Two Years After Acquisition, Enterprise, National and Alamo Capture Three of Top Four Spots in J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study
National Moves to Second Place as Rental Brand for Frequent Airport Travelers
November 17, 2009 (St. Louis) - When J.D. Power and Associates announced the 2009 Rental Car Satisfaction Study results today, three of the top four rankings went to the Enterprise Holdings portfolio of brands - Enterprise Rent-A-Car (ranking highest), National Car Rental (ranking second) and Alamo Rent A Car (ranking fourth) - which are owned and operated by the Taylor family of St. Louis.
The Taylors, who acquired National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car in 2007, founded Enterprise Rent-A-Car in 1957 and have made the Enterprise brand synonymous with customer service excellence. In fact, Enterprise's culture of customer service has been the subject of numerous books and articles, including the Harvard Business Review.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental are now ranked highest and No. 2, respectively, marking the sixth year in a row that Enterprise has led the industry in the J.D. Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study, which includes both leisure and business travelers in North America. This is the first time that National has achieved such a high ranking.
Two years after completing the largest acquisition ever in the car rental industry, Enterprise Holdings, which operates through regional subsidiaries, is the most comprehensive provider and only investment-grade company in the industry today. In addition, as a result of recent growth, Enterprise Holdings also leads the car rental industry with approximately a third of all airport business in the U.S. and Canada.
"We took the time, care and thought to get the integration process right from a customer service perspective, even during extremely challenging economic times," said Enterprise Holdings' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrew C. Taylor.
"For my family, business is personal - that is what being an owner-operator is all about," Taylor continued. "And that is why we will never be 100 percent satisfied until Enterprise, National and Alamo hold all three of the top spots in the annual J.D. Power and Associates study!"
Taylor noted that Enterprise Holdings began leveraging the combined expertise and strength of the Enterprise and National brands from the start. For example, their corporate customers immediately had access to an unparalleled network of more than 7,000 neighborhood and airport branch offices throughout North America.
Customer Service is Lifeblood of Company's Growth
Meanwhile, Enterprise Holdings also began researching and exchanging best practices across the three distinct brands. Enterprise Rent-A-Car now conducts Brand Integrity Audits that require assessors to visit locations and evaluate customer service; bus service and condition; counter, return and exit booth service; brand image; facilities and wait times; and perhaps most importantly, vehicle cleanliness and condition. Alamo and National employees introduced this program to the Enterprise team shortly after the acquisition was completed.
In the same vein, the National and Alamo brands have begun reporting a Service Quality index (SQi), based on Enterprise's well-known ESQi program, to ensure that employees make a positive impression on each customer. "Our customer service program is the lifeblood of our company's growth," Taylor stressed. "So when we acquired National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car in 2007- the year of Enterprise 50th anniversary - we were eager to share our 'top box' strategy and focus on exceeding customer expectations."
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has documented that this simple but effective approach helps drive complete satisfaction and builds long-term loyalty. Today, customer service scores are tabulated and tracked every month for the Enterprise car rental brand (ESQi) as well as National (NSQi) and Alamo (ASQi).
Listening to Customers
"I am very proud that the Enterprise, National and Alamo brands continue to make such great strides collectively," Taylor said. "I believe the integration process was so successful because our employees always look for opportunities to listen to customers and to learn from one another. After all, we really hit the ground running last year when we landed three of the top four slots in the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates study, only one year after the acquisition."
In the 2009 study, J.D. Power and Associates surveyed almost 13,000 individuals who rented vehicles at North American airports and focused on six categories of service: reservation process, pick-up process, rental car, shuttle bus/van service, return process, and costs and fees.
"The reality, however, is that we interact with approximately a million consumers a week, and that number continues to grow. So even if a small percentage comes away less than satisfied, that is a significant number of people we should have served better," Taylor noted. "We know we're not perfect, so our employees tirelessly work day-in and day-out to address problems and concerns.
"Our entire employee team shares a powerful customer service ethic and remains focused on providing a level of service that keeps customers coming back over and over again," he concluded. "As a result, it is a genuine honor to be recognized by experienced car rental customers in this manner."
About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957 and headquartered in St. Louis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand operating in the United States, Canada, the U.K., Ireland, and Germany. There are more than 5,000 Enterprise offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, and local customers are picked up at no extra cost. In addition, Enterprise of North America is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world's largest car rental network.
Known for exceptionally low rates and outstanding customer service, Enterprise was named to BusinessWeek's annual list of "Customer Service Champs" in 2007, 2008 and 2009. To minimize the environmental impact of car rentals, Enterprise not only offers customers the opportunity to offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, but also to rent a hybrid vehicle in more than 30 major markets. For more information about Enterprise, visit www.enterprise.com.
About National Car Rental
Founded in 1947 and headquartered in St. Louis, National Car Rental is a premium, internationally recognized brand serving the daily rental needs of the frequent airport traveler throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. National is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world's largest car rental network.
National enables time-sensitive customers to quickly choose their own vehicles, based upon their advance reservation and requested car class, and then simply drive away from the airport. National - which launched the car rental industry's first comprehensive frequent-renter program - further expedites the rental process for its Emerald Club members by offering counter bypass as well as convenient e-receipts. The Emerald Club program also provides access to National's "Emerald Aisle," an exclusive section of the lot where members can select any vehicle as long as they reserve a midsized car. National has been the "Official Car Rental Company of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour" since 1994, and its partnership with the PGA TOUR extends through 2011. For more information about National, visit www.nationalcar.com.
About Alamo Rent A Car
Founded in 1974 and headquartered in St. Louis, Alamo Rent A Car is a value-oriented, internationally recognized brand serving the rental needs of airport leisure travelers. Alamo offers low rental rates and a hassle-free customer experience at the most popular travel destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia. In addition, Alamo enables customers to conveniently choose their own vehicles, based upon their advance reservation and requested car class, and then simply drive away from the airport.
Alamo - the largest car rental provider to international travelers visiting North America - also is part of a global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world's largest car rental network. Alamo is a recognized technology innovator, with the industry's first and only online check-in system since 2005, as well as more than 159 self-service kiosks at 65 U.S. locations, which earned it the "Extra Mile Award" from Budget Travel magazine in 2007. Alamo also serves as the official rental car company of Walt Disney World® Resort and Disneyland® Resort. Customers who book online receive Alamo's best rates, and if they choose the "Prepay & Save" option when making their online reservation, they may receive an additional 10% discount. For more information about Alamo, including the Best Rate Guarantee, visit www.alamo.com.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.