Real business buzz at CV Show as Ford unveils new Fiesta Sport Van

THERE was an undeniable business buzz at this week’s CV Show (April 24-26).

There was a good crowd and more people in business attire wanting to do serious business. That aside, Ford really took everyone by surprise with a fantastically well-kept secret – and that was the launch of the Fiesta Sport Van. Where did that one come from?

The other two themes that came across clearly was the emergence of the electric van as a serious consideration – a message I heard particularly from the leasing companies in attendance, who said corporate customers were now considering the inclusion of electric vans into their business operations.

You only had to look at what was on offer: Renault showed the Master Z.E. which is on sale later this year; Nissan had the extended range e-NV200; and Volkswagen showed its e-Crafter which soon goes on fleet trial over here.

The other theme was fantastic pick-up trucks. None more imposing than the brilliantly sinister Stealth from Isuzu. Built by Arctic Trucks, the Stealth is breathtakingly brutal. More here.

Understanding what to do with customer satisfaction

What does customer satisfaction mean to you? Great scores on FeeFo and the like? Yes, they are undoubtedly good (even if they are potentially open to abuse).

But having got your great ratings and brilliant customer feedback – what then? That was the theme of Rob Whalley at our recent Leasing Broker Federation dinner.

Rob, the Managing Director of APD, gave a fascinating talk about what  you do with customer satisfaction feedback. “It’s continuous business improvement,” he told me.

“Understandably many tend to focus on customer satisfaction when things go wrong; and overlook the vast majority of times when we get it right. We should give equal importance to both and rightly applaud ourselves and colleagues.

“Engaging with the ‘high scores’ of customer satisfaction provides insight into suggestions and customer preferences – it provides us with motivation for change before it is needed. This need for continuous improvement is the reason why customers chose you in the first place – and will come back with a re-purchase intention.”

It’s clearly a case of continuous amplification of what works well and then extending it. Again. And again. Business, as we all know, never stands still.

BMW goes SUV all-electric

While we may have been engaged in the CV Show this week, over in China at the Beijing Motor Show, BMW was busy unveiling the future. It’s all-electric BMW iX3.

OK, it’s a concept, but it looks suspiciously close to the real thing. With a high output battery, really fast charging and a range of just under 300 miles, the ix3 looks the real deal.

My next office – and it’s fully mobile

This is it – I want one. Badly. All-electric. A mobile work station. Proper coffee maker. Even takes your bicycle. It’s the one. It’s the Nissan e-NV200 WORKSPACe.

On display at the CV Show, Iker Lazzari, Nissan’s Fleet Director, told me that it was just an example of some concepts Nissan were looking at that explored different usages of the all-electric e-NV200 van. Well this looks pretty good to me.

I mentioned to Iker that he should let me have one on long-term test. For evaluation and feedback purposes. I’m sure he said yes…