�� When the pool car takes a dive: enterprise Rent-A-Car believes that the pool car could become a thing of the past. Tony Meredith talks to Don Moore to find out what the future holds for fleets �� - heads up

It seems the days of the pool car are over. Most fleets have taken the approach that a car which is generally used as an office runabout is an unnecessary expense. Far better to hire a car for specific duties as and when required The pool car is dead. Enter the long-term rental car.

Many leasing companies have wised up to the fact that some customers need a flexible product if they want to replace their pool cars. Enterprise Rent-A-Car was certainly on the ball when it launched its Month-Or-More package last year; a product designed for customers who want a vehicle for 28 days of more.

"We have seen a switch from the standard pool car scenario," says Don Moore, vice president of sales at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "A lot of companies are lowering the number of pool cars for cost reasons. However we noticed that we were gathering more business from long-term hire which is why we decided to introduce Month-Or-More."

This new rental package can be used by fleets for short-term contract employees, contracted or protect workers and seasonal staff. The advantage for the fleet manager is that, by arranging a car through Enterprise's Month-Or-More deal, they will realise significantly lower rates--anywhere from 30 to 40% lower than the daily hire rate, depending on the volume and length of hire, of course.

With 220 Enterprise locations throughout the UK, customers will not have far to go to enjoy the benefits of the company's new product. Additionally, Moore says that this wide spread of outlets means that the company can get vehicles to its customers in a very short time. "For small volumes of between 20 and 40 we can supply vehicles within 24 hours. But most customers usually know when they are going to need a long-term car so we generally get more notice, typically two to three weeks."

Enterprise is a company that likes to promote from within and American born and bred Moore is the perfect example of this. Originally from Pittsburgh, he joined the company as a management trainee in Washington DC back in 1987. He moved to the UK in 1994 and has never looked back, except to keep one eye on his favourite Gridiron team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Moore believes that Enterprise is well set up to provide a long-term rental package. "With Month-Or-More we work with the vehicle acquisition team so that we can assign new cars to the customers as we know that the car will be out for at least 28 days, maybe more," he says. "But we utilise the 220 branches to deliver the vehicles. This means that billing and customer control is kept within the special branches thus helping to ease the service provided to the customer.

"I believe that our way of operating this product and the service we offer is the main reason we have been able to grow it from 400 to 1200 vehicles in just eight months. It's a seamless product for the end user--and that's the big issue here. It can't be a big deal or labour intensive because they are used to getting a pool car from their location, which used to be a fairly painless process if you think about it. So we need to make our process as easy as theirs was Working directly with fleet managers makes it seamless."

There is a dedicated process to the Month-Or-More operation--an implementation manager meets the fleet manager to make sure that everything 'from cradle to grave' is covered, from renting the vehicle right through to billing, and including the damage responsibilities.

Typically, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has seen two main types of customer: the blue chip corporate and the leasing companies. Of its 22,000 strong fleet, around 1200 are long-term rentals; an area that Moore believes looks set to grow.

"One factor that is helping us is the issue of health and safety arising from employees driving their car on company business; this product removes that ambiguity," he comments.

A Month-Or-More car is generally leased on a company's own insurance and contracted out to an individual although Enterprise can provide insurance cover if required Other worries for fleet managers such as checking for damages, routine maintenance and cleaning are removed with Month-Or-More as there is a routine service call every 90 days or so to check if the customer needs any servicing, repairs etc.

Moore is confident that this product has a future: "As companies start to tighten their belts more and look to see where they can save money, I think this is a very cost-effective method for them."

Six of the best

Your first car?

A 1974 Chevy Impala

Your current car?

Vauxhall Frontera

Your ultimate car?

Posche 911

What do you normally listen to while driving?

Talk Radio or 5 Live

What do you consider your hero?

My parents

What team do you support and why?

Pittsburgh Steelers, my home team in the US, and Birmingham City, as I lived there for my first seven years in the UK

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