Episode 3 – From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing

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Vulog is launching a brand-new carsharing service in Montreal! We are teaming up with a local dealership group to bring Montrealers a smarter, more convenient way to get around. We want to bring you along for the ride with an exclusive, first-of-its-kind series that takes you behind the scenes to show what it really takes to build a successful carsharing service from the ground up.

Last week, we shared how we sourced the vehicles, now it’s time to find the people who will turn that fleet into a thriving carsharing service.In this week’s episode we dive into how we recruited and trained the team that will keep things rolling smoothly from Day 1. From recruiting local talent to running an intensive “bootcamp”,  here’s how we’re getting our frontline force ready for launch.

Keeping the Team Lean

If our 20 years of industry experience has taught us anything, it is that the best team for a carsharing service is a lean team. This makes the hiring process all the more important as it is absolutely essential you find highly motivated and organized individuals who are capable of wearing more than one hat. In order to prepare and launch our service, we needed to hire for three roles:

1. General Manager
2. Operations Manager
3. Marketing Manager
   

Who We Were Looking For (Mobility Experience Not Required)

When hiring for these roles, our number one criterion was not that they have experience in the mobility industry. In fact, this was not even our number two or number three criterion either. Rather we searched for candidates who are passionate about the idea of building an ambitious project like this from the ground up. They need to be enthusiastic about creating something great for their community and, simply put, they are just nice people.

How We Found Our Dream Team

But how do you recruit locally in a city that is 5,628 km away and across an ocean? Enter our recruitment partner extraordinaire, Valerie Lafille. She has been recruiting the best and brightest for Vulog for over a decade and we knew she would be up to the task of finding the cream of the crop for our Montreal carsharing service. Relying on an expert hiring partner with an international network freed up our time to focus on the many logistical and operational steps to come, while guaranteeing that we would have the best team possible. And Valerie did not disappoint.

Introducing Our “Small But Mighty” Montreal Carsharing Team:

Getting Down to Business: The Training Begins:

Admittedly, the Montreal team had a longer than usual commute for their first day of work. On February 3rd they kicked off their new roles in Lyon, France, where they had come to learn the ins and outs of carsharing from the Leo&Go Team. They shadowed their Leo&Go counterparts, observing day-to-day operations while also meeting Vulog team members who hopped trains from Paris and Nice to train them on tools and processes. After spending a week in balmy Lyon (where it was only 2 degrees as opposed to – 17 degrees back home), the Montreal team were ready to push up their sleeves and get down to work. With only 3 months until launch, there remains a lot to get done…To be continued! 

Next Week on From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing

In next week’s episode we tackle one of our toughest challenges yet: finding an insurance partner who offers more than coverage, but also real expertise (and all at a competitive rate)!

Be sure to subscribe to our limited-time newsletter to stay up to date with all of the inside information as we get closer to the launch!

Past episodes of From Zero to Launch: Montreal Carsharing: 

Episode 1: The one where they figure out how to launch a carsharing service in just 8 months

Episode 2: The one where they put the “car” in “carsharing”