How Our Service Works

 

Setting Up A New Fleet Customer

Before we begin servicing vehicles for a new

customer, we set up a service record for each

vehicle in the customer's fleet. Information

furnished by the customer includes the year,

make and model of each vehicle, along with

their internal ID number, the license plate

number or the VIN (vehicle identification number).

From there we fill in all the rest of the data for each vehicle.

Vehicle service records are at the core of what Freedom does for its customers. Each contact we have with a vehicle is noted in its service record. Over time, an accurate service history is built for each vehicle. Customers may request copies of their service records at any time.

One of the variables with fleet maintenance is determining service intervals. Our larger fleet customers usually service their vehicles at certain mileage intervals. Most request oil changes every three or four thousand miles. Some of our smaller fleets service their vehicles based on time, instead of mileage. For example, a small fleet may ask us to come on site every three months and service all of their vehicles. Some vehicles will be a little early and some will be a little bit late, but, regardless of the actual mileage interval for each vehicle, all of their vehicles are getting serviced four times a year. Our smaller fleet customers (around twenty-five vehicles) have found this to be the most efficient approach, since they have only one contact with Freedom every three months, instead of contacting us every time one of their vehicles turns another 3,000 miles.

To minimize disruption, Freedom will work within a new customer's existing system. For example, if the customer wishes, we will use their existing report forms and otherwise conform to their system. This happens more often with very large customers, where we may be servicing a small portion of a national fleet. With smaller fleets, opportunities for streamlining the system are more likely.

We don't use a contract form or submit anything for signature. Unless the customer has its own contract form requiring our signature, we simply begin the service. If, for any reason, a customer wishes to discontinue, we'll stop coming. This approach is simpler for everyone and risk free for the customer.

With everything in place, we can begin handling service requests. After the first few vehicles are serviced and Freedom and the customer start getting used to each other, everything settles down to a familiar routine and all the cost-saving benefits start accruing to the customer.

 

Daily Work Cycle

Our daily work begins with service requests. These

usually arrive at our office via phone call or email.

Once the work orders are printed, each technician

gathers the materials and parts necessary for the

day's work. As the work for each vehicle is completed,

the technician checks off the items and makes any

necessary comments on the work order.

By having all this information at hand, our technicians have everything they need, should additional work be required in the field. For example, if a technician discovers a dirty air filter during a routine oil change, he has the part number to replace it immediately. He also has contact information in case he needs to communicate with the local fleet manager.

At the end of each day, the work orders are returned to the office and the service records of each vehicle are updated in our system. Invoices are then generated and shipped according to the customers' instructions.

 

 Timing Is Everything

 

When we contacted a plumbing company to maintain their fleet of nine vehicles, the question of timing came up. The problem was that their vehicles were seldom in one place at the same time. Some of their vehicles go home with their plumbers and some don't.   They wanted to use our service, but they couldn't see how it would work. What we came up with was to service their vehicles on a rotating schedule during their weekly sales meetings, when everyone was together. These meetings were long enough for us to service four or five of their vehicles, so during each sales meeting we service the next vehicles on the list. The result is the plumbing company has their vehicles serviced on schedule without using any on-the-clock time of their plumbers.