ZAMBA Solutions Helps Hertz Put its Customers in the Driver's Seat
24 February 2000
ZAMBA Solutions Helps Hertz Put its Customers in the Driver's Seat
MINNEAPOLIS--Feb. 23, 2000--to Make Rental Experience Easier and More
Efficient for the Customer
ZAMBA Solutions , a leading consultancy and business solutions provider dedicated exclusively to the fast-growing CRM and eCRM market, announced today that it has completed design and implementation of an enhanced customer care system for Hertz Corporation . The second generation GEM (Gold Electronic Manifest) system uses a sophisticated combination of wireless and Web-based technologies to help Hertz make the rental process easier and more efficient for its #1 Club Gold customers renting from airport locations.
The completion of the second phase of the GEM system (GEM II) builds on the original GEM application, which ZAMBA Solutions helped design and implement in 1996. The new features of GEM II - which include a web-based backend, an open, object-oriented design, and sophisticated wireless communications - will allow Hertz to integrate emerging technologies and easily make enhancements as its needs and its customers' desires change.
"We are proud to have designed and implemented such an extraordinary customer care system. By using a combination of technologies customized to Hertz's needs, we've developed a complete solution to help Hertz attract and retain valued frequent renters," says Paul Edelhertz, ZAMBA's president and CEO. "Hertz knows that to win in the new digital economy, building lasting relationships with customers is key. By providing such a high level of customer care, Hertz gives itself a competitive edge."
The GEM system allows Hertz to provide a better experience for its customers by saving them time and offering personalized service. When #1 Club Gold members embark on the rental car shuttle bus, their names are transmitted electronically to the Hertz Gold Booth. By the time customers arrive at the Hertz lot, their rental stall is illuminated with their name, the trunk is opened, and the keys are in the ignition - all without waiting in lines.
The GEM II project took ZAMBA Solutions just under a year to design and implement. ZAMBA Solutions is currently helping Hertz roll it out at ten airports nationwide, with plans for implementation at an additional 20 airports by the end of March.
"Zamba helped us build and deploy the first GEM system, so we knew that they had the wireless data skills and experience that would be imperative for success on this project," says Dave Logan of Hertz. "ZAMBA listened to our needs and responded with a solution that fit our budget as well as our goals for customer service and system supportability."
A Sophisticated Combination of Technologies
Although the GEM system's back-end technology is essentially invisible to customers, the inner workings are quite complex:
-- Based on an open architecture that allows Hertz to
incorporate emerging technologies and operate in a networked
environment
-- Designed using graphical object-oriented modeling tool
Rational Rose
-- Developed with Java programming language
-- Communication across Hertz network transmitted via CORBA
middleware
-- Communication with the wireless networks handled by
middleware from Nettech Systems
-- Object database from ODI used to store details such as
reservations, stall numbers, and estimated times of arrival
-- Java servlets from Sun Microsystems power a web-based tool
that offers ability to manage and monitor activities via a
web browser
-- All technology interfaces with extensive wireless networks
provided by BellSouth and AT&T
About Hertz
The Hertz Corporation , based in Park Ridge, N.J., operates a fleet of 550,000 vehicles from more than 6,300 locations worldwide. Visit the company on the web at http://www.hertz.com.
About ZAMBA Solutions
ZAMBA Corporations is a leading consultancy and business solutions provider dedicated exclusively to the fast-growing CRM and eCRM market. ZAMBA's highly focused consulting and systems integration expertise includes Customer Care strategy, front-office applications, customer intelligence, contact center management, wireless and mobile computing, performance improvement and support services, with a major emphasis on e-business. ZAMBA Solutions works with leading technology providers, including Allaire, Aspect, Clarify, Calico Commerce, Cybercash, Edify, Genesys, IBM, IET, Microsoft, NewChannel, Oracle, Primus, Rubric, Siebel, Sun Microsystems, Vignette, Workscape and others, to provide innovative, integrated technology solutions to its clients. The company has offices in Minneapolis, Boston, Denver, and the Silicon Valley. Visit ZAMBA Solutions on the Web at http://www.ZAMBAsolutions.com.
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward looking statements. Factors that impact such forward looking statements include, among others, the growth rate of the Customer Care marketplace, the ability of our partners to maintain competitive products, our ability to develop skills in implementing Customer Care packages from additional partners, the impact of competition and pricing pressures from actual and potential competition with greater financial resources, our ability to obtain large-scale consulting services agreements, changes in expectations regarding the information technology industry, our ability to hire and retain competent employees, possible changes in collections of accounts receivable, changes in general economic conditions and interest rates, and other factors identified in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
When used in this press release, the words "may," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "intend," "potential," or "continue" and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. ZAMBA Corporation assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, and/or performance of achievements.