With the busy summer travel season upon us, ensuring a great customer experience is a leading priority at Enterprise Holdings.

The company is rolling out new global offerings to remove friction around the most critical steps in the journey, delivering customers enhanced control, personalization, and transparency. 

This approach helps ensure a smoother process for renting a car.

In automating certain elements of the check-in and return processes, Enterprise helps meet the increased demand for summer travel and makes its operations more efficient and flexible.

And while technology unlocks new possibilities, nothing replaces the human touch, which is why the company needs the right people on hand to meet any needs from customers.

Q&A With Paul Reh

In this interview, Paul Reh, vice president of global customer experience and Digital at Enterprise Holdings, details how the company is changing its summer travel booking patterns.

Q:Are the new initiatives below specific to using the Enterprise app or having an Enterprise account, or are they available to any customer that books? Besides a regular booking, what does the customer need to do to take advantage of the below? 

A: These new initiatives are available to any customer who books directly with us (on web, mobile app, or through a contact center). To use the service, booking through one of those channels is all that's required. One example of this work is a new offering from Enterprise at time of arrival to improve both the customer and employee experience. This streamlined and expedited check-in process automates certain steps of the customer’s arrival, including gathering payment and driver’s license information in advance of pick up.

Q:Is collecting payment and driver's license info an option or required? (This has been a long time coming in rental compared to airlines for instance.)

A: This is required to check in.

Q:What happens at the counter in this new process? Verification of license and credit card and send them to the car?

A: Yes, the customer arrives on the lot, and we do a quick scan of their driver’s license and then send them straight to their car.

Q:How is the process different from say an Emerald Club customer, who is able to go straight to the car?

A: Emerald Club customers can choose any vehicle in the Emerald Aisle and get a free car class upgrade depending on their tier.

Q:Other than payment and license collection, any other automations to mention? 

A: Rental customers can also add equipment and protection products ahead of time. Customers are also able to select optional products like damage waiver and XM radio. Another example is a new self-service offering Enterprise is introducing that enables customers to confirm or modify their rental return date and time digitally.

Q:Again, I’m wondering if this is app-based or for any customer? 

A: This is app and web-based and available to all customers regardless of how they book with us.

Q:These new processes seem to borrow the conveniences of loyalty club members and bring them to all customers for a smoother rental process. Thoughts? 

A: Our approach is to ensure we improve the process of renting a car for all.  In automating certain elements of the check-in and return processes, we are helping meet the increased demand for summer travel and are making our operations more efficient and flexible. And while technology unlocks new possibilities, nothing replaces the human touch, which is why we’ll always have people ready to meet whatever need a customer has.