The technology at the heart of roadside assistance
Roadside assistance is an increasingly sophisticated tech operation. At the heart of assistance are our people, who are critical in providing an exceptional customer experience. Yet alongside them, every step of the way, there’s technology that enables us to extend our clients’ brands to the roadside and deliver tangible business benefits.
At its simplest, roadside assistance is about getting motorists on their way again. However, by using innovative technology, we don’t just meet customers’ increasing expectations about service and experience, we’re also able to make significant contributions to our clients’ brands and bottom line.
Tangible benefits
For our clients, such as insurance companies and car manufacturers, tangible benefits include an improved net promoter score, which helps to improve brand trust and reputation. It also includes a higher renewal rate on insurance policies. We also provide additional data, with events at the roadside providing an alternative perspective.
This is possible because the technology behind the scenes enables a better customer experience, and provides rich insights that facilitate strategic business decision-making.
The technology starts at the contact centre when a broken-down motorist calls in. Our sophisticated systems mean that one third of vehicles are mobilised over the phone – so the motorist is back on the road a few minutes after making the call. For cars that need hands-on assistance, our technology then extends to our despatch system, where the closest available technician accepts the job within minutes and provides an estimated time of arrival. The motorist waiting at the roadside then receives a tracking link via SMS so they can see who is coming to help, and get real-time updates on the location and ETA of the technician, providing peace of mind in an often-stressful situation. If needed we can auto-locate motorists, if they’re not sure where they are. Once the technician has completed helping the motorist at the roadside, all necessary photos and signatures are captured and uploaded on the spot, providing ultra-efficient and cost-effective service.
From the motorists’ perspective, this all adds up to a far better customer experience.
For our clients, the white-labelled mobile web application that’s used offers a professional, customised, interactive mobile solution for their customers to access. It provides immediate access to emergency and non-emergency services and allows clients to introduce new, existing and potential customers to their brand, products and services. The web application also uses an API to integrate with existing services – both internal and external.
Investing to meet evolving customer expectations
According to Digicall Assist CEO Michael Curtin, our clients and their end customers are always foremost in our mind when we’re making technology investments.
“We are very conscious that people’s expectations of their customer experience are evolving and it’s important that we change with that. We invest in these technologies so our clients don’t have to.”
“The roadside assistance process allows us to provide an additional touchpoint for our clients that they wouldn’t otherwise have”, says Michael. “In many cases, our client may only deal with their customer when they send their renewal — ‘Here’s a bill, pay it’. We deal with them in a more positive way, and this is important for improving customer relationships.”
The technology doesn’t stop once the motorist is back on the road. We provide our clients with analytics and reporting that show trends, feedback and business opportunities. In some cases, this will allow us to indemnify potential problems and respond proactively.
World first roadside assistance
A perfect example of this is the world’s first self-help multi-lingual roadside assistance app that Digicall Assist recently developed. With 1 in 5 Australians speaking a language other than English, the app bypasses language barriers so motorists can easily communicate the issue they are having and get help.
The multi-lingual app was launched in partnership with our client Maserati, who noticed a change in their customer base and wanted to make it easier for drivers with limited English. It also includes location tracking and the ability for motorists to upload photos of the issue – leading to far quicker resolution.
“In some cases, the customer simply may not know where they are with any great confidence,” says Michael Curtin. “But by using an app, we can get the geolocation from their smartphone and we know exactly where we need to send help.”
The self-help app – like all the other technology used throughout the roadside assistance journey – not only help not only gets drivers back on the road sooner, but provide brand and business benefits for our clients.
Want to know more? Contact Geoff Ohlsen at