The RAC will provide a customer service centre solution to all Groupe Renault brands in the UK after winning a competitive tender process.

The contract, which runs for an initial three years with an option to extend for a further two, covers fleet and retail segments and will see the RAC support around one million Renault, Dacia and Alpine.

This covers areas from handling servicing and repair needs with dealers, managing vehicle downtime and the mobility needs of drivers, through to managing ad-hoc requests such as providing vehicle-specific technical information and booking test drives.

The RAC said it will also carefully tailor the service it provides to specialist fleets which utilise vehicles from one or more of the Groupe Renault brands, in line with contracts agreed with these fleets.

Phil Ryan, RAC business roadside managing director, said: “This is an extremely important contract win for us, and further positions the RAC as the number one automotive services brand supporting OEMs, whether that is with service centre support or traditional roadside assistance, something we already provide to customers of Renault, Dacia and Alpine.

“While the demands and needs of customers differ significantly, our team recognises that every interaction – whether over the phone, online or in person – is an opportunity to build trust and loyalty and demonstrate to each customer just how committed to great service each brand really is.

“We look forward to exploring further opportunities with each Groupe Renault brand as part of this contract, especially with the arrival of eCall (emergency) and in the future bCall (breakdown) services, which allow customers and even vehicles themselves to request assistance at the push of a button.

“This will be enhanced by the fact that our teams already have a high level of technical insight, as a result of us providing breakdown assistance to customers of Renault, Dacia and Alpine vehicles.”

The RAC has provided breakdown assistance to Groupe Renault brands since 2014.

Renault UK customer experience director Jean-Philippe Roubes added: “We are confident that our customers will benefit from not just the RAC’s strong automotive knowledge but also their unique ability to link roadside assistance services with overall customer services.”