Enterprise: "People overall just seem to prefer meaningful interactions with real employees."
According to Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental company in the world, most car rental customers still prefer to speak with an actual employee on the telephone to address their inquiries.
Last year, Enterprise Holdings' contact centers helped more than 6 million Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car airport customers in the U.S. – with more than 90 percent of them picking up the phone first. The remaining 10 percent used email, online chat or social media accounts.
"In the last year alone, we have more than doubled our social media customer service team," said Ken Kreh, vice president at Enterprise Holdings. "However, while social media is growing in volume month-over-month, phone inquiries are still by far the most popular form of communication for our customers. People overall just seem to prefer meaningful interactions with real employees."
Most customer calls focus on reservation modifications, cancellations and confirmations, contract extensions, and copies of receipts. "Although the majority of requests are simple," Kreh explained, "sometimes they can be complicated. That why our contact center team members listen closely to each request – no matter what channel is used – and make things right as soon as possible."
Enterprise Holdings empowers every contact center employee with the tools, training and authority needed to work directly with each customer and promptly address a wide array of questions and issues. That may be why 80 percent of the company's Enterprise, National and Alamo airport customers find their issues resolved during their first call with a contact center employee.
"We hire customer service representatives who not only can follow guidelines, but who can think on their feet to meet all types of customer needs without additional assistance," Kreh stated. "To provide a consistent customer service experience, we consider each customer interaction a personal and individual situation."
Customer service continues to be a key competitive advantage for Enterprise Holdings' portfolio of car rental brands, which collectively account for the largest airport market share in the U.S. Enterprise Rent-A-Car also was the highest-ranked car rental brand in the J.D. Power 2014 North American Rental Car Satisfaction StudySM . Furthermore, Enterprise Holdings was recognized with two 2015 Travvy Awards, including being named "Best Domestic Car Rental Company."
As Enterprise Holdings has expanded globally, the company also has increased its international customer-service representatives and has added bilingual team members to its ranks to address an increasingly diverse audience. Enterprise Holdings currently has operations in more than 70 countries and territories worldwide, including 32 countries in Europe and the Middle East. The company's long-term expansion strategy is focused on building a global network that delivers value, choice and outstanding customer service to business and leisure travelers.
