“I am delighted to be joining the team at Bankstone Advantage and really looking forward to the opportunity of helping the business grow even further using my previous experience in the accident management arena.”

Advantage Director, Nick Williams commented ” This is a great addition to the team, Craig has extensive industry experience and knowledge and shares our passion and enthusiasm to deliver a service beyond expectation.

Bizarrely, Craig has interests beyond the world of motor claims. These include foreign travel and following First Division Swindon Town FC – two interests unlikely to overlap, obviously, any time in the foreseeable future.

Craig Moore - Strategic Account Manager

Records relating to the maintenance of the vehicle, that it was fit for purpose and correctly insured and has a current MoT if required will all be requested; records relating to the well-being of the driver, including medical and eye sight checks will all be required; work and appointment schedules may also be examined, particularly if, for example, fatigue caused by a long hours culture was suspected as a reason for a crash blame; and details of the journey will also be examined, in relation to whether enough time was allowed.

However, an employee does not have to be involved in a fatal road crash for the long arm of the law to strike either their employer or managers/directors. Various legislation, including the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 highlight that, so far as is reasonably practicable, firms must manage the health and safety of all employees while at work and that includes when driving their own vehicles on business.

As a minimum you should ensure the following information is recorded and procedures implemented as part of your grey fleet driver checks

•Check validity of employees’ driving licences and for those with points check licences as frequently as quarterly
•Check business insurance cover is in place
•Check vehicles are serviced and maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations
•Ensure vehicles have an MoT certificate if applicable
•Ensure own-use vehicle drivers have to report accidents
•Ensure the vehicle being driven is suitable for the job
•Implement a vehicle age and CO2 cap
•Implement a cap on the number of miles to be travelled annually
•Ensure all drivers undergo a risk assessment and use the results to trigger further training
•Introduce eye sight checks for all drivers and make notification of medical conditions compulsory
•Remind drivers of key issues – no mobile phone use while driving, take regular breaks, plan journeys, check tyre tread and pressures etc. – with regular communications to develop a safety culture within the business

Bankstone Advantage Ltd can help you maintain a dedicated grey fleet accident and risk management program, why not give us a call to see how we can work together to offer you and your drivers a helping hand.

Leading leasing firm Marshall Leasing has taken on Bankstone Advantage Ltd to provide a full range of claims and accident management services.

“We were looking to reassign our accident management partner,” comments Marshall Leasing Sales & Marketing Director Jonathan Ross. “My co-director Chris Lavender and I went on something of a ‘road tour’. Without naming names, the choice seemed very limited.

“Yes, there were a couple of big, well turned-out operations who boasted a number of our industry’s big names among their clients. Then there were others who just seemed under-resourced. Two extremes – but in general we did not believe our customers would get the consistent level of in-depth attention we were looking for.

“Chris and I wanted a partner who would mirror our own values: high attention to detail, a can-do approach, and a genuine sense of the personal. Ultimately, it is all about people and Directors Nick and Phil at Bankstone Advantage have such a positive attitude and bags of experience. They were exactly what we wanted.”

Bankstone Advantage Ltd specialises in outsource programs and high-utilisation fleets. Their cradle-to-grave service offer, includes first response, recovery and collection, repair, engineering, claims management and ULR services.

The firm’s online service portal, offers clients access to a sophisticated online claims and repair tracking system, and allows them to notify claims as they arise. This provides a detailed picture of current, completed and historical claims data, KPIs and repair tracking.

Bankstone managing director Nick Williams comments: “We are delighted to be working with a firm as successful and well respected as Marshall Leasing.

“We set up Bankstone Advantage Ltd,” he continues, “with the specific aim of offering our customers the personal attention and commitment to quality we felt had been missing in the accident management sector previously. Working with our own trusted repairer networks and business partners, we look forward to delivering a flexible, proactive and responsive service to Marshall Leasing.”

The system provides detailed information on current, completed and historical claims data – as well as repair tracking and Key Performance Indicator data in both interactive graphical and numerical formats.

Designed to be simple, fresh, intuitive and user-friendly the new site also provides detailed background information on Bankstone Advantage’s service offer to fleet managers, leasing companies, insurers and brokers.

Bankstone Advantage Ltd specialises in providing high quality, modular, outsourced accident and claims management services and the site details the firm’s cradle-to-grave offering, including first response, recovery and collection, repair deployment and management, engineering, full claims management and ULR services.

Director Nick Williams comments: “the new website embodies our philosophy of offering our clients the personal attention and commitment to quality we believe they have been missing up to now in the industry. Combining a wealth of industry experience with a highly advanced technology platform enables us to raise the bar in the accident management sector.

Working with trusted repairer networks and business partners we deliver a flexible, proactive and responsive service. Our new website explains exactly how this works.

Bankstone Advantage will also utilise the high quality repair network offered by PRG.

Premier Repairer Group (PRG) was formed from a number of well established vehicle accident repair business’s that wanted to provide the industry and its customers with a unique experience in customer service and management.

The group views itself as being at the fore front of technological repair advancement and carries a comprehensive range of credentials, services and products to underpin this philosophy.

PRG’s ethos of offering a transparent and open approach to its clients and stakeholders is to enable the ultimate result for all parties working towards clearly defined business objectives.

Mike Gibbons, Head of Business Development for PRG, stated, ‘we selected Bankstone Advantage as our partner as they have become widely recognised as a leading specialist provider of insurance claims and motor repair management solutions to the Insurer, Broker and Corporate Fleet markets, they were able to demonstrate a shared philosophy of taking time to listen too and understand what clients and suppliers need from their accident or claims management partner, I believe this enables Bankstone to deliver a flexible, proactive and responsive service focusing on positive customer experience and unique cost control methods’.

Nick Williams, Director at Bankstone Advantage, commented ‘Our business has the specific aim of satisfying clients who demand a high standard of service combined with a core focus on cost control and managing vehicle utilisation, something which all to often is lacking in the market. Partnering with PRG provides many benefits for both sides, including allowing our clients access to the high quality National PRG Bodyshop Network’.

Nick Williams and Phil Webb, who have nearly 40 years’ motor claims and accident management experience between them and previously worked together with a number of high profile accident management companies, will become co-directors along with Bankstone directors Andy Jones and Dickon Tysoe of a new Bankstone subsidiary, Bankstone Advantage Ltd, both will also become shareholders in the new venture.

Bankstone director Andy Jones commented: “Bankstone is now well established in the motor claims management sector, so linking up with Phil and Nick was a logical progression for us as we extend our service offering. Obviously they both bring new skills, new contact networks, and their own excellent personal reputations to the table; but there is also a great deal of synergy between what we do and what they do. Bankstone Advantage will benefit from our well-developed infrastructure and service platform, and in particular from our powerful IT systems.”

Nick Williams added: “This is a fantastic opportunity to offer the market a level of service and personlised attention that is missing. We share a common belief that clients should be able to access a service that exceeds both their expectations and goals from an accident or claims management service. Our knowledge of the industry coupled with the powerful technology platforms we have developed at Bankstone will allow our clients to achieve both.”

Phil Webb said: “During our time in this industry Nick and I have gained an extensive insight into the complexity of the market and how to make positive change. We have taken time to listen to and understand what clients and suppliers need from their accident management providers, and now we are in a position to deliver precisely that. In particular we are looking to deliver a flexible, proactive and responsive service together with our repairer networks and business partners.”