epyx, which provides e-commerce solutions for the automotive industry, is set to launch a new technology later this month to give fleets greater control over where their vehicles are being serviced.
The rules engine can be used to direct company vehicles toward service, maintenance and repair (SMR) providers based on the specific needs of cost, expertise and convenience.
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The new offering is an addition to epyx’s Driver Booking Module, which was launched last year to enable drivers to make direct bookings with garages and fast-fits through the firm’s 1link Service Network SMR platform.
Currently, Driver Booking Module is being used as a white label solution by major vehicle leasing companies.
Epyx senior product manager Ian Dubberley said: “It was always our intention that the product would be further enhanced over time and the addition of the rules engine is the first step in that process. It allows the fleet manager to define more closely where drivers can take vehicles for SMR.
“For example, vans and older cars might be guided towards independent garages that offer good value and appropriate levels of expertise while those of newer, prestige car brands would only be shown franchise dealers to meet service history expectations.”
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By GlobalDataAmong other possible applications is that if fleet managers have technically complex commercial vehicles, those can be steered towards suitable SMR providers.
Dubberley stated that epyx has already started working on new features that will be added to Driver Booking Module.
The new additions will be aimed at providing benefits for both drivers, vehicle leasing firms and other fleet operators.
Dubberley said: “The next step is likely to be real-time diary access. At present, the module presents drivers with a choice of three dates for their SMR but we aim to provide direct access to garage diaries in order to make a single booking in real-time.
“We are also working on using the module to offer SMR to drivers of non-maintained leased vehicles using menu pricing.
“We are even looking at using the possibility of using connected vehicle data in the future. When the vehicle’s systems detect a fault, the Driver Booking Module will notify the driver and automatically make a booking to rectify the problem.”
epyx is owned by FLEETCOR Technologies, which provides commercial payment solutions across the globe.
