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Accident management milestone
Sopp+Sopp, the fleet accident management specialist, celebrates its 21st anniversary this year. Founder Jamie Sopp talks about what inspired him to set up the company and the transformational changes he has seen in the fleet sector
Twenty-one years on from the establishment of Sopp+Sopp, founder Jamie Sopp remains a key player in the fleet and accident repair industry. In his role as a board consultant for Activate Group, Sopp+Sopp’s parent company, his specialist fleet knowledge plays a crucial part in setting the business’ strategic direction.
In addition, Sopp is still active in the repair industry and has recently taken up a position with BP Rolls Group as operations and procurement director. “I started out in HGV repair, working my way up to become a shareholder in a specialist commercial vehicle repairer that looked after some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets,” he recalls. “Initially, I founded Sopp+Sopp because I saw a gap in the market for a well-managed commercial vehicle repair network. I started out with one large customer, but quickly found that I had hit on something, and there was a genuine need for the service I was providing.
“From there the business grew and evolved, first expanding the network to include all vehicle types, then offering additional services and setting up our own vehicle parts division, now called Activate Parts,” Sopp adds. “Then in 2017, Sopp+Sopp was acquired by Activate Group, a new player in the accident management world. It had a great vision to do things differently and become a leader in the industry. It’s a source of huge pride to me, to work alongside the Activate Group Board and see the business continue to flourish.”
“The technology on fleet commercial vehicles is mind-blowing. From assisted braking to cameras, there have been some incredible advances in vehicle safety”
Today, Sopp+Sopp offers end-to-end accident management services to many of the UK’s largest fleets, from first notification of loss (FNOL) through to repair management and uninsured loss recovery. The business still works with a UK-wide repair network, which now includes 10 of Activate Group’s own repair centres – Activate Accident Repair. It’s not just Sopp+Sopp that has evolved over the last 21 years. The fleet industry itself has also seen its fair share of change.
“Vehicle technology is the biggest change in my view,” reflects Sopp. “The technology on fleet commercial vehicles is mind-blowing. From assisted braking to cameras, there have been some incredible advances in vehicle safety. It’s obviously great news for drivers – I know they are not always fans of new technology when it comes in, but the impact has been extremely positive.
“It’s also made a big difference to the way we work at Sopp+Sopp,” he reveals. “There’s so much data available after an accident now – and we can gather it all in our systems and use it to support liability decisions and help fleets reduce risk. There are still fleets out there that don’t make the most of in-vehicle technology after an accident, but that’s changing now – and I’m pleased that Sopp+Sopp is leading the way for our customers.”
Adapting to a changing industry is critical to business success, and this is one of the areas the company’s founder feels has been a real strength for Sopp+Sopp. “We’ve gone from a one-man band to a 700-strong team,” he says. “I think the key to our success has always been a desire to really understand our customers, and tailor our approach accordingly.
“That’s something we continue to do to this day, except now we have systems that make it even easier!” he adds. “We can create a bespoke FNOL questionnaire for every customer in a matter of hours with our FNOL form builder or alter communication preferences to suit everyone from a depot manager to an individual driver. Some companies can be tied down by their IT system, but ours really enables us to adapt to the needs of our customers.
“That flexibility has been the heart of our success over the last 21 years and we have lots of exciting new services and partners in the pipeline,” reasons Sopp. I’m sure Sopp+Sopp will continue to develop and grow – and I look forward to playing my part in the business’ success over the years ahead.”
