It’s Alphabet’s birthday! A look back at the past 20 years of mobility in Belgium and a look ahead at what is to come.

Aartselaar, 31 March 2021. Alphabet, a leading provider of mobility solutions, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Belgium this month. Alphabet arose from BMW Financial Services and it merged with ING Car Lease in 2011. In 20 years, the leasing sector and mobility in general in Belgium have changed and evolved considerably. Today, more than ever, the company is positioning itself as a mobility provider that responds to the specific multimodal mobility needs of its customers, whether it is a 1-minute journey or a 5-year journey. Time for a look back and a look ahead!

“I remember that in the beginning we had to explain what car leasing was. Today, every company, large and small, knows what it is and we see that customers’ needs are evolving. Nowadays, we see that customers have more complex multimodal needs and that they also participate in the process. Where the question used to revolve around the car itself, today there is a demand for a total solution in which advice on car policy, reimbursement of electricity and the installation of charging stations and so on are included in the conversation with the customer,” says Erik Swerts, Managing Director of Alphabet Belgium.

“When Alphabet launched in 2001, there were six employees. The office space was only 15 m² and the processes were gradually developed based on the questions of each customer; it was really pioneering work. There was a great collegiality in everyone - management and employees worked together intensively and helped each other to make it a success. Now we are 20 years further down the road and we have almost 200 employees. We still have an open corporate culture with room for your own opinion and ideas and a friendly atmosphere. The high degree of flexibility and team spirit remain part of the important values within Alphabet. Our offer has therefore evolved along with the customer’s requirements: the customer’s questions have changed, the approach of a fleet has evolved, we give more advice and the customer himself or herself is also better informed,” says Tine Beckx, Indirect Sales Manager who after 20 years is still working at Alphabet.

Mobility: a trend and a sector sensitive to crisis

The lease car was initially something only for employees who needed a car to carry out their job, such as sales representatives. In the meantime, the company car has in many cases become a “salary perk” and is an integral part of the remuneration package of many employees. This also explains why lease cars are still increasing in number, despite the current economic situation in which a large proportion of the active population is working from home.

That said, the leasing sector is a crisis-sensitive and trend-sensitive sector: in the early years it was mainly about petrol-powered cars, then there was a complete turnaround to diesel. A few years ago, the reputation of diesel cars faced a strong decline and people thought about petrol once again. In the meantime, the environmental awareness of the average driver has increased greatly and one third of all our tenders made today are for a hybrid or electric car.

One of the challenges the sector is facing today is how the new generation of employees deal with mobility. The car no longer has the same attraction to younger people as with previous generations. The vision of mobility in companies is logically driven by the vision of the management of that company. Once the new, younger generation of employees is at the policy table, this will have an impact on a company’s mobility policy and may look very different from now. The leasing sector must be attentive to this and anticipate to these changing needs. The car will continue to play a central role in leasing policy, but it will be combined with other mobility solutions, such as a bicycle or public transport.

The coronavirus crisis, like the 2008 crisis, is having an impact on the mobility sector. “The recipe for dealing with a crisis is always the same. You can’t change it, but it’s about how you deal with it. You have to make sure that you as an organisation are sufficiently agile and that you can change when needed,” says Erik. “You have to want to adapt, you have to be able to analyse what is going on and see how you can better respond to what is happening with the customers from your business model, products and services. To date we think we have succeeded quite well, and we have often been able to turn challenges into opportunities.”

On to the next 20 years

Mobility will evolve considerably in the next 20 years: the self-driving car is on the way, the model of shared mobility will develop further, and so on. In this rapidly evolving and increasingly complex world, Alphabet wants to continue to play a leading role in the mobility experience.

“Mobility is going to be different. How will this translate in terms of taxation and infrastructure? It is our ambition to be and remain a leader and to successfully turn social mobility changes into operational policy and profitability,” Erik Swerts concludes.

History

2001: Founding of Alphabet Belgium as a subsidiary of BMW Group Belux.

2004: Founding of AlphaRent Short Term Rental, previously part of CW Lease since 1984.

2011: Merger with ING Car Lease.

2012: New product offering, BikeLease.

2013: New product offering, AlphaCity, our car sharing solution.

2013: First AlphaElectric proposal for electric mobility.