Prohire invests in customer service with five key appointments

Prohire, which is based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, employs over 90 staff and provides nationwide commercial vehicle rental and long-term vehicle contract hire, together with fleet maintenance, accident repair management, and fleet compliance to customers across the UK.

Joining the team as operations manager is Stephen Croxford with a brief to lead the teams responsible for maximising uptime and compliance of the 3,000-strong Prohire fleet, which includes vehicles from its alternative fuels division Progreen.

Croxford has over 20 years’ experience in the sector and joins from Hexagon Leasing where he was rental operations manager.Prior to that he was maintenance and compliance manager at Rivus Fleet Solutions. 

Heading up Prohire’s dedicated compliance team is Marc Palaggi, who held the same role at Hexagon Leasing for seven years.

Palaggi’s team will proactively liaise with customers and suppliers to make service bookings to ensure that all vehicles are complaint. The team is supported by digital technology which ensures that each customer has their data, details and bookings available via a single portal. 

 Ashley Gunnell has been given responsibility for the customer liaison team covering breakdowns and defects.

Gunnell joins from Enterprise Flex-E-Rent where he worked for six years, most recently as maintenance supervisor for the company’s Ireland fleet.

Tasked with maximising uptime for customers, Gunnell and his team will ensure customers receive proactive updates on any vehicles that are off the road, ensuring they are aware of the progress being made and when they can expect them to be back in service. 

Ian Mansley joins the operations team as workshop controller bringing 24 years’ industry experience.

Mansley will be responsible for loading the workshop to make sure productivity and workshop utilisation are at a high, delivering on compliance and customer satisfaction.

His role is pivotal in getting customer vehicles back onto the road as efficiently and safely as possible. Prior to joining Prohire, Ian was VOR team leam leader at Hexagon Leasing.

 Meanwhile Stuart Haskins, takes on the role of rental operations manager for Prohire’s 400-strong Proflex national rental fleet. Haskins will ensure the full range of light and heavy commercial vehicles are always available for customers.

This involves managing the day-to-day duties of the company’s drivers and valets and liaising with workshop control to ensure vehicles are turned around for customers to minimise downtime. Haskins has 13 years’ experience in commercial fleet management, most recently as fleet maintenance controller at Allport Group. 

Commenting on the new appointments, Dean Bailey, Prohire operations director, said: “Whether a vehicle is part of a fully managed fleet or within our ready-to-rent line, we’re committed to making sure each and every one is available to our customers as much as possible, so that uptime is as close to 100% as we can achieve; as well as fully legally compliant. 

“Stephen, Marc, Ashley, Ian and Stuart are at the forefront of offering industry-leading customer service through the best customer journey possible and it gives me great pleasure to welcome them to the team.” 

Headquartered in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and employing over 90 people, Prohire provides nationwide commercial vehicle rental and long-term vehicle contract hire, together with fleet maintenance, accident repair management, and fleet compliance to customers across the UK.

Left to right: Marc Pallagi, Stephen Croxford, Ashley Gunnell, Stuart Haskins and Ian Mansley