Officials at Avis Budget Group are always looking for more ways to engage with its customers, extending brand loyalty at every turn.
Since Avis began piloting Avis Now in late 2015, the response has been significant.
Loyalty360 caught up with Jeff Kaelin, Vice President, Customer Experience and Product Development, Avis Budget Group, to find out more about the progress that’s been made this year.
When did Avis begin allowing customers in its Avis Preferred loyalty program to pick their ride, extend rentals, and/or go through the pickup process from their phones?
Kaelin: We started piloting Avis Now in late 2015 and opened it to all Avis Preferred customers last month. Avis Now is currently available at the top 50 airport markets in the United States and select markets in the United Kingdom and France.
Avis Now is an innovative app experience that puts travelers in control and gets them in the drivers’ seat faster via their smartphone. With this new technology, Avis Preferred members have the ability to view which cars are available in real-time. They can exchange or upgrade a vehicle before arriving at the lot or when on the lot; confirm, cancel or extend a rental, access an instant view of the rental agreement and obtain assistance on demand. Additional features such as locking/unlocking doors, flashing the headlights to help find a car and confirming fuel or mileage are also available via the app for connected cars in the Avis fleet.
What has the feedback been like to this?
Kaelin: The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with more than 150,000 of Avis Preferred customers enrolling, and nine out of 10 renters affirming that they will use the app on their next rental experience. When asked why, over 70% of renters felt that the app saved them time when picking up their vehicle and made renting a car easier. It also provided them with choice of vehicle and control during their rental process.
How sophisticated would you say your customer experience and customer loyalty initiatives are?
Kaelin: Technology is drastically reshaping the car rental experience for our customers — and for the better. As smartphones and connected cars increase in number globally, we’re imagining all possibilities and ensuring Avis continues to innovate.
We continue to work closely with our customers to find out what they feel are the biggest challenges with the current rental experience and across the industry. This feedback is at the heart of our continued investments and improvements in loyalty and customer experience.
There is a lot of discussion about customers changing. How do you feel customers are changing and how are you adapting to that change? Is this just the case for your brand or vertical? Or is this affecting everyone?
Kaelin: In general, our customers’ needs have not changed, but their expectations have. Our customers value immediacy, personalized service, and transparency. We are investing in both technology and training in order to continue to give our customers the service they want and deserve.
How does employee loyalty and/or employee engagement fit into the customer loyalty discussion?
Kaelin: We know that engaged employees beget great customer experience and drive enthusiasts. We have focused a number of activities and programs over the last several years to foster employee loyalty and engagement. We have a program in place that recognizes team members who deliver a level of service that consistently meets or exceeds the specific needs, wants, and preferences of customers.
What are the challenges you face with data, analytics and creating insight today, and how has that changed over the past 18 months?
Kaelin: I think we face the same challenge that many others face – too much data. It is sometimes hard to narrow down all of the potential programs that we can launch to the few that will have the greatest impact.