brokers’
The anonymity of the internet is proving to be a boon to
so-called ‘bedroom brokers’ who are creating professional-looking
websites which give the impression that they are well-respected and
long-established when the opposite is true, fleet broker funding
provider Network Automotive has warned.
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Network, part of LeasePlan, is concerned that unscrupulous brokers
who pass themselves off as professional operators could cause
damage to the UK’s legitimate brokers, who have worked hard in
recent years to improve the reputation of the industry and to raise
levels of self-regulation.
The problem has been exacerbated by growing appetite among fleets
for managing processes online, Network said. “This shift in
customer attitudes has allowed the brokers at the lower end of the
market to hide behind the internet.”
Network added: “[B]edroom brokers that continue to display poor
levels of customer service are finding a new home online, thanks to
the recent trend for conducting fleet administration, from initial
orders through to disposals, via website and email.”
Stressing the importance for SMEs of regular and personal contact
with their fleet brokers, Network general development manager Clive
Goffin noted that, consequently, the “high-end” brokers who offer
high levels of customer service need to ‘up their game’ where the
internet is concerned: “There needs to be a greater awareness of
the internet among these [high-end] players, as these are the
brokers that need to have an online presence if the industry is to
continue to move forward.”
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