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Virginia Eagle Distributing Company is a beverage distributor servicing over 7,000 accounts across 22,000 square miles throughout Virginia. As a major distributor with 100+ sales reps and 7 warehouse locations, the need for an easy-to-use and easy-to-administer vehicle program is a must.
Todd Hargest, Director of Safety and Transportation, has been at the company for about 8 years and in the business for over 35 years. Hear him tell the story of their transition:
Virginia Eagle previously used a company fleet program for everyone at their company, from sales reps to delivery drivers. Over time, they realized that their company car program was no longer the best option for their sales reps.
Maintaining and managing a company-owned fleet for over 100 sales reps at all times was not only inconvenient, it was costly and a big liability for the company. Among just this group, Virginia Eagle was totaling 2 cars a year, adding to the cost and administrative burden of the program.
Once they’d decided to make the transition away from a company car program, they began to search for ways to make that transition as easy as possible, knowing that it wouldn’t necessarily be a happy transition for all their employees.
In addition, with such a large company—and with sales reps logging tens of thousands of miles each year—it was essential to have a program that offered accurate and IRS-compliant mileage tracking.
[.quote-wrap][.quote-top][.quote-top]We are absolutely getting the best bang for our buck with Everlance. I've been to a couple of conferences where we've been with our people in our industry and they're on some of these other programs—and I said [to them], ‘look when your contract is up, you really ought to look at Everlance.’ The overall experience with Everlance has been fantastic. No complaints, at all.[.author-attribute][.is-hargest][.is-hargest][.author-facts][.author-facts][.author-bold]Todd Hargest, [.author-bold][.author-pos]Director of Safety and Transportation for Virginia Eagle Distributing[.author-pos][.author-attribute][.quote-bottom][.quote-bottom][.quote-wrap]
Virginia Eagle had a specific goal: reduce risk and liability for their company by transitioning employees off of company fleets, while also keeping employees happy with an easy-to-use program and hassle-free transition.
Ultimately, they found their perfect match in Everlance’s simple, customizable vehicle programs that allowed them to give employees easy-to-use software to keep reimbursements tax-free and IRS-compliant—while maximizing ROI and getting a great value.
When it comes to vehicle programs, one size does not fit all. However, that was exactly the kind of approach Virginia Eagle ran into with other vehicle program providers they looked at.
[.866][.blue-line]“A couple of the other programs we looked at, it was kind of an all or [nothing program]. Whereas with Everlance, we could a la carte what pieces that we wanted Everlance to handle and what pieces that we wanted to handle ourselves.”[.blue-line][.866]
With Everlance, Virginia Eagle was able to save money while taking care of their sales force by paying for only what they needed and used, and nothing they didn’t. Optional add-ons like managed reimbursements, MVR checks, license and insurance validation and others were things that Virginia Eagle was willing to handle on their own—and they appreciated the flexibility Everlance offered in program features to help them reduce their costs.
Rather than having to implement a full FAVR program, Virginia Eagle was able to optimize their ROI with Everlance’s a la carte options. The flexibility to choose a program that was right for their needs—rather than have to make do with a “one-size-fits-all” program—ensured that Virginia Eagle is able to compensate their employees the way they want.
In addition, Everlance made it “very easy to add people [or] take people off” of their vehicle reimbursement program, Hargest said, something they were initially concerned about. With regular turnover, Virginia Eagle needed a solution that made it easy to transition sales reps into—or out of—the program at any point.
Although Virginia Eagle was convinced their company car program wasn’t serving them well, they were concerned about the transition to another vehicle program. “We wanted to try to make it a happy transition,” Hargest said, “and wanted something that was going to be really easy for [the sales reps] to use.”
With Everlance, Virginia Eagle found that the transition was even easier than expected. With an easy-to-use app and automatic mileage tracking, the time commitment required from sales reps was minimal, and the ramp-up process takes just 20 minutes.
