Alphabet can now offer live, real-time access to online service booking systems for BMW vehicles under its Teleservices connected car initiative.

Alphabet says its new solution reduces the time taken for service booking to a matter of minutes

Said to be a first for the leasing industry, the service applies to BMWs leased with maintenance agreements and means a reservation slot in the workshop can now be booked directly into a BMW Service Centre while the customer is on the phone, bringing increased speed and convenience for company car maintenance.

The new solution forms part of Alphabet’s Teleservices initiative, launched earlier this year in collaboration with BMW UK and providing a new service and maintenance programme for BMW and MINI compapny cars, utilising teleservice data direct from the vehicle manufacturer.

Thanks to the technology the representative booking the service with the driver over the phone now knows exactly what service actions the car needs and how long it will take – thus helping to identify those vehicles which can be serviced within a 90 minute ‘While You Wait’ window.

Kit Wisdom, head of technical services at Alphabet, commented: “This is the next and natural stage of evolution for Teleservices for us. Not only do we now know what a vehicle needs in terms of servicing, but we can also now book the service directly into the Service Centre workshop, making the process absolutely seamless.

“By working closely with BMW UK, the new service for Alphabet customers is helping to reduce downtime for fleets, improve driver satisfaction with the vehicle servicing process, increase overall safety and duty of care, while minimising end-of-contract charges. We’ve seen a 110% increase in the number of proactive, service bookings for customers.

“We’re all busy people these days but by the intelligent application of connected car technology we can provide fleet drivers and decision makers with real world benefits, such as greater convenience through ‘While You Wait’ Servicing and increased employee productivity. In the corporate driver world, the opportunity for ‘While You Wait’ Servicing is a very welcome change and one which drivers are increasingly taking up.”