“How do you provide the best service to your driver population?” says Emma Saxon, ORIX New Zealand’s National Product Manager. “You give them what they need, when they need it – in the easiest way possible”.
Saxon shares that it was this question, posed to a customer-focused working group in 2021, which triggered transformational change in the way that ORIX communicates with drivers. “We meet Fleet Managers who do their upmost to provide a great service to their drivers, but it often results in a significant loss of productive time. Many have circulated procedures, added FAQ’s to their intranet, and led driver training. But an increasing volume of admin continues to flow to them.”
As a company that lives and breathes innovation and technology, the working group was determined to find a more effective way to support the driver network. They recognised that in order to re-channel the admin traffic, they needed to provide a tool that had all the information drivers needed, in one central place. The tool had to be specific to them and specific to the services that their business had elected. It had to be available on mobile devices at any time. And finally, it needed to allow drivers to act at any time and be responsive by keeping them updated of progress.
“And so, the team, including a small group of customers, developed a central information hub that we call DriverHQ!” says Saxon.
DriverHQ is a mobile app that takes driver experience to the next level. It moves away from the traditional fleet management apps on the market, and provides an information hub specific to the driver, their vehicle and the services that ORIX manage. “This means that the driver has clear visibility of their responsibilities and access to everything they need with the assistance of intuitive functionality that enables them to take action and advance workflows.
The DriverHQ app offers a wide range of features that make the driver experience seamless and convenient. It includes a dashboard that displays important information, such as upcoming services, WOF and RUC due dates. It also enables drivers to report accidents, view and update their personal information, and connect with ORIX's support team if needed.
“Oh, and did we share the best part?” queries Emma. “DriverHQ empowers drivers to get to where they need to be- without involving the Fleet Manager”.
DriverHQ was released in November 2021 and has since been updated in November 2022. It comes at no charge for all customers who have a vehicle either managed or leased by ORIX. The latest iteration of DriverHQ includes driver satisfaction ratings and an optional in-app subscription service for vehicle inspection functionality.
