9 June 2016

Activa contracts underlines customer service commitment with new director appointment

Fast-expanding Activa Contracts has strengthened its board of directors with the promotion of Karen McCarthy to the newly created role of customer service director.

Ms McCarthy, who has almost 25 years’ experience in customer service roles, joined Milton Keynes-based Activa Contracts in January last year as customer service manager.

She joins the existing board of directors led by managing director Ian Hill and also comprising sales and marketing director Lisa Temperton and finance director Peter Smith.

Activa Contracts, a division of Arnold Clark Finance the FN50 top 10 leasing company, has experienced consistent fleet growth in recent years and Mr Hill said: ‘Karen’s promotion to customer service director is reflective of the continuing expansion of the business and our commitment to being a high service level provider.’

Ms McCarthy’s career includes seven years in a variety of customer service positions at Mercedes-Benz including working with sales teams and franchise dealers, and more recently more than two years as customer service manager at the UK arm of cosmetics and beauty products specialist Arbonne.

At Activa Contracts, Ms McCarthy leads a 20-strong team that includes specialist sections for vehicle logistics and daily rental as well as three customer support teams that provide dedicated assistance to fleet managers and drivers.

Recognising the importance of first class customer service as core to the strength of Activa Contracts’ vehicle leasing and fleet management product offering, Ms McCarthy said ‘From the outset I was attracted by the family-owned company’s trading ethos, which totally reflects my own view of what customer service is about – honesty, integrity, attentiveness and delivering your promises.

‘I have a passion for customer service and so does Activa Contracts, which in addition to the range of products and services offered differentiates the business from our competitors.

‘Many companies will talk about delivering customer service excellence, but at Activa we have a culture that seeks continuous improvement in every single process and procedure; we develop our people to think about the big picture and not just the job that they do, and we go the extra mile when things go wrong – which inevitably will happen from time to time where motor vehicles are involved.’