Kwik Fit, the UK’s largest automotive maintenance and repair company, has significantly expanded its ‘Mobile7’ operation with plans for further development in 2019 and beyond.
‘Mobile7’ is Kwik Fit’s response to delivering increased tyre replacement capacity and flexibility. Whether tyres are to be fitted to vehicles in a company car park, at an employee’s home or another location of their choosing, increasing the ‘Mobile7’ network both meets growing demand and increases customer satisfaction.
Kwik Fit operates a 200-strong mobile fleet nationwide, with some of the vehicles carrying distinctive ‘Mobile7’ livery. ‘Mobile7’ operates 8.30am to 8.30pm seven days a week. Outside the ‘Mobile7’ areas, hours of operation are currently 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am to 1pm on a Saturday.
Kwik Fit ‘Mobile7’ complements the convenience offered by the company’s national network of significantly more than 600 centres that provide a seven-day service with extensive opening hours.
What’s more, Kwik Fit is developing a sophisticated new IT platform infrastructure that will deliver a range of enhancements to ‘Mobile7’ in the coming months, resulting in an even faster and more efficient service to customers.
Kwik Fit launched ‘Mobile7’ inside the M25 in 2016 and has subsequently expanded the service into other regions across the UK.
As a result of a substantial roll-out programme over the last 12 months ‘Mobile7’is now operational in eight further areas outside of its initial London focus. The additional regions comprise the conurbations around: Southampton/Portsmouth/Winchester; Bristol/Bath/Swindon; Birmingham and the West Midlands; Milton Keynes/Bedford; Manchester/Liverpool and the North West; Leeds/Huddersfield/Sheffield and south towards Derby and Nottingham; Edinburgh; and Glasgow.
During the second half of 2019 and into 2020 ‘Mobile7’ will be rolled out into a number of other major conurbations across the UK.
Driving demand for ‘Mobile7’ is the evolving business environment with many companies increasingly operating seven days a week. Consequently Kwik Fit is providing additional capacity – delivering a seven-day operation with longer hours in more regions and thus more time slots on a daily basis.
Andy Fern, fleet sales director, Kwik Fit, said: “More and more of our business clients are meeting the demands of their customers by providing a seven-day a week service. In turn, Kwik Fit has reacted with ‘Mobile7’ as our customers then also require the same level of support.
“Kwik Fit recognises the increasing demands on drivers’ time and ‘Mobile7’ is our response to delivering increased flexibility wherever tyres are required to be fitted and we are receiving very positive feedback from customers about the expansion of the service.
“Kwik Fit’s strength is that the company offers a tyre fitting service solution to meet all customer needs: centre arrive and drive; pre-booked appointments; mobile and out-of-hours ‘Mobile7’. Kwik Fit’s focus is on delivering what drivers want and that means a multi-offering approach, which is different from some competitors.”
Simon Lucas, Kwik Fit’s customer support director, who has overseen the launch and expansion of ‘Mobile7’, said: “Our mobile solution has always been a vital service to both fleet and retail customers and the advent and roll-out of ‘Mobile7’ makes it more attractive than ever.
“Currently ‘Mobile7’ designated vans serve an average of 10 customers per day. Whether company car and van drivers require our mobile fitting service during the day, evenings or weekends, Kwik Fit is able to offer greater convenience through ‘Mobile7’. We have seen significant take-up, particularly for tyres to be fitted during evenings and on Sundays with approximately 35% of bookings for those time slots.”
