THE use of white space and limited colours has become a watchword in this column for quality.

With its new site, DaimlerChrysler Services Fleet Management has taken this to the extreme with a site of which a leading brand of washing powder would be proud. I increased the text size (View=Text Size in your browser) to make the text more prominent.

But while the site is in danger of being very clinical looking (white space, grey text) there is a quite a lot of humanity injected into it, as befits a business with a mission statement that offers fleet management from ‘a new perspective…yours’.

There are the faces of DCSFM staff right across the site (check out ‘Our management team’), including a smiling MD Geoff Robinson.

It not only makes the company seem approachable, but adds a dash of colour. It is a welcome touch. There are more than 40 sections and sub-sections to choose from in the left-hand menu, with many repeated in ‘breakout’ boxes at the bottom of the homepage.

They offer a truly comprehensive overview of DCSFM, including fleet funding options (contract hire, sale and leaseback, contract purshase, outright purchase, PCP), fleet management (maintenance, fleet administration, accident management, breakdown services, rental, disposal, driver safety, buying your car) and even a glossary of terms in the ‘Guide to leasing’ section.

The additional extras include a ‘tax pack’, a so-called pocket guide to company car tax legislation as a pdf, a press centre with corporate info and a Contact Us form that allows you to email the company on a number of pre-selected topics.

Dig deep and you quickly appreciate the benefits of simple design. Without it, working with this site would have been a headache.

The lowdown:

The site: www.dcs-fleetmanagement.co.uk

We like: Ultra-clean looking, no-nonsense presentation

We don’t like: There’s a danger you’ll get lost in the maze of links