Pictured left to right: Susanna Reid (Awards Presenter), Adrian Smith ( IMI Vice Chairman, accepting the award on Steve’s behalf), Zac Mitcheson (Easi-Drive, award sponsor), Jeremy Bennett (Editor of AM Magazine)

The award, sponsored by Easi-Drive, recognises the person who has had the biggest impact on the motor industry over the past 12 months.

Gareth Berry, director of Easi-Drive, who presented the award, said: “Steve has been described by his colleagues as understated and a perfect gentleman and he is a worthy winner of this award.

“He has worked tirelessly to motivate his team at the IMI after government cuts this April, and due to his support, the automotive sector won £3million worth of funding to continue developing professional standards.   Alongside all that Steve continues to run one of the best training academies in the UK as aftersales director for BMW, and always gives his time freely. Well done from all of us at Easi-Drive!”

Easi-Drive has appointed Emma Entwistle as Marketing Manager.

Entwistle joins our 130-strong Manchester-based team from the Social Housing sector, where  her previous role was Head of marketing and communications in a new stock transfer organisation. She has a wealth of experience in delivering cultural change in organisations and developing bespoke strategies that improve the customer experience.

On her appointment, Emma said: “Easi Drive’s growth has been impressive over the last 10 years. I was attracted to the business due to its success so far and its engaging, go-ahead culture.  The directors have shaped a company with customer service at its heart and have maintained these values during a period of considerable growth, which is no mean feat.

She continued: “The firm takes huge pride in delivering the best service it can to all stakeholders. The focus now is on harnessing the growth, staying true to the culture and continuing to position Easi-Drive as the best accident management company in the business.”

With over 10 years experience under her belt, Emma will manage the delivery of a fully integrated marketing and communications campaign for Easi-Drive.

Gareth Berry, Director, said: “We are delighted to have Emma on board. She will be a great asset to the business. We were impressed by her skill set. Her goals are to build on our positioning, maintain our brand image and to continually improve the reputation of our business with our target audiences.”

The town’s leading car body repair shop teamed up with our community giving scheme wheelsforgood, to identify the EAAA and set up the donation.

Fleetline’s MD Lee Clark said: “My daughter is a third year medical student and she recommended getting involved with support for the air ambulance service. It gets no government or lottery funding and has to find £4million a year to keep going, so we decided to do our bit to help out and approached Easi-Drive’s wheelsforgood charity for funding.”

The EAAA is an independent charity and has helicopters servicing Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, Norfolk and Suffolk. It is a vital service for East Anglia as the region covers over 5000 sq miles, much of it rural and isolated, which makes it difficult for land ambulances to reach accidents in time.

Paul Airton, Fundraising Officer at EAAA said: “We are delighted with the money from the Fleetline team. The average cost of a callout for one of our helicopters is £800, so this donation will be put to very good use immediately.”

Amanda Wheldon, Business Development Manager at Easi-Drive, commented: “This is a great cause to choose and will help the EAAA to be able to continue their fantastic work.”

In a bid to get a more detailed insight into priorities for bodyshops in the current climate, leading accident management company, Easi-Drive, asked bodyshop owners what was most important to them when partnering with an accident management company.

The survey, conducted at BE2011 in September, revealed that the majority (59%) look for quality of service, above and beyond other factors including commission reward; however, 28% of bodyshops did agree that 100% invoice payment terms was important to them.

21% of respondents rated speed of payment as most important, whilst 13% cited attractive commissions as the most important factor.

Gareth Berry, from Easi-Drive said: “There are many benefits for bodyshops, when it comes to working with accident management companies; a steady stream of work, attractive payment terms and commissions.  However, the industry is built on good customer service, so it’s not surprising that bodyshops want to work with a like-minded business, who puts the customer and quality of service at the heart of what it does.

“Good payment options in the current climate, is obviously a close second, but in terms of sustaining and growing a business a good reputation is the asset that a bodyshop cannot afford to put at risk.”

From January 3rd 2012, the award winning company which currently opens between 8.30am and 5.30pm weekdays, will be open for business on Saturdays between 9am and 2pm.

Commenting on the development, Director at the Manchester-based company, Gareth Berry said; “We are constantly looking at how we can improve the quality of  service we offer our clients. We recognise that being available over the weekend to deal with claims is key to customer satisfaction.

He continues, “The move marks a long term investment into customer service and underpins our commitment to being the best in the business – something that we strive for here at Easi-Drive.”

Existing employees have been offered increased hours and the company is currently recruiting claims handlers to manage the increased hours.