Getting closer to the operators who depend on our software every day
By Shishi Gakure | Apex Networks Support Team
There’s a difference between understanding how a customer uses your product and actually seeing it in action. This month, I had the chance to spend a week at FMG, and specifically their RRRM (Roadside Repair and Recovery Management) department – one of our longest-standing and largest operators – shadowing their teams to get a proper look at how they run day-to-day. It was one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve had since joining Apex Networks.
Who FMG are
FMG are a serious operation. The RRRM department operates round the clock, playing a vital role in keeping the UK’s motorways and major roads running freely whilst providing all the support motorists need following a vehicle incidents or breakdowns. They operate on behalf of private and public sector fleets, insurers, UK Police Forces and National Highways, providing a 24/7 response when cars, vans and commercial vehicles break down. They have in excess of 250 vehicle recovery operators, and 90% of them are on products we supply. Seeing that at scale, in a live environment, puts a lot of things in perspective.
What I got to see
Over the course of the week I shadowed the RRRM operational area, also spending time with their specialist teams: Insurance Services, Client Services, Storage management and RRRM’s dedicated Training team. Each one gave me a different window into how a large, complex organisation actually uses Apex RMS and Apex ANS day-to-day – alongside their own internal systems, including FMG Ingenium. I got to sit with their Client Services team and walk them through setting up rate cards, specialist equipment, and vehicle classes – the kind of practical session that’s easy to overlook but makes a real difference on the ground. Watching them take that knowledge and immediately think about how they’d pass it on to their operators was a good reminder of how interconnected our support really is.
What I took away
The biggest thing I came away with was a new appreciation for controllers. These are people who have to think fast, juggle multiple demands at once, and make the right call under pressure – every single shift. Our software sits right at the centre of that. Every delay, every unclear screen, every missing piece of information has a real impact on someone trying to do a demanding job well.
I also came away with a long list of questions and observations from the teams themselves – things that slow them down, cause confusion, or feel like they should work differently. These ranged from filtering options on reminder flags, to how contractor data is pulled in reassigned jobs, to a significant question around GDPR compliance and department-level access within the data portal.
Some of these are already being investigated by our team. Others will feed into development conversations. All of them are valuable – because they come directly from the people using our platform every single day.
Why this matters
Visits like this aren’t just about building relationships (though FMG RRRM were genuinely brilliant hosts, and their team culture is something to admire). They’re about closing the gap between what we build and what operators actually experience. We can read support tickets. We can analyse usage data. But there’s something you only get from sitting alongside a controller mid-shift or watching a client services agent field a call in real time, and that’s a clear-eyed understanding of what it actually feels like to depend on our software.
We’ll be doing more of this. If you’re an operator who’d be open to having someone from our team come and see how you work, we’d love to hear from you.
Shishi is part of the Support team at Apex Networks. To learn more about how Apex RMS and Apex ANS support operators like FMG, visit apex-networks.com, call 0203 195 6757 or email: support@apex-networks.com – we’re always happy to help.
