the vehicles are being delivered into build directly from port for wrapping. The ‘production line’ conversion procedure then involves wrapped E.ON vans moving to QI Van Systems in Telford for internal fitment. Mediafleet’s high level, tried and tested supply chain relationships and procedures means this is a seamless process.
“I am proud of the way the whole team work together to ensure E.ON will be happy with process and the end result. There is an obvious dedication and determination to the task which results in a successful roll-out, but more importantly there is a strong desire to exceed expectations.”
The new E.ON Ford E-Custom vehicles with the E.ON Next design are currently being branded at the Mediafleet site and over the next financial quarter, 225 vehicles will be delivered to E.ON.
Barnaby Smith, Mediafleet’s Managing Director said,
“This is a very exciting time for E.ON with the launch of the new branding, and once again Mediafleet feels honoured to be involved. At the risk of sounding sentimental, I realised as we started this project that the youngest members of our production team working on making the new E.ON Next graphics were not even born when Mediafleet completed its first E.ON branding project. Twenty years has flown by, and this is a very special working relationship. Perhaps the benchmark against which we measure our customer service level as a company.”
Will Brandwood, project lead at E.ON is similarly enthusiastic about the latest E.ON launch
“Last week witnessed the 20th anniversary of the E.ON relationship with Mediafleet which was celebrated by a huge cake in the Mediafleet boardroom after our internal team meeting. Even the cake got the Mediafleet treatment as the icing was the correct E.ON Pantone!”
“Once again, the vehicles look great, and I thank Mediafleet for all the support they have given.”
The After Sales Service & How This Can Win You Business
By Rob Rudd – Head of Development
On meeting Barney for the first time back in 2017, I asked him what he thought were the ‘critical success factors’ for the business. He replied that the most important element Mediafleet had to get right, was to look after the customer to the best of our ability. With that in mind, the strategy developed was all about delivering a market leading customer experience.
You may remember that in a previous edition of Inside Track, I wrote an article looking at the relationships between ‘Brand Strategy’, the ‘Value Proposition’ and ‘Competitive Advantage’. In this article, I will be looking at how a market leading ‘after sales service’ can drive your business forward.
What is ‘After Sales Service’?
‘After Sales Service’ is a phrase that is bandied about by companies trying to close the loop on holistic service delivery. The reality is that most organisations pay ‘lip service’ to this business function. The reason for that is because in most cases only a small proportion of services or products delivered to a customer will develop a problem and therefore, in revenue terms, represents a fraction of the overall turnover. So, it slips to the bottom of the ‘must do’ list, and that is a big mistake.
To get to the bottom of this it is important to understand exactly what we mean by ‘after sales service’.
After Sales Service concerns all the actions, strategies, and initiatives aimed at improving the consumer experience after the purchase is made.
It is interesting that the phrase ‘improving the customer experience’ is the key element in the definition of ‘after sales service’. It is also the key phrase in the definition of the value proposition - the ‘value proposition’ is the way your product and service make your customers feel after they have purchased your product/service.
This value proposition definition obviously refers to the reaction to your core products and services that you have sold the customer, but it is equally important for any service that the customer is exposed to or receives. And that definitely includes the ‘after sales service’.
Impressing your customers after the sale is as important as impressing them with the sale.
Studies show that 83% of consumers drop a brand after just one bad customer service experience — the majority of these instances possibly come after conversion, and nearly 90% of customers contemplate ditching a business that delivers unhappy customer service — so sidelining the importance of after-sales service is not an option.
What does a good after sales service look like?
There are several mechanisms that represent a good after sales service. This article is not the platform to describe these steps, but they include:
Fast Response Time
– whenever your customers contact you must provide an immediate response followed by a solution that surpasses the expectation of the customer.
Supporting Collateral
– Ensure that the customer’s questions regarding your products/services can be answered by the supporting collateral issued at the time of purchase.
Professional Customer Service – Pro-active customer service is crucial. Calling your customer on a regular basis to check that they are happy with their purchase(s) is an important part of an after sales service regimen. Clearly, courteous, and helpful reaction to inbound enquiries is a must.