[.quote-wrap][.quote-top][.quote-top]It's a very simple program to use. We spent probably 20 minutes in training going over the program with them and how to utilize the program and off to the races they went. We've had very little problem. It basically does all the work for them. They literally just need to check in on the program a couple of days during the week and make sure that everything’s tracking, and that’s it. So, it went over much better being able to use a program this simple.[.author-attribute][.is-hargest][.is-hargest][.author-facts][.author-facts][.author-bold]Todd Hargest, [.author-bold][.author-pos]Director of Safety and Transportation for Virginia Eagle Distributing[.author-pos][.author-attribute][.quote-bottom][.quote-bottom][.quote-wrap]
Even with more than 100 sales reps on the program, Hargest said he only gets a call maybe once or twice a month with questions from sales reps about how to use the program or something that needs to be resolved. Thanks to Everlance’s exceptional customer service, Hargest knows that anything he can’t solve on his own is handled within a day by their Everlance Customer Success Manager.
[.split-text-wrap][.text-wrap][.text-wrap-paragraph]Even better—Everlance’s easy-to-administer program saves Hargest time too. Previously, he was spending 10-15 hours a month or more maintaining the company fleet, and handling things like car breakdowns, tire replacements, accidents and insurance reports, keeping cars clean, and so on. With Everlance, Hargest says, he spends just "30 or 60 minutes tops" at the end of every month pulling a short report from Everlance and briefly reviewing mileage numbers to ensure everything looks good. "It's been a tremendous win."[.text-wrap-paragraph][.text-wrap][.mixed-font-b][.is-green-bold]10+ hours[.is-green-bold][.is-info]saved by program admin every month after switching to Everlance[.is-info][.mixed-font-b][.split-text-wrap]An accurate, automatic and IRS-compliant vehicle mileage tracker means:
Their previous company car program had been a costly endeavor with a lot of liability, and transitioning to a vehicle reimbursement program with Everlance not only greatly reduced their liability, but also came at a “very reasonable” price.
[.866][.blue-line]"The value has just been there for us, with the ease of use and the cost of the program. Anybody that is either on a program like this, or is looking to transition to a program like this, absolutely should look at Everlance.[.blue-line][.866]
[.866][.blue-line]I really think that if you do your homework, Everlance will sell itself."[.blue-line][.866]
In addition, Everlance’s a la carte options enabled Virginia Eagle to add-on—and pay for—only what they needed, and nothing they didn’t, customizing the program to suit their needs. Even better, Everlance’s top-notch customer service means they’re able to get support whenever they need it—which is rare, thanks to Everlance’s easy-to-use software. But they’re also able to work with a named Customer Success Manager who ensures that their vehicle program is continuing to meet their needs.
The software is very self-explanatory, Hargest said, but even so, the customer support is fantastic. For Virginia Eagle, who onboarded a team of 100+ sales reps, customer support for their initial onboarding process was a must. Thankfully, Everlance’s Customer Success team means an easy startup process, where your named Customer Success Manager can walk you through everything, explain how to use the program and all the components your team needs, and even provide content to give sales reps switching into the program.
[.blue-wrap][.list-head]The bottom line:[.list-head][.list-subheading]Now that Virginia Eagle Distributing is using Everlance for mileage reimbursement, they’re able to:[.list-subheading][.list-div][.list-div][.c-row-flex][.is-1][.list-check][.list-check] [.is-1][.is-bold]Reduce company liability[.is-bold] by eliminating their company fleet[.c-row-flex][.c-row-flex][.is-1][.list-check][.list-check] [.is-1][.is-bold]Customize their vehicle program[.is-bold] to meet their needs with Everlance’s a la carte options [.c-row-flex][.c-row-flex][.is-1] [.list-check][.list-check] [.is-1][.is-bold]Keep drivers happy[.is-bold]with generous vehicle allowances and an easy-to-use program [.c-row-flex][.c-row-flex] [.is-1] [.list-check][.list-check] [.is-1][.is-bold]Save time tracking mileage and managing their vehicle program[.is-bold] with Everlance’s simple software [.c-row-flex][.c-row-flex] [.is-1] [.list-check][.list-check] [.is-1][.is-bold]Save money[.is-bold] by paying for only what they need[.c-row-flex][.blue-wrap]
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We help people save time and money. At Everlance, we're on a mission to empower mobile workers and businesses. That sometimes leads us to generalize tax information. Everlance team members are not certified tax professionals. If you need help with your specific tax situation, please reach out to your tax advisor.
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