Previous Situation
When the J.D. Power and Associates report was released in November 2011 AvisBudget found themselves ranked 8th out of the top 11 carriers and below the industry average in rental car satisfaction. AvisBudget needed to change this, and fast.
AvisBudget quickly realized they needed to dramatically improve all aspects of the customer experience being provided by the different outsourced reservations centers throughout the world. Upon examination, AvisBudget realized that their partners were focusing too much on hitting core performance metrics and too little on providing optimal customer experiences.
Desired Outcome
To help implement a culture shift, AvisBudget sought out a partner who could provide an outside perspective to help them provide a differentiated customer experience by:
- Improving the coaching skills of the managers
- Develop a process that would help agents create a better experience for their customers
- Strengthening the individual brands by better differentiating and responding to the needs of an Avis customer versus a Budget customer
- Building the value of ABG’s partner brands by emphasizing the benefits customers receive by renting with ABG as a partner brand member
- Providing a safer, more enjoyable rental experience by offering the appropriate ancillary products (Loss Damage Waiver, Roadside Assistance, GPS, Satellite Radio, etc.)
- Rolling out the program across countries and ensure sustainability of execution
The Solution
OutSell Consulting was selected to help AvisBudget achieve these goals. We collaborated with ABG, WNS and Televista (two of AvisBudget’s leading outsourcers) leadership including vendor management, training, quality assurance and the sales executives.
From that work we developed two customized programs for ABG. The first was focused on how to create a definable, differentiated and repeatable customer experience between agents and customers. The second was focused on giving the management teams the skills to coach to those behaviors and ensure the sustainability of success.
Over the course of several months OutSell delivered classroom training as well as follow up coaching training throughout multiple international locations including Mexico and Costa Rica.
The Results
The economic result of this program was significant. ABG experienced:
- 16% increase in ancillary revenue
- 15% increase in revenue per rental
- 32% increase in “Take Rate” or the percentage of rentals that have additional ancillary products sold.
The non-economic impact was just as significant.
- The relationship between ABG and their outsourced call center partners has gone from being confrontational to collaborative
- Supervisors are now focused on coaching to behaviors and creating a positive coaching experience for the agents
- Quality Assurance is now seen as an ally and not the “conversation police.”
Thank you, AvisBudget Group, WNS and Televista for giving us the opportunity to work with you and create a long-term partnership.