Warranties, Replacements & Returns – The better the class of service in this area is valuable in retaining customers. Keep it simple and easy to understand.
What are the benefits of a good after sales service?
Word of Mouth Referrals - Probably the most important benefit of an impressive after sales service is the generation of ‘word of mouth’ referrals. Effectively your customers become your sales team. This valuable asset is difficult to quantify but across all markets referrals can make up 50% of a business’s turnover.
At Mediafleet, we have no sales team with all enquiries coming from ‘word of mouth’ referrals or inbound enquiry through our marketing efforts.
Positive Brand Image – It is very easy to damage a brand. Regardless of the quality of the product, the features it possesses, or the value for money it represents, if a problem arises such as the ones described above, your brand image will be damaged if your after sales service fails in the eyes of the customer. And the phrase ‘in the eyes of the customer’ is the key point. It does not matter what you think is a good after sales service, and you cannot argue this with the customer. If they believe there is a problem with your after sales service, then you do have a problem with your after sales service. The wordof-mouth effect still exists here – but this time it is a negative message that is being passed on. Your brand has now been damaged, and you are losing sales and profit.
At Mediafleet, the main after sales activity is in the repair of damaged vehicles. We are fully aware that organisations do not want their vehicles returned to the road with part livery.
Therefore, we undertake to repair vehicle graphics within 72 hours of notification by the body shop. In most cases, we hold repair graphics in stock so they can be despatched immediately. This level of service is above customer expectations.
Customer Loyalty – The purpose of a good after sales service is to promote brand allegiance and therefore drive customer loyalty. A loyal customer means that you will receive repeat business with an extremely low cost of sale. According to the Harvard Business Review, keeping a customer in your consumer base can be up to 25 times cheaper than finding a new one, and, in that regard, creating after-sales initiatives is crucial to generating loyalty in your user base and maintaining the relationship for as long as possible.
At Mediafleet, we treat our customers how we expect to be treated and this results in long standing relationships.
10 YEARS
14 YEARS
20 YEARS
11 YEARS
11 YEARS
18 YEARS
14 YEARS
11 YEARS
The rule is that you must be ready to help your customers when they need you, and they must be impressed by the service they receive.
Alphabet & Mediafleet: Demonstrating
the art of ‘Collaborative Working’.
Simon Simmons, LCV Consultant for Alphabet (GB), and Rob Rudd, Head of Development for Mediafleet, got together for a chat about the benefits of the working relationship between the two organisations.
Rob Rudd: Strong working relationships between organisations bring benefits to both parties and is a key asset to any business. I think this ‘working relationship’ should have a better title that more clearly describes what it actually is – a ‘collaboration’
Those of you that read these articles regularly will be used to me blarting on about creating ‘competitive advantage’ in order for a business to grow. But what we actually mean by this is the creation of better benefits for the customer to take advantage of – perhaps better pricing or service levels, better warranties or lead times, better support in general.
Over the past few years Alphabet and Mediafleet have operated an informal collaboration that has led to winning and the successful completion of many customer projects. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Simon Simmons about Alphabet, the relationship with Mediafleet, and the shape of things to come.
Simon: Alphabet was founded in 1997 as a division of BMW Group offering a wealth of fleet management and leasing knowledge and experience to corporates. Our comprehensive portfolio of products and services includes e-mobility consulting and funding, as well as risk management.
We are based in Farnborough, Hampshire, and we manage over 140,000 cars and light commercial vehicles in the UK. Internationally, Alphabet is ranked fourth in the European market, operating in 38 countries with a fleet in excess of 700,000 vehicles.
Rob: What is your role in Alphabet?
Simon: I am the ‘LCV Consultant’ at Alphabet. I’ve spent most of my working life talking about vehicles; in particular commercial vehicles. I really enjoy the role, but I think that we are entering a really interesting time for the
automotive market. Big changes are taking place. New legislation and vehicle regulation, advancing vehicle technology that the market is having trouble keeping pace with, and therefore a growing reliance on people like me to give the clients the right advice. And sustainability is an on-going issue that needs careful attention.
Rob: Why do you think your customers choose Alphabet over other successful UK leasing companies?
Simon: I believe it’s the approach we adopt with our clients. We offer a friendly, approachable service all backed by excellent product knowledge, strong procedural and professional processes, and the business governance and credibility you would expect from the BMW Group.
Rob: That friendly approach is interesting, as it’s the same approach we adopt at Mediafleet. It’s the legacy of once being a small family business. Our Value Proposition, for want of a better phrase, is in delivering our services via family values but now supported by 23 years of experience in delivering vehicle graphics. So, our Brand Values are of a friendly but professional family-oriented business, combined with significant competitive advantage through careful business planning. And clearly, this is what the market likes as Mediafleet now brands more LCVs than any other livery provider.
Supply chain relationships are a crucial part of that business plan. We have worked hard to develop
collaborative working relationships that differentiates us from our competitors.
Rob: How and why did you decide to work with Mediafleet?
Simon: Alphabet has been involved with Mediafleet for the past 11 years, but the relationship was formalised in 2017 via formal tender led by the procurement team. It was the typical corporate process of bid response, site visits, presentations all against a score card. The decision was then made. I am happy to say we were all impressed with Mediafleet. The process was then repeated in 2021 as part of our procurement process, and once again you won the tender against strong competition.
But when you remove the ‘red tape’ and the formal processes, there’s a wish to do business with Mediafleet as the relationship offers real benefits to the customer and to Alphabet. In fact, Mediafleet is unique as far as our conversion supply partners are concerned; we have four converters for internal racking, two for drop-side and tipper, two for wheelchair access, but we only have one livery partner, which is Mediafleet.
Rob: What does Mediafleet ‘bring to the party’ that allows you to justify that single supplier approach?
Simon: The working relationship is very strong, and you bring benefits that aid our customer approach. For example, we are happy for members of the team at Mediafleet to be involved in customer meetings when trying to finalise the design. In fact, we see Mediafleet, and Barney in particular, as an extension of our
own sales team. Barney is a safe pair of hands – he understands the way Alphabet works, and he knows what I expect of him and Mediafleet –and he sticks to those guidelines. You could put Barney into any customer facing situation, and they’ll love him to bits!
Rob: Another value-added service we are immensely proud of at Mediafleet is our vehicle storage and logistics hub…
Simon: At Alphabet, we use you regularly for this service. In fact, I’ve had several projects where Mediafleet has managed the build completely. Alphabet has introduced ‘build management processes’ to all of our supply chain partners because that’s the key element and at the core of any conversion programme. Regular communication occurs across a variety of channels with all supply chain partners to discuss all aspects of the build. Delivering this concise information to the customer gives them confidence and develops trust because of the transparent nature of the build programme. I’ve managed build programmes where the vehicles are delivered to you and, after livery conversion, you have transported the vehicles to the next converter in the supply chain, or directly on to the customers. This makes my life so much easier, but more importantly, the customer is impressed – and that’s what’s important.
Another example of how Mediafleet adds value to the relationship is in the creative design service. A recent example would be the Marlowe Environmental Services account. Alphabet were approached for the vehicles at the same time as Marlowe were considering a brand refresh. I showed the team at Marlowe some examples Mediafleet’s design work for other customers, and that triggered a conversation between James (head of design and specification at Mediafleet) and the marketing team at Marlowe. At this point, I am comfortable in stepping back and letting James and Mediafleet take control. And this is where the ‘added value’ comes in again. Some of the work that James produces is amazing! Marlowe liked the designs and that is now the adopted livery. It was very well received by everyone who attended the launch event and attracted some frenzied social media activity.
Rob: This is a great example of collaborative working – companies with different skill sets coming together to add value for the customer. This goes back to how we started this article – talking about competitive advantage creation or, in other words, ‘benefit creation’ for the customer. However, this is not an easy or comfortable process. True collaboration means the sharing of sensitive information, and this can often be a stumbling block for some organisations. Openness is required at all levels across all organisations involved in the collaboration. Therefore, trust is required. Planning and business co-ordination needs to be orchestrated at management level and those new processes disseminated across the business. And of course, this takes resource so there is a significant risk element…at the end of the day, it could be unsuccessful. But, in my opinion, trust and transparency are the key factors.
