How to minimise downtime

Part of presenting a professional image to your customers is keeping your company’s fleet of vehicles in the best condition, with well-maintained vans delivering the best impression and the best customer service, according to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

The company said that in order to find the right van for your business, it is crucial to consider what exactly you need it to do. It may require bespoke conversion solutions, greater load capacity or specific storage options.

Conversion requirements vary for every business depending on factors such as what you are transporting, how far your vans will travel on an average journey, and how much is being transported at any time.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers a range of bespoke conversion options including racking and shelving solutions, which allow you to store your products, equipment and machinery safely and in a space efficient way.

In a recent survey, it was revealed that downtime costs fleets an average of £550 a day per van. As part of its ‘Working With You’ brand promise, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles said it is committed to ensuring that its customers have the safest and most reliable vans and are able to minimise downtime where possible.

To minimise downtime, it’s important to maintain your vehicle, which means regular servicing. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has 25 authorised repairers and 73 full van centres across the country with all van centres now offering extended opening hours.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will match any like-for-like written quote from another garage within five miles.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has autonomous emergency braking systems (AEB) fitted as standard in all its vans. AEB is capable of preventing as many as 2,500 crashes per year, the company said, which in turn could prevent serious injuries and reduce downtime repair bills.

“Due to the delicate nature of the products that glaziers are often transporting, AEB can be particularly useful to ensuring nothing is damaged or broken during delivery or transfer,” the company said.