Hertz Wins Self-Service Excellence Award for Making Car Rental Faster and Easier

DAYTON, Ohio--The Hertz Corporation won the 2009 Self-Service Excellence Award, given annually by KioskCom, in the Best Travel/Hospitality Deployment category. Presented at the KioskCom Self-Service Expo, the awards recognize the most innovative and successful self-service programs in multiple categories.

Hertz first piloted self-service kiosks from NCR Corporation, a leading provider of self-service solutions in the airline, banking and other sectors, in 2007. Since then, Hertz has expanded the program to more than 37 U.S. airport locations, as well as 5 locations in Europe, and expanded its usage of kiosks as part of the Company’s Online Check-in Guarantee program, designed to get customers on their way in 10 minutes or less.

“Empowering Hertz’s customers with the convenience of self-service kiosks has transformed the way they interact with Hertz,” said Hertz CIO Joe Eckroth. “We are delighted and proud to be recognized for being the first car rental company to extend the anytime, anywhere convenience consumers have come to expect in other industries. The Online Check-in Guarantee and use of kiosks has clearly delivered significant operational improvements, and has increased overall customer satisfaction by making it faster and easier for our customers to get on the road.”

Hertz Online Check-in program expedites the car rental pick-up process by allowing customers to begin the check-in process in the comfort of their home or office and complete the rental via kiosk. Similar to an airline check-in kiosk, the rental car kiosk is a reservation-based system that collects the customer’s personal information, identifies the customer’s reservation and completes the rental car pick-up process, sending the customer on his/her way quickly. Beyond car pick-up, the solution allows Hertz customers to select and purchase upgrades, Loss Damage Waiver and Optional Insurance products, fuel options and add-ons such as child seats and NeverLost®, Hertz’s customized, in-car navigation system.

“Companies in all industries must meet rising consumer demand for self-service options if they hope to remain competitive,” said Theresa Heinz, general manager, NCR Travel. “Hertz is a shining example of how truly integrating self-service into your business model can not only strengthen your relationships with your customers, but improve your bottom line. We are honored to be a Hertz partner and congratulate the company on its award-winning self-service program.”

The program has been embraced by Hertz customers. Since the company first launched self-service kiosks with Simply Wheelz in Orlando, Hertz’s market share in Orlando has increased and 80 percent of Simply Wheelz transactions in Orlando are now conducted via a kiosk. Hertz is seeing approximately 65 percent average usage rates across all locations, and has done in excess of 340,000 rentals via self-service kiosks. Average check-in time is approximately 5 minutes.

NCR is also providing Hertz with comprehensive hardware support services, including remote management and help desk assistance, to ensure the utmost in customer service.

In 2002, KioskCom launched the inaugural industry-wide Self-Service Excellence Awards to honor the most successful and innovative self-service and interactive digital media solutions. Since then, KioskCom has honored over 200 companies across multiple industries for their leadership, innovations, and successes with self-service and interactive digital media solutions.