Awards Haul Reaffirms Strong Customer Experience Focus at Hertz

A company knows it’s performing at a very high level when it receives an award.

In the case of Hertz, 2017 was the zenith as the iconic company hauled in 75 awards for its outstanding customer service, highly successful loyalty program, and dedicated corporate responsibility.

Loyalty360 talked with Greg Giordano, Senior Director of Loyalty and Engagement at Hertz, about this impressive awards performance last year.

What do all of these accolades mean to Hertz from a customer engagement/customer loyalty perspective?

Giordano: It’s an honor to receive these recognitions because it shows that our customers value the Hertz brand and reaffirms that we are making the right investments to build and strengthen our relationships with them. We’re leveraging our most important asset–our employees–who strive to make every interaction a positive and caring experience for our customers. Our fleet is also the best it’s ever been with a variety of makes and models that have the features and technology our customers want.

What specific insights/lessons have you learned in recent years that have informed your customer loyalty program/initiatives?

Giordano: We have a large corporate business and frequent traveler customer base. As their needs have changed, our Hertz Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program has evolved, too. In addition to offering a fast and seamless rental experience by offering counter bypass and other benefits, we know that they want more unique benefits and ways to redeem their loyalty points. In recent years, we’ve enhanced the way members can redeem their points at Hertz and will continue to do so. We’ve added new partnerships with leading hotel and airlines so they can use their points to maximize their entire travel experience, making membership in Gold Plus Rewards more valuable than ever before.

How have your customers changed in recent years and how have you adapted to those changes? 

Giordano: Our customers have increasingly wanted more personalization in their rental experience. To deliver on that, we’re focused on ensuring that we have the cars that people want at the right time and the right place. We’re also now better equipped to serve that need by introducing new services such as Ultimate Choice. With Ultimate Choice, customers can choose the exact vehicle they want to drive from the car class they reserved or upgrade to a different one at more than 50 U.S. airport locations. Hertz Gold Plus Rewards members also have access to an exclusive selection of vehicles based on their loyalty tier, offering an additional member benefit.

Can you talk about how technology aids your customer experience/customer engagement efforts?

Giordano: By leveraging technologies such as our mobile app, social media, and other digital communications, we’re advancing the way we connect with our customers and loyalty members to improve their overall experience at Hertz. We’re also utilizing our business intelligence data to deliver more relevant and engaging content to our customers which is helping us become better at communicating with them at the right time and with the right message. 

What is the biggest challenge you face today as it relates to earning and maintaining brand loyalty?

Giordano: Ensuring that we not only meet our customers’ needs today but anticipating what they will want in the future is something most businesses strive for, including ours. One of many ways we try to stay in tune with that is by continuously eliciting feedback from our customers and loyalty program members. For example, we frequently engage with and seek insights from our Hertz Hub online community which is comprised of more than 6,000 Gold Plus Rewards members. They provide us with valuable feedback that has led to many of our recent loyalty program and overall service enhancements.

For a brand that has been around for 100 years such as ours, keeping up with the evolving needs of our customers has been a cornerstone to our business since its inception and will remain our core focus. 

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