A calendar, a drawer and a mystery dent
A client has six pool cars at their head office. Staff book them on a shared calendar. Keys are in a drawer at reception. On Tuesday, two people turn up for the same car because one booked it in the calendar and the other just took the keys. On Thursday, someone notices a dent on the rear bumper. Nobody knows who had it last. A parking notice arrives a fortnight later for a date when three people used that car.
The client asks you, as their fleet manager, to sort it out.
Why pool vehicles become unmanaged
Pool vehicles have no single driver, so everything that normally hangs off a driver, like checks, responsibility and records, is missing.
- Anyone can book, including staff whose licence has not been checked.
- Bookings and actual use do not match.
- Keys are handed out without recording who took them.
- Nobody does a check before driving, so defects and damage are found later.
- Mileage and fuel are not recorded per trip.
The cost of unmanaged pools
Damage and fines that cannot be traced to a driver. Staff driving without the checks the client requires. Pool vehicles that sit unused while others are overbooked, or too few vehicles because nobody can see demand. And clients who cannot answer basic questions about their own pool.
The pool booking system we build
- Staff book pool vehicles from a web page or phone, and only drivers cleared by the client's licence check process can book.
- At collection, the driver confirms the booking and takes the key, either from reception against a scan or from a key cabinet that releases it to that booking.
- A short pre-use check on the phone records the vehicle's condition, fuel and mileage, with photos of any damage.
- On return, the driver records mileage, fuel and any issues, and the key is returned against the booking.
- Every booking becomes an allocation record, so fines, damage and fuel card use can be traced to the driver who had the vehicle.
- The client sees utilisation per vehicle and site, which shows whether the pool is the right size.
| Question | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Who had the car on a date? | Guesswork | Booking and key record |
| Is the driver cleared? | Not checked | Checked at booking |
| When did the damage happen? | Unknown | Pre-use and return records |
| Is the pool the right size? | Unknown | Utilisation per vehicle |
Keys without a key cabinet
A smart key cabinet helps, but many sites do not have one. Without it, reception scans a tag on the key against the booking in a couple of seconds, or the driver does it themselves. Either way, the handover is recorded. Where a site already has a cabinet with an API, we connect it.
Pool vehicles with a clear history
On a normal morning at the client's head office, a sales executive books the estate car for a customer visit from her phone the night before. Reception scans the key to her booking at 8am. She spends a minute on the pre-use check and photographs a scuff on the rear bumper that is not on the record. The system shows it was not reported at the previous return, so the fleet contact knows exactly which booking to ask about, while it is still fresh in everyone's memory.
Double bookings stop. Only cleared drivers drive. Damage is found at the pre-use check of the next driver and traced to the previous booking. Fines go to the right person. And the client can see from real data whether they need more pool vehicles, fewer, or a different mix.
Is this your client's pool?
- Pool vehicles are booked on a shared spreadsheet or calendar.
- Keys are kept in a drawer with no record.
- Damage and fines cannot be traced to a driver.
- Anyone can book, whether their licence has been checked or not.
- Nobody knows how often each pool vehicle is used.