Hertz personalizes motor travel further with rollout of GPS update
Hertz is ramping up its effort to create a more seamless experience for customers by rolling out nationwide its in-vehicle next-generation Hertz NeverLost GPS navigation system that lets travelers personalize their trip plans.
?Hertz NeverLost now has an improved design and customer interface,? said Graham Weedon, Park Ridge, N.J.-based Hertz?s director of communications and public relations. ?It is more connected than ever before ? almost all the onboard content is now updated wirelessly.
?It also has more custom curated content than ever before, including audio descriptions, hi-res images, and key destination info like hours and prices, can pair with your phone and import contacts and connects with Hertz? reservation system to highlight key rental details onscreen.?
Car-rental experience
Hertz, the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand with 10,090 corporate and licensee locations in 145 countries, has been striving to re-invent the car rental experience and provide customers with a new and improved way to rent cars.
It has been building toward giving travelers a simple, mobile way to research, explore and plan trips.
In August, Hertz, moving to create a more seamless experience for rental-car customers, rolled out a free mobile application that integrates a travel planner and location technology to let drivers browse information about millions of United States destinations and sync trip plans with an in-car GPS system.
Hertz YouTube video explains how in-car GPS system works.
The NeverLostCompanion app offers access to more than 10 million U.S. destinations, including events, local weather, augmented reality and social-media sharing.
A proliferation of rental booking options has made it possible for transactions to be carried out through multiple devices and multiple channels. Customers also have increasing choice and channel options when it comes to car rental, especially with the growth of mobile and tablet bookings.
The company has developed mobile booking apps, responsive web design, and on demand technology to enable customers to rent cars by the hour at any time of the day.
Hertz?s continual surveying of customers shaped the form and function of the latest generation of NeverLost.
Its features include hands-free calls, a travel guide and information about weather and flights. A live concierge operators helps search for destinations, build custom trips and send route information directly to the NeverLost system.
Companion app
The update also includes the NeverLost Companion app to sync favorites, explore the area and search for destinations from any location.
The update also includes rental record information to let users view current rental record information on the device.
?Based on demand, we?re expanding the NeverLost installations to our largest percentage of the Hertz fleet ever,? Mr. Weedon said. ?We plan on reaching 90,000 installed vehicles by year?s end and will be a mix of New NeverLost and the more recent NeverLost Generation 5.
?Hertz NeverLost can now share your rental record details onscreen, and we have plans for the ability to remote activate NeverLost and other features."
Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York.