Although providers in the care industry normally offer car allowances, Barchester, which supports more than 11,000 people in over 200 care homes across the UK, is using Alphabet to supply its 450-strong fleet of company cars, LCVs and disabled-access minibuses.

Kevin Inns, Barchester's fleet manager, explained: “We want to recruit good people so we offer a car scheme that allows a good choice of car. Bearing in mind that many of our roles involve high mileages, we want our drivers to be in cars that are safe, sound and meet all their needs.

“Of course company cars help with staff retention too, because employees know that if they leave us the chances are they will have to go back to providing a car themselves. And from my point of view, it’s much better to operate a company fleet than a grey fleet.”

Barchester chose Alphabet following a six-way tender in 2015 that saw the business mobility specialist lead the way on the value for money and customer-supplier compatibility.

“Alphabet came out above the others. Not just on cost – although it has to be said they were also the most cost effective – but also because we felt they were a good match for Barchester. They provide a good quality of service for us and they work with us in helping us operate the fleet,” added Kevin Inns.

Barchester also uses Alphabet's AlphaRent+ rental solution, which is designed for longer rental requirements such as probationers and starters waiting for a permanent vehicle.

Kevin Inns added: “We continue to see a lot of recruitment in 2015-16, which creates the need for 30 or more temporary cars at any one time to cater for new starters. Alphabet’s lead-in fleet solution is a very important part of keeping the fleet ticking over without having to rely on daily rental.”