SALES and after sales service are key priority areas for dealers intending to tackle the fleet market according to a recent report, 'The Competitiveness of UK Distribution and Retailing', compiled by leading market analyst Harbour Wade Brown.

Researchers found that fleet operators were unimpressed or even frustrated with dealers' apparent inability to deliver cars where and when they wanted them or service them quickly and efficiently thereafter.

Harbour said while retail customers were on the whole happy with service levels, fleet operators were less so, complaining about the complexity of the process and dealers' preoccupation with fighting one another for sales instead of concentrating on service.

The report says bulk buyers are unimpressed with traditional sales approaches, with one respondent maintaining that dealers didn't have to sell to fleet operators - just process orders efficiently. It said fleet managers were often frustrated by dealers' apparent lack of co-operation with anyone who would not be making a personal purchase and the difficulty of securing test drives.