Isuzu Australia has revealed the quest by companies to ensure productivity while maintaining cost management has seen more of its customers opting for service agreements as part of their purchasing decision process.
Isuzu said that last year the take up of service agreements exceeded all expectations with growth of up to 30 per cent on the previous year, with awareness amongst customers building.
Isuzu says its service agreements offer customers a scheduled monthly fee, or an upfront fee with Isuzu Essentials, which it says allows for ease of budgeting while avoiding cost spikes.
The truck maker said that all work is carried out at Isuzu dealer sites across 70 locations around the country, and is undertaken by highly skilled technicians using latest technology while specifying the Isuzu Genuine Parts.
Isuzu national service business manager, Glenn Jones, said the uptake in service agreements clearly indicates customers are placing greater importance on vehicle maintenance.
“The total number of years committed in 2024 equates to an average of four and a half years of service cover per truck sold with an agreement,” said 
Jones.
“Customers want to manage costs but also ensure vehicles are on the road as much as possible delivering for their businesses,” he said.
“A service agreement ensures vehicles are maintained to provide optimum performance, which in turn maintains running costs and overall ease of management.
“We’re seeing an uptick in customers ensuring service intervals are met, and this also assists in retaining the vehicle’s resale value when it comes time to change over to a new truck,”Jones added.
Isuzu says that among those who have opted for Isuzu’s service agreement packages is Melbourne-based Ecocycle Group, which it says specialise in environmental recycling operations, including battery collection and recycling.
Isuzu explained that the Ecocycle Group deploys a range of vehicles across the country with the bulk of work done by Isuzu F Series medium-duty models. It has applied an Isuzu Total service agreement across all new heavy vehicle purchases.
Isuzu claims its Total package is the most comprehensive arrangement on offer, and covers all works and component replacement attached to a scheduled servicing program, including cab and chassis, electrical, engine, transmission and suspension.
“We’re passionate about delivering genuine change within our industry, so for us, investing in Isuzu means more time on the road, more recycling collections and more customer satisfaction,” said Jason Zorzut, Ecocycle Group’s operations manager.
Isuzu believes that service agreements are not just an asset for companies that run larger fleets of trucks.
The company cited Toowoomba-based horse farrier business Ag and Equine Services, which is a small owner-operator outfit, with just one Isuzu NPR 45-155 Tradepack, backed by an Isuzu Essentials service agreement.
“Purely from a business perspective, I thought it was a great offer, so I took it,” said owner Nathan Kerrison, who said she made the decision to pay upfront and incorporate the package into the truck’s financing.
Isuzu explains that it offers three levels of service agreements on trucks up to 72 months of age, saying that all three are aimed at cater directly to the needs of each customer requirements.
Isuzu says that alongside this it also offers the Isuzu Heritage agreement, which it explains caters for trucks which are between three and 15 years of age.
Isuzu said that all packages are underpinned by Isuzu’s industry-leading warranties, which include six years on cab and chassis for most models, while all Isuzu genuine parts and accessories are covered by a three-year warranty when fitted by an Isuzu dealership or authorised service and parts outlet.
Isuzu’s all now model roll out is about to hit the manufacturer’s dealer network around the country in the coming months, and the company believes the popularity of its service agreements is set to be a front-of-mind consideration for customers .
“Across our network of dealers, we certainly see the trend of customers becoming increasingly aware of the business benefits of service agreements,” 
said Jones.
“The new models have a raft of new technologies and other improvements that fully trained service technicians at Isuzu dealerships know and understand,” he added.
“This, coupled with a service agreement’s budgeting and scheduling advantages, all make for a compelling proposition, no matter the application or fleet size,” Jones concluded.