Simon: That is one of the great things about working with Mediafleet - the openness that the team adopts. There are always going to be challenges that arise in any large build plan, but the thing about Barney is that he will always make me aware of the potential ‘danger points’, or call me when an issue arises. But more importantly, he will always provide the solution Mediafleet will never just land me with a problem…there is always a solution.
Rob: Providing solutions is a key aspect of the Mediafleet business. Whether that is a solution to non-conformity or a solution to a challenging project. We will go the extra mile to ensure the client, and the supply chain is happy.
We are proud of the relationship with Alphabet. Strong relationships with supply chain partners like Alphabet are hard to acquire. Having a loyal database is essential and that loyalty is borne out of a high level of trust that develops between a supplier and a customer when agreed objectives are delivered time and time again.
Mediafleet is constantly reviewing its own internal processes, and the successes or failures. This inward reflection is sometimes a difficult and uncomfortable process because it can reveal issues in processes and procedures. But organisations that continuously use their results to review, question and improve their processes will gain a better understanding of how to develop more resilient services.
I am very pleased Alphabet is happy with our service, and we hope you will continue to be a strong advocate for the business.
Simon: I am happy to introduce our potential clients to Mediafleet for all our client branding requirements.
Rob: Changing the subject, what do you see as the key issues in the fleet market over the next few years?
Simon: The future of the automotive industry is a hot topic and a lengthy one, and I am regularly involved in such discussions as I’m a member of the BVRLA. But in brief, here are some thoughts…
I don’t think we’ll see many changes to the vehicle conversion process. Some talk has been around the centralisation of conversion by manufacturers, but in reality, due to the complexities of many conversions and the variances involved, I can’t see manufacturers wanting to get involved. They are specialists in mass production of vehicles, not creating bespoke conversions for individual customers.
Environmental issues and the green agenda will continue to be an important issue for all businesses. We should all be thinking about and delivering amended services that will help the planet…but this is a huge topic with many complex conundrums.
On that point, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) from fossil fuelled vehicles for businesses will continue to be problematic in some cases for fleet managers. At Alphabet, we provide help and support for companies wishing to make the change. But the fact remains that in some working environments, EVs will not ‘cut the mustard’. For example, the operating nature of large LCVs carrying big weights, such as in the utility sector for example, is such that it’s non-viable to make the change due to the frequency of charging.
Rob: For Mediafleet, the next few years will see Mediafleet continue to develop its customer support programmes to enable us to clearly differentiate ourselves in the market and continue to enable high end collaborative working with the supply chain. This longer-term strategy support for Mediafleet customers, such as Alphabet and our end users, has two important elements - firstly, Vinyl Technology Awareness
The major vinyl manufacturers, all which Mediafleet have a strong relationship, are constantly developing new vinyl technology to aid, Durability, Ease of application, Quality of finish, Cost Reduction and Sustainability. More recently, sustainability via a more environmentally friendly vinyl and recycling process has been key in supporting customer strategies. Mediafleet recognises that customers should be aware of the impact on the environment in purchasing vehicle graphics, and the impact at the vehicle’s end of life. To that end, customers are always offered sustainable vinyl technology. Moreover, customers like Alphabet, will be kept appraised of all new environmentally friendly options that will be developed in the future.
Secondly, Marketing Awareness. Mediafleet has in-house marketing experts that enables its customers to have access to the latest trends in vehicle advertising. By understanding the customers goals, Mediafleet will help design marketing communications that will deliver real value. Alphabet has introduced Mediafleet to some strategic customers, and I am happy to say the results have always been impressive, with excellent feedback The involvement of client marketing teams in vehicle branding will grow over the next few years and we will ensure that Mediafleet has the support infrastructure to help Alphabet and other clients with this process.
Thank you, Simon, for giving up your time for this article. I appreciate your thoughts, and kind and forthright comments.
On behalf of everyone at Mediafleet, I thank you for your support and we look forward to helping you with many projects in the future.
By the way…if anyone reading this wants to talk to you about Alphabet services, who should they call or email?
Simon: https://www.alphabet.com/ en-gb/commercial-vehicles
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