Kooperativa has integrated vehicle reservations with SmartFP Keyboxes. Employees can now
pick up and return keys on their own, without waiting for an administrator, without visiting the office, and without being limited
by operating hours.
You need to leave. You have a car reserved.
But the keys are locked in the office.
This exact situation showed that simply reserving a company car isn’t enough. If
picking up the keys depends on someone else, the entire process can get unnecessarily stuck.
The process for reserving company vehicles at Kooperativa worked fine. However, a problem arose when the employee was actually supposed to pick up the car at
.
The keys were stored in the office, and a vehicle fleet service was set up to handle their issuance and return.
Employees therefore had to pick up the keys in person and, upon returning from a trip, return them
to the office or leave them at the front desk in case of a late arrival.
“We kept the keys in our office. Employees would reserve a vehicle and then come to our office to pick up the keys. They would return them to us the same way.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist, Kooperativa)
In day-to-day operations, this resulted in unnecessary restrictions. A car could be reserved, but
the actual handover of the keys depended on staff availability and office hours.
This was most evident when employees needed a vehicle outside of regular working hours
—early in the morning, in the evening, or on weekends.
“Of course, we were only open during certain hours. Now they can pick up their keys at any time,” says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist at Kooperativa.
Where was the main problem?
The main complication wasn’t the vehicle registration or the reservation process itself. That was already working.
The physical handover of the keys was a weak point.
Someone had to hand over the keys, someone else had to take them back, and at the same time, it was necessary to follow up on information
after the vehicle was returned—for example, whether the car was in good condition, damaged, or needed to be washed.
The entire process thus placed an unnecessary burden on vehicle administrators and, at the same time, restricted employees who,
, were dependent on office hours when picking up a car.
What Kooperativa Needed to Change
The goal was to simplify the key handover process so that employees could use company vehicles
more flexibly.
Kooperativa needed a solution that would link vehicle reservations with secure key pickup and
while also enabling easy return at the end of the trip.
The most important thing was:
- so that no one has to physically hand over the keys,
- so that the employee can pick them up on their own,
- so that the refund works the same way,
- so that the administrator is notified if something is wrong with the vehicle,
- and so that the entire process is not limited by office hours.
How SmartFP Keyboxes Helped
SmartFP at Kooperativa has integrated vehicle reservations with Keybox.
“We use keyboxes to issue keys. As part of the SmartFP program, we also have a vehicle reservation system, and the whole setup means that no one has to hand out keys anymore.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist at Kooperativa)
An employee reserves a vehicle in the system and then receives a PIN to pick up the keys. After entering the PIN at
, the corresponding compartment in the Keybox opens, and the employee retrieves the keys.
Upon returning, the process works similarly. The employee enters the PIN again, the correct
locker opens, and the keys are returned.
“The employee picks up the keys, drives off, and when he returns, he enters the PIN again. The appropriate compartment opens, he returns the keys, and indicates whether everything is okay or if there is a problem.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist at Kooperativa)
Part of the return process also involves a simple confirmation of the vehicle’s condition. The employee can report whether
everything is in order, or flag any malfunction, damage, or the need to wash the car.
This means the administrator does not have to be present in person for every handoff. The administrator mainly gets involved when
there is an issue that needs to be resolved.
“It alerts us when the car has a problem, needs to be washed, or something like that.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist advisor, Kooperativa)
What Has Changed in Practice
The biggest difference is in flexibility.
Employees no longer have to wait for someone to be in the office. They can pick up and return keys
on their own, at a time that fits their reservation and operational needs.
This greatly simplifies the use of company vehicles outside of regular working hours.
In the past, you had to come in person to pick up the keys. Today, the entire process is handled through a reservation, a PIN, and
Keybox.
“The main benefit is flexibility. You can take the sprouts whenever you want.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist at Kooperativa)
Less Manual Work for Fleet Managers
At the same time, keyboxes have reduced the day-to-day administrative work involved in issuing keys.
The administrator no longer needs to handle every routine vehicle pickup and return. If everything is in order,
the process will take place automatically.
If an employee reports a problem when returning a vehicle, the system notifies the appropriate personnel. For
routine operational matters—such as the need to wash the car—the situation is simply forwarded to
for resolution. For more serious issues, such as damage to the vehicle, the next steps are handled on a case-by-case basis.
“When the car needs to be washed, we don’t discuss it with anyone. We just take care of it and do what needs to be done.”
As a result, the administrator focuses primarily on situations that truly require his or her attention.
Result
Kooperativa currently uses SmartFP Keyboxes as a self-service location for picking up and
returning keys to company vehicles.
Thanks to the integration with vehicle reservations, the entire process has been significantly simplified. Employees have greater
flexibility when planning trips, and vehicle managers no longer have to handle every routine key handoff in person.
The biggest difference, however, isn’t just that the keys are stored securely. What’s important is that the entire process at
is linked to the reservation, operates on a self-service basis, and also provides the responsible parties at
with information about the vehicle’s condition after it has been returned.
In a sentence.
Finally, we asked him how he would summarize the benefits of Keybox in one sentence:
“Greater flexibility in vehicle use.” (says Stanislav Žoudlík, specialist advisor, Kooperativa)
