Abrams Travel Data Services Launches 'CustomerFirst' Satisfaction Tracking Tool

    LONG BEACH, Calif.--June 4, 2001--Abrams Travel Data Services (ATD) has released a first-of-its-kind customer service tracking product offering subscriber car rental companies in-depth ratings of every facet of their customers' rental experience.
    The tracking product, called CustomerFirst, asks customers to rate the quality of all aspects of their experience, from the reservation to the rental return, using an A through F grading system. The product provides a detailed, indispensable tool for analyzing and tracking customer perceptions of service delivery, and is unlike anything being offered to the car rental industry. ATD is the leading specialized market research firm serving the global auto rental and allied travel service communities.
    Client subscribers can use the survey data for tracking customer service on a quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis, and will be able to compare performance of company locations and regions against each other. CustomerFirst can be used to track customer service for car rental companies operating in the airport market, local and replacement market, and luxury and specialty rental markets. Additionally, subscribers can choose to utilize a set of industry customer service benchmarks to compare company and location performance against other participating companies, utilizing secure data firewalls. Aggregation of the survey results will provide subscribers with detailed data that can be segmented and analyzed by region, industry segment or type of company, as well as other categories.
    "CustomerFirst has been designed for car rental systems and operators by car rental industry professionals," says Jon LeSage, Vice President and Director of Research. "The questionnaire and scoring system have been carefully constructed for the unique, specialized needs of the car rental industry, and go more in-depth than any other customer service measurement product available to the industry. CustomerFirst will determine your customer service performance rating - and arms you with the strategic management tools for understanding and analyzing the data, making any necessary local or system-wide changes, and accurately forecasting future customer loyalty behavior. Additionally, the performance rating may be used for marketing purposes."
    CustomerFirst is being offered in two formats, designed to meet the varying needs of car rental systems, independents, and franchisees whether they be airport-based or local market, domestic or international. The first format has been designed for the comprehensive and in-depth analysis of all aspects of the car rental process, including tracking internet transactions. The second version offers a condensed questionnaire for companies needing a more general overview of their customers' service ratings. Pricing is based on format, sample size, and frequency.
    "An unsatisfied customer who doesn't complain, and doesn't return, is the most dangerous of all possible service scenarios," says Neil Abrams, president of Abrams Consulting Group, Inc., the parent company of ATD. "It's the lost business that auto rental operators never know about that should keep them awake at night."
    ATD offers clients consumer and business-to-business surveys, focus groups, and market intelligence reports. ATD is a business unit of Abrams Consulting Group, Inc. (ACG), the leading dedicated auto rental consultancy worldwide since 1982.