Ebbon Automotive sees expansion into leasing broker community

Ebbon Automotive has seen a rapid expansion in the first quarter of this year in the number of leasing brokers who have signed up to use its e-procurement platform, Leaselink, for new vehicle orders.

Since the beginning of January, more than 90 leasing brokers have signed application forms to use Leaselink, which is currently utilised by around 40 of the country’s largest leasing companies, as their system of choice to electronically handle and process all new vehicle orders and deliveries.

The new impetus has been largely fuelled by action by several vehicle manufacturers, most notably BMW, Toyota GB and Volvo Car UK, to mandate the use of Leaselink for all leasing brokers they work with and who want to order their vehicles for end customers.

Ebbon Automotive is also working directly with several of the larger leasing brokers to integrate Leaselink into their back office systems independently of manufacturer mandate to improve the efficiency of their business processes.

Claire Hughes, Ebbon Automotive’s Head of Commercial Partnerships, commented: “The growth in leasing brokers using Leaselink really began at the start of this year and, after only a few orders in January, we saw over 200 new vehicle orders in February – the overwhelming majority of which were either battery electric vehicles or hybrids.

“We are currently talking to other OEMs that want to go down this route with the leasing brokers they work with as they see real advantages, on both sides, in brokers being users of the system,” she said.

Hughes said that there were several advantages for brokers in using Leaselink, which were recognised by the OEMs.

“Leaselink provides greater visibility of the dealer’s order bank and, therefore, increased awareness of where the vehicle is in the supply pipeline and when it is likely to be delivered, allowing leasing brokers to provide accurate information to their end customers.

“Delivery is also paperless by default as the overwhelming majority of dealers using Leaselink also utilise our market-leading collection and delivery solution, moDel, which increases transparency and removes all paper out of the system.

“Pricing is also more accurate and more visible once the dealers have confirmed the price, and all processes are captured electronically, which dramatically reduces the chance of error and improves efficiency,” she said.