A company van, a driver who is not the customer, and a purchase order number
A van arrives with front-end damage. The driver dropped it off, but the customer is a fleet operator whose fleet manager approves repairs through a lease company's portal. The job needs a purchase order number before work starts, the estimate must go through the portal with images, any change above a limit needs separate approval, and the invoice must quote the order number in a particular place or it will be rejected.
The next job in is an insurer repair with a completely different set of rules. The office has to remember which rules apply to which job, and it is easy to start work on a fleet job without the order number, or talk to the driver about something only the fleet manager can decide.
Fleet jobs look like any other repair until something goes wrong
Your management system may record the account, but it does not usually know that this account needs an order number before work, that the driver cannot authorise extras, or that the invoice must be sent through a particular portal with specific references.
- Approval limits differ by account, and extras above the limit need fresh approval.
- The driver, the fleet manager and the lease company are three different contacts.
- Downtime matters more than usual, because the vehicle earns money for the operator.
- Invoices without the right references are rejected or held.
A worked example: a lease company's van comes in for a bumper and a sensor. On strip, a bracket is found broken. The driver says to go ahead. The account's rule is that anything over the original approval needs the lease company's sign-off in the portal. The bracket is fitted, the invoice goes in above the approved value, and it is held until someone goes back and gets the approval that should have come first.
What getting it wrong costs
Rejected or held fleet invoices delay payment on work that is already done. Work carried out without proper approval may not be paid at all. Fleet customers value vehicle downtime highly, and a repair that takes longer because approvals were not chased in time is noticed quickly by the fleet manager.
Good fleet accounts can bring steady work, which makes getting their process right worth the effort.
How we build a fleet and lease account workflow
- Each fleet or lease account is set up with its rules: order number required before work, approval limit, who can authorise what, portal or email for estimates and invoices, and required invoice references.
- When a job arrives, it is matched to its account by the vehicle registration list the account provides, or by the booking, so the rules apply from the start.
- The job shows a clear banner with the account's key rules and contacts, so anyone picking it up knows who can approve and what is needed.
- Work cannot be marked as started until the order number is recorded, if the account requires one.
- Supplementaries above the account's limit are flagged for fresh approval through the right route before the extra work is marked approved.
- Invoices are checked against the account's format and references before sending, and downtime is reported per vehicle if the account asks for it.
| Rule | Insurer job | Fleet or lease job |
|---|---|---|
| Who approves | Engineer or provider | Fleet manager or lease company |
| Before work starts | Authorisation | Purchase order number |
| Extras | Supplementary | Approval above a set limit |
| Invoice | Provider's format | Account's format and references |
Fleet work without the surprises
Staff see straight away when a job is a fleet job and what that means. Order numbers are in place before work starts. Extras are approved by the right person. Invoices go in right the first time, and fleet managers get the downtime information they care about.
When you pitch for more fleet work, you can show exactly how you handle an account's process.
Signs you need this
- Fleet invoices are rejected for missing references.
- Work has started on fleet jobs without an order number.
- Drivers have authorised extras they had no authority for.
- Each fleet account's rules are known by one person.
- Fleet managers chase you for downtime updates.