New data released today by Ford reveals the productivity‑boosting benefits that the FORDLiive connected uptime system is delivering for the company’s commercial vehicle customers.
Dedicated new FORDLiive Centres – a key element of the uptime system – are already providing valuable support to the Transit Centre dealer network, helping to minimise the time spent off road for customer vehicles.
FORDLiive Agents have delivered over 15,000 additional days of vehicle availability in the UK alone since the free-of-charge service was announced in March this year, using new UptimePro software to proactively manage repair and maintenance cases on behalf of customers.
These FORDLiive uptime specialists utilise a constant feed of live data from Ford’s dealer and roadside assistance network to track each vehicle’s repair progress and respond to emerging issues – advising on the best solutions for optimum uptime.
FORDLiive Centres in Dunton, UK, and Valencia, Spain, are already providing assistance to customers in Italy, Spain and the UK, and 80 per cent of Ford connected commercial vehicle customers in Europe will benefit from FORDLiive Centre support by the end of 2021.
“Our FORDLiive Centres are already demonstrating their value and proving that using data to unlock productivity delivers tangible benefits for customers – and this is just the start,” said Nathan Sanders, manager, customer relations, Ford of Europe. “We will keep enhancing our FORDLiive services in pursuit of delivering 100 per cent operating uptime so customers can focus on looking after their business rather than their vehicles.”
FORDLiive is a complimentary service being rolled out for all operators of Ford connected commercial vehicles, designed to reduce the number of breakdowns, enable fewer visits to dealer workshops, and achieve quicker servicing and repair times. The system is a key offering from Ford Pro, the company’s new worldwide sales and servicing business centred around improving commercial vehicle customers’ productivity with cutting-edge products and services.
Intelligently increasing uptime
FORDLiive’s ambition is to deliver 100 per cent operating uptime for customers – however, unpredictable events from accidents to intermittent faults can still put a vehicle out of service. FORDLiive Centres are designed to help keep the resultant downtime to a minimum.
Data from the first five full months of FORDLiive operation in the UK shows that where vehicles were off the road for repair, proactive management by FORDLiive Agents using UptimePro helped return vehicles to service sooner. More and more customers felt the benefit of FORDLiive too; from April through August, the proportion of repairs accelerated by Agents increased almost fivefold.
By harnessing proactive case recognition and empowering FORDLiive Agents with real-time data from the Transit Centre network, Ford delivered over 15,000 days of additional vehicle availability during FORDLiive’s first five months.
New uptime nerve centres
The new UK FORDLiive Centre is located inside Ford’s Dunton Technical Centre, and provides Agents with access to latest‑generation technology – including an advanced power-wall display – and proximity to Transit engineers for faster issue resolution.
Inside the control room, the 9-metre by 2-metre screen displays real-time data on repair and maintenance cases requiring parts or technical support, as well as total fleet uptime, total number of open cases, cases resolved daily and average case duration, helping the team to optimise support for customers.
In total, there are now more than 100 FORDLiive Agents in Europe working with dealers and customers, with further team members being added as the FORDLiive system is expanded across all European markets.
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Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan, that is committed to helping build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams. The company’s Ford+ plan for growth and value creation combines existing strengths, new capabilities and always-on relationships with customers to enrich experiences for and deepen the loyalty of those customers. Ford designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of connected, increasingly electrified passenger and commercial vehicles: Ford trucks, utility vehicles, vans and cars, and Lincoln luxury vehicles. The company is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, connected vehicle services and mobility solutions, including self-driving technology, and provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. Ford employs about 182,000 people worldwide. More information about the company, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company is available at corporate.ford.com.
is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 42,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and consolidated joint ventures and approximately 55,000 people when unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 14 manufacturing facilities (10 wholly owned facilities and four unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.
