The new approach will now see Arval will manage an initial comfort call with the driver, the booking of repairs and hire vehicles, repair authorisation and downtime management.

The firm will also manage the collection and off-hire of any courtesy or rental vehicles via in-house, expert teams.

At the same time, Arval has moved to RAC to provide the outsourced elements of the product, utilising its systems and expertise to deliver First Notification of Loss and Uninsured Loss Recovery.

The combined solution of RAC systems with the technical and customer support expertise of the Arval team is expected to provide new levels of support to Arval customers, and importantly their drivers.

The latest research from RAC shows that 36% of companies have concerns over the costs involved in recovering and repairing vehicles involved in an accident. Arval said that its new approach is intended to alleviate some of these concerns, keeping accident costs to a minimum while ensuring that the vehicle is repaired and back on the road in the shortest possible timeframe.

Benoit Dilly, managing director at Arval UK, commented: “Accident Management is one of the most important interactions that we have with our customers and their drivers. That influenced our decision to bring many elements of the process back into Arval, ensuring that we can fully support drivers and limit costs and business impact to our customers. At the same time, we are utilising a trusted supplier to manage those remaining areas where they can add value.”

RAC Business Services director David Wallace added: “We’re very excited to be extending our roadside relationship with Arval in this way, to provide support in accident management services. The combined strength of the two brands working together will offer clients an industry-leading service, putting the customer journey first which comes from our shared value of putting the customer at the heart of all we do.”

“The key to the success of the new relationship is the flexibility of our systems and service expertise, which means Arval has been able to design the solution specifically to meet their own goals to provide the best service for their customers.”