Contract ends next month, order not placed
A client's sales manager has a car whose contract ends next month. The replacement process has not started, because the reminder went to an old email address. When it does start, the driver wants a model with a long lead time. The client needs to approve it. The order goes in, and the delivery date is months after the old contract ends. The old car goes onto an extension at a rental rate the client did not budget for.
Multiply that across a client book and extensions become a regular line in every client report.
Why replacements start late
Replacement ordering involves several people who each wait for the one before.
- Contract end dates are known, but nobody works back from them using current lead times.
- Drivers take weeks to choose a vehicle, then change their mind.
- Client approval goes to a manager who is travelling.
- Quotes from leasing companies expire while the approval is pending.
- Order status and delivery dates are tracked in emails with the supplier.
Where late ordering costs money
Extensions and short-term hire while waiting for delivery. Quotes that have to be redone after they expire. Drivers frustrated by delays. And clients who see extension costs and ask why they were not avoided.
The replacement planner we build
- Every vehicle's contract end date is held with a lead time for its likely replacement, which you update as manufacturer lead times change.
- The replacement process starts at contract end minus lead time minus a margin you set, not at a fixed number of weeks.
- The driver receives a link to choose from their client's policy list for their grade, with the monthly cost, emissions and any contribution shown as the client defines them.
- Quotes are requested from your leasing partners through their systems where possible, and quote expiry dates are tracked.
- The client approver gets the choice and quote to approve on their phone, with reminders and an escalation if it waits too long.
- Once ordered, the delivery date is tracked, and if it moves past the contract end the planner flags it early so an extension can be agreed properly.
| Stage | Usual delay | What the planner does |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Reminder missed or late | Starts from lead time, not a fixed date |
| Driver choice | Weeks of indecision | Policy list with costs, reminders |
| Approval | Approver unavailable | Mobile approval, escalation |
| Order to delivery | Date slips unnoticed | Tracks and flags changes early |
Policy lists belong to the client
Which vehicles each grade can choose, contribution rules and emissions limits are set by the client. The planner shows drivers only what their policy allows, which avoids the long conversations about a car they were never going to be allowed. We do not advise on tax or benefit in kind; drivers are pointed to the client's own guidance for that.
Replacements that arrive before the old contract ends
Take an estate car with a contract ending in the spring and a replacement model quoted with a long lead time. The planner starts the process in the autumn. The driver gets a link in the evening, compares three cars on the client's list and picks one by the weekend. The approver, who is travelling, approves from a phone on Monday. The quote is still valid, the order goes in, and when the manufacturer later moves the build date by a few weeks, the planner flags it with plenty of time to agree a short, planned extension.
The process starts when it needs to, based on real lead times. Drivers choose from a clear list. Approvals happen in days. Delivery dates are tracked, and when one slips, the extension is planned rather than discovered. Clients see fewer extensions in their reports, and those that remain have a reason.
Are extensions becoming routine?
- Replacement orders are placed close to contract end.
- Drivers take weeks to choose a vehicle.
- Quotes expire while waiting for approval.
- Extensions are a regular cost for your clients.
- Delivery dates are tracked in email threads.