Cross Country Automotive Services Partners With Kivera for Next Generation Location-Based Services
BOSTON and OAKLAND, Calif.--Nov. 6, 2001--New Location-Based Software and Data to Boost CCAS' Customer Satisfaction Levels Among Telematics and Roadside Assistance Clients
and Customers
Cross Country Automotive Services (CCAS) today announced that it has chosen Kivera - the standard for dependable location-based services (LBS) - to develop and implement the next generation of its LBS technology platform. Kivera will integrate its Kivera Location Engine(TM) technology into CCAS's existing infrastructure, and the enhanced capability is scheduled for availability in early 2002.
This new functionality will give CCAS's Telematics and Roadside Assistance businesses the enhanced ability to locate drivers with pinpoint accuracy, provide best-in-class emergency and mayday services, provide turn-by-turn directions, and obtain information about nearest services ranging from ATMs to gas stations to mapping information. As a result, drivers will receive emergency help or roadside assistance more quickly, improving their overall experience and safety, and CCAS's clients will be assured that drivers receive the highest levels of customer service available.
The partnership with Kivera marks yet another customer relationship management (CRM) milestone that CCAS has reached in offering its clients industry-leading mobility-related customer service initiatives. CCAS clients include: Volvo Cars of North America LLC; American Honda Motor Co., Inc.; BMW of North America, Inc.; DaimlerChrysler Corporation and Farmers Insurance Group, among others.
"Whether a Volvo driver needs roadside assistance or immediate emergency attention, when it comes to delivering the help or information requested, CCAS understands that every second counts," says Klas-Eino Klasson, Project manager, Telematics for Volvo Cars of North America. "This enhanced LBS data and software not only promises critically enhanced services for our customers, but also epitomizes the reason that we have tapped CCAS as the backbone of our roadside assistance program, as well as the sole provider of our Volvo On Call Plus telematics offering."
A core component of CCAS's effort to continually scale its technology infrastructure, Kivera's Location Engine technology will significantly increase the information available to CCAS's telematics and roadside associates. Employing Kivera's proprietary technology to determine the best available data for the specific address or location enables CCAS to provide service to the driver more quickly and accurately. Through the partnership with Kivera, CCAS will tap the following informational databases: NAVTECH's turn-by-turn route guidance data for the top 60 urban areas in the U.S.; Geographic Data Technology for turn-by-turn route guidance for non-urban areas across the U.S.; VISA International for location information of banks and automatic teller machines (ATMs); and, Acxiom's InfoBase(R) Business Telephone Directory to give enhanced location services.
Using this enhanced information resource, drivers will give CCAS's associates their current location - address, intersection or point of interest (businesses, ATMs, landmarks, etc.) - and CCAS will be able to convert this information into precise latitude/longitude data. For clients with in-vehicle devices, the exact longitude and latitude will be transmitted from the vehicle and will automatically be converted into an address for an associate. By pinpointing a driver's location, CCAS can then deploy the best roadside assistance provider from their network of over 30,000 providers that can get to the driver the quickest, as well as provide specific directional and location information.
"Because one component of customer satisfaction is tied to our ability to meet our estimated times of arrival, Kivera's LBS software and data will play a critical role in helping us increase our customer satisfaction ratings," said Michael A. Saxton, CCAS's President and CEO. "The functionality, performance and scalability of Kivera's LBS software and data made the company an ideal partner for CCAS. Cross Country Automotive Services has been helping drivers get back on the road since 1972, and our partnership with Kivera marks another important step forward in the level of service we're able to provide our clients' customers."
"Kivera is proud to power CCAS's telematics and roadside businesses and to support services that are relied on by several million drivers annually," said Clay Collier, President, Kivera. "Top automotive brands, insurance companies and affinity marketers have instilled their trust in CCAS, and Kivera Location Engine technology will assist CCAS in its efforts to deliver the most reliable LBS solutions to its customers."
For nearly 30 years, CCAS has provided a variety of customer relationship management initiatives to clients, which include half of all automobile manufacturers and importers/distributors, half of the top property-casualty insurance companies, leading wireless carriers, financial institutions, affinity groups and other organizations.
About Kivera
Kivera, the standard for dependable location-based services, is a market-leader for in-vehicle navigation, telematics, and voice-interaction services. With a history of delivering dependable, high quality location-based solutions to the best of breed companies, Kivera provides tailored, private-label solutions -- such as proximity searches, yellow page queries, and driving directions -- to suppliers of wireless carriers, logistics and telematics organizations, on-board navigation companies, and Web, voice, and wireless portals. Kivera's unique ability to compile content from multiple data sources provides the highest level of accuracy, flexibility, and reliability available today. Customers and partners include the AAA, BeVocal, Cross Country Automotive Services (CCAS), DENSO, HeyAnita, IBM's WebSphere, and Sun-Netscape's iPlanet. Founded in 1997, Kivera is based in Oakland, California. For more information, please visit www.kivera.com.
About Cross Country Automotive Services
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Cross Country Automotive Services (www.CrossCountry-Auto.com) is the leading provider of mobility-related customer service programs in North America, including emergency roadside assistance, telematics support, direct marketing and customer relationship management. Over 1,400 Cross Country employees serve more than 100 corporate clients and their more than 40 million customers each year. Cross Country Automotive Services is a member of The Cross Country Group, the largest privately held provider of customer service programs in the United States.