“TACTAL streamlines our online customer communications so that we can focus on providing the best possible customer experience”

Imad KhalidiChief Executive Officer, Auto Europe

DRIVING SUCCESS

CUSTOMER CASE STUDY : JUNE 2018

GLOBAL CAR RENTAL COMPANY REDUCES OPERATIONAL EXPENSES WHILE INCREASING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CUSTOMER CASE STUDY | June 2018 | 3

The Challenge ........................................................ 5

The Solution ........................................................... 6

Implementation ..................................................... 7

Adoption ................................................................. 8

Call Growth ............................................................ 9

Financial Savings ................................................. 10

Reduced OPEX ....................................................... 11

Global Reach .......................................................... 13

Geo-Location ......................................................... 14

Eliminating Chat .................................................... 15

Better Engagement .............................................. 16

Next Steps .............................................................. 17

Conclusion .............................................................. 19

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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COMPANY PROFILE

Auto Europe is an international car rental services provider based in Portland, ME that focuses on delivering white glove service to its customers around the world. They have over 20,000 locations in 180 countries with three major call centers that provide 24/7 assistance.

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THE CHALLENGE

Additionally, Auto Europe did not want to experience any communications downtime or timely/expensive development work associated with the implementation of many new solutions.

Auto Europe was seeking a new technology to provide worldwide accessibility, a better customer experience,

lower costs, and no downtime.

is constantly looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition through new technology. In January 2016 they were seeking a solution that would allow them to provide an even better customer experience for travelers around the globe without increasing their already costly telco bills.

Auto Europe

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THE SOLUTIONInnovative and SecureTACTAL by i-Comm Connect is a patent-protected solution that allows businesses to embed secure, instant call buttons on their website, mobile app, or e-marketing materials. TACTAL is changing the way customers communicate with businesses online, while driving significant financial savings and an increased global market presence. TACTAL is double encrypted and more secure than most communications platforms on the market to protect the private information of companies and their customers.

Complementary, Simple Solution TACTAL is fully developed, complementary to the business, and interoperable with their existing infrastructure, which eliminates downtime and costly development work. The solution integrates seamlessly with any legacy or new phone system and requires no additional hardware. Call button management and generation is done within minutes through a self-administered online panel.

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Patented Visual Directory and Data CaptureCall buttons can be integrated to directly dial the business number provided or as a patented visual directory, which allows callers to navigate through a menu of end-points to connect to the right representative. Data about the caller is captured in real time and can be viewed by the business though the analytics dashboard in the TACTAL self-admin panel. Additionally, data can be passed through to the business’s existing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or contact center solution in real time to leverage existing customer profiles for more contextual, streamlined service.

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IMPLEMENTATIONIntegration of TACTALEmbedding TACTAL is easy. The business is given access to the TACTAL self-admin panel, which allows them to generate call buttons within minutes. The business can customize the look and feel of the button and dialer to match their company colors and design. With the information and phone numbers provided, the panel generates the encrypted call buttons to place directly on the website.

Customer Remains Engaged with WebsiteWhen a customer clicks on the TACTAL call button a separate dialer window appears on their screen. Customers are able to place a call to the business while they remain browsing the content in front of them, which increases call handling efficiency and reduces website abandonment.

Customers click the call button and instantly connect to a representative. It’s that simple!

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ADOPTIONAuto Europe placed their first TACTAL call button on their U.S. site in January 2016. Within two months TACTAL calls accounted for 6.7% of their U.S. call volume. In May 2018 TACTAL accounted for over 15% of Auto Europe’s total call volume.

Ease of AdoptionWith no marketing of the TACTAL call button on their site, Auto Europe used over 2,500 minutes of TACTAL calls in March 2016 (two months after initial implementation). The ease of adoption demonstrates how call-to-action buttons have become commonplace on smart-devices and users recognize that touching the embedded toll-free button immediately connects them to a representative.

First Time CallersSince January 2016 there have been over 26,800 first time users of the TACTAL call button on Auto Europe’s site. Due to the ease of adoption there is no barrier to entry for first time users.

Success and Expansion of TACTAL TACTAL can easily account for significant call volume without promotion of the feature, thus businesses are able to quickly see the benefits and cost-savings associated. Due to the successes of an easily implemented solution, Auto Europe initiated a plan to integrate call buttons across all of their 85 country specific URLs around the world.

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CALL GROWTHYear over Year (YOY) Call Growth In May 2018 there were 4,135 calls placed to Auto Europe through TACTAL (accounting for 15,211 minutes). This is up from 693 calls placed in May 2017, just one year prior.

The YOY Call Growth from May 2017 to May 2018 is 496%.

More Sites Leads to More Calls As Auto Europe adds TACTAL buttons to more URLs, the call volume continues to grow, along with the benefits and cost savings associated. TACTAL is currently on 9 Auto Europe sites; U.S., Canada, U.K., New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, Ireland, and Italy.

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Call Growth (May 2017 - May 2018)

Germany, France, Ireland, and Italy were added in January 2018, which accounts for the spike in call growth pictured in the graph above. Since then, the week over week call growth is ~6.57%.

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FINANCIAL SAVINGSTACTAL reduced Auto Europe’s telephony costs from $0.3027/min to $0.0175/min.

International Toll-Free is ExpensiveToll-free numbers allow customers to reach a live business representative for free, however these numbers are often region-dependent and can be very expensive to host. Auto Europe pays an average of $0.3291/min for international toll-free calling, which accounts for almost 87% of their telco related costs. 

Web-Based Calling Leads to Savings TACTAL is able to significantly reduce a business’s telco costs by driving call volume away from international toll-free and long distance charges, towards lower cost, web-based calling. By minimizing the use of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), TACTAL (in partnership with Fore Street Telco) pushes the savings through to the client.

Auto Europe’s local and international toll-free telephony cost is an average of $0.3027/min. TACTAL charges just $0.0175/min, which reduces their telephony costs by $0.2852/min.

On average, TACTAL saves Auto Europe ~$0.29/min.

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REDUCED OPEXTACTAL Calls are ~2x More EfficientTACTAL calls from May 2017 to May 2018 were an average of 3 minutes 24 seconds. Auto Europe reported traditional toll-free calls lasting an average of 6 minutes. TACTAL calls are almost two times as efficient as traditional toll-free calls.

More Interactions Per RepresentativeMore efficient calls allow representatives to handle more customer interactions, which reduces staffing and telephony costs.

More Efficient Call HandlingTACTAL can further increase call-handling efficiency by implementing the patented visual directory feature. This can be used as a replacement to traditional Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems for the customer to initiate pointed contact with the desired department or representative. Additionally, TACTAL has the ability to route calls based on location or the native language of the caller. Smart call routing reduces multiple hand-offs and agent time wasted for an overall reduction of operational expenses.

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GLOBAL REACH Auto Europe has received TACTAL calls from 155 countries.

Expanded Global Market Prior to TACTAL, Auto Europe was only able to receive calls from the 85 countries they provided with toll-free numbers. Since toll-free is not available or too costly to host in some regions, Auto Europe was failing to reach a significant portion of the global market.

With TACTAL, Auto Europe expanded their global reach to the entire world. The solution offers a way for customers to call Auto Europe for free, from anywhere with an internet-connected device. Since initial implementation, Auto Europe has received calls from 155 countries through TACTAL.

Heat map of call origination available through analytics dashboard in TACTAL self-admin panel.

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GEO-LOCATIONAdvantages of Geo-LocationTACTAL is able to capture and display the caller’s location for the representative in real time. This provides more context about why and where the customer is calling from, which enables quicker problem resolution.

Roadside Assistance Geo-location through TACTAL also enables a unique upsell opportunity for Auto Europe. They offer portable Wi-Fi devices for purchase, which allows customers to stay connected to the internet wherever they are traveling. Even if the customer does not have an international phone plan, with an internet connection they are able to place a TACTAL call in case of emergency. TACTAL captures the traveler’s location so that help crews can immediately be dispatched.

“Staying in touch with our customers is essential, particularly when they are in need of immediate assistance. TACTAL keeps our travelers connected while they are on the road.”

- Imad Khalidi, CEO, Auto Europe

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ELIMINATING CHATAuto Europe quickly discovered the customer satisfaction and cost-saving benefits of a website call button far outweigh the advantages of an online chat feature.

Auto Europe eliminated their online chat feature after 1 week in favor of TACTAL’s browser-based calling solution.

Chat was integrated by Auto Europe as another way for customers to reach out to them directly through their website, however, according to Auto Europe’s VP of Operations, Kirk Larkin, chat negatively affected sales and service success rates and limited upsell opportunities. In March 2016, Auto Europe got rid of their online chat feature after 1 week in favor of TACTAL. They found that consumers prefer the more efficient, streamlined voice communication provided by a global, instant call button.

“TACTAL is more pro-sales and just works better for us than chat.”

- Kirk Larkin, VP of Operations, Auto Europe

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BETTER ENGAGEMENTMore Qualified Sales Over the PhoneAuto Europe reported that customers connecting over chat were often making initial inquiries and less likely to be fully qualified customers. Those willing to connect over the phone are more committed to making a purchase and thus present a better opportunity to close. Both Auto Europe agents and customers prefer speaking over the phone to quickly close a sale.

Better Connection and Upsell OpportunitiesPhone conversations present an opportunity for agents to connect with the customer on a human level that is otherwise missed over chat. This sense of connection makes customers feel more engaged, leading to brand loyalty and repeat business. Additionally, agents can identify upsell opportunities such as portable Wi-Fi (see page 11) or car upgrades, based on the tone and natural flow of the conversation.

“We wanted a way for website visitors to contact a representative instantly, yet even our best, most sales-minded agents were taking 1 to 2 hours to close a deal over chat. With TACTAL a phone sale is made in an average of 6 minutes.”

- Kirk Larkin, VP of Operations, Auto EuropeAuto Europe

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NEXT STEPS

Continued growth and more benefits to come for Auto Europe

App DevelopmentTACTAL is creating a custom mobile app for Auto Europe that replaces pages of country-specific toll-free numbers with a single call button. The TACTAL call button uses intelligent routing based on location and native language of the device to connect the caller with the right representative or regional call center. TACTAL call volume is expected to grow exponentially with app integration and Auto Europe will realize even great financial savings and see more satisfied customers.

More Data for a Better Customer ExperienceTACTAL captures data about the caller and device used and has the ability to pass it through to the agent in real time. Auto Europe is in the process of replacing their current Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to take advantage of the new pipeline data provided by TACTAL. With CRM integration, representatives will be able to reference existing customer profiles and reservation history right away. The additional context enables more streamlined service, which leads to higher customer satisfaction.

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NEXT STEPS

Continued Expansion Across Auto Europe URLsAuto Europe continues to integrate TACTAL call buttons across more of their sites with a plan to roll out to all 85 sites by the end of the year. Additionally, Auto Europe is creating new websites for countries in which they do not host toll-free numbers and embedding TACTAL call buttons. Now customers in those countries they were previously unable to reach can use the TACTAL call button to reach Auto Europe online. Without spending additional money hosting more toll-free numbers. around the world, Auto Europe is able to address the entire global market and capture significantly more business.

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CONCLUSIONThe Results of TACTAL for Auto Europe • Easy adoption and integration of call buttons• Increased accessibility of sales and support team• Improved customer satisfaction through real-time online assistance• More efficient call handling and faster problem resolution• Significant financial savings • Reduced operational expenses • Expanded global reach and capture new business around

the world• Smart call routing to the right agent or regional call center based on language and location • Quicker dispatch for roadside assistance • Elimination of chat in favor of TACTAL • Continued implementation across mobile app and more sites

36+ 1-800-Toll numbers

Avg. telephony cost $0.3027/min

Global reach of 85 countries

Avg. 1-2 hours on ”chat” forcustomer service/upselling

Click to call worldwide directlyfrom website

Avg. telephony cost $0.0175/min

Global reach 195 countries

Eliminated chat, avg. 3-4 minutesto resolve issues/sell

BEFORE TACTAL AFTER TACTAL

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