Customer Loyalty Starts With Simple Promise at Advantage Rent A Car

In the recently released Temkin Loyalty Index 2017, Advantage Rent A Car earned the highest TLi (Temkin Loyalty Index) in a study that examined the loyalty of 10,000 U.S. consumers to 329 companies across 20 industries.
Loyalty360 talked to Advantage Rent A Car CEO Scott Davido about how his company excels in the customer loyalty department.

What qualities within Advantage Rent-A-Car attract so much customer loyalty?
Davido: It starts and ends with the Advantage and EZ Rent a Car Promise: We never disappoint a customer. We greet and treat every customer as we expect our friends and family to be treated. We maintain our vehicles and our locations like our own. And if we do disappoint initially a customer, we respond promptly to address our mistakes and resolve that disappointment to the customer’s satisfaction.

Can you talk about your loyalty program and how it impacts customers?
Davido: Advantage Rent-A-Car’s loyalty program (Advantage Awards) provides the amenities that customers actually need for a fast and enjoyable car rental. By providing skip the pump and other benefits, both as part of the Elite program and for members just getting started, Advantage Awards provides meaningful benefits from the first rental once you join. And our newly implemented (in select locations) Advantage Expressway for elite Advantage Awards members allows our most loyal customers the opportunity to bypass our counter and quickly and efficiently get on the road.

Can a loyalty program create true loyalty?
Davido: It can. But it requires more than simply providing points or other benefits. For a loyalty program to stick, you must provide a consistent experience, meeting your customers’ expectations for value and service every time. When Advantage delivers on Our Promise, provides affordable rental options, and the benefits of Advantage Awards, we have the trifecta needed to build loyalty. 

How is customer loyalty prioritized within the company?
Davido: It starts in the corner office. Our CEO focuses on the customer experience every day. We measure and report to all our locations our service scores every day, and we reward our Associates in part based on service delivery. We have a “Voice of the Customer” team in our home office that focuses solely on how we deliver service to our customers, both addressing customer issues that cannot be resolved on the spot by our location Associates, and spotting/addressing trends companywide so that we can proactively address companywide service shortfalls.

What type of customer feedback do you receive about the way the company approaches customer loyalty?
Davido: We not only seek and receive feedback about the customer’s rental experience overall, but we also seek feedback on the agent that worked with the customer on arrival. So, we receive feedback on all aspects of the customer journey, from pick up to drop off. As reflected by Advantage topping the Temkin Survey among all companies as the one “most likely to be forgiven” if we initially disappoint, the most telling feedback we receive from our customers is that they appreciate how much we live The Promise and fix initial disappointments.   

At Advantage Rent-A-Car, what are you most proud of?
Davido: We are proud of how we have transformed our culture in fewer than two years from focusing merely on value pricing to delivering a superior customer experience in the value segment of auto rental, as evidenced by our NPS scores, our online Google Star ratings, and our recognition for two consecutive years by the Temkin Survey as the leading brand in U.S. auto rental for customer loyalty. As we’ve evolved, we’ve learned how to provide our business and leisure customers a first-class rental experience at an affordable price–a huge accomplishment. 

Recent Content

Membership and Pricing

Videos and podcasts

Membership and Pricing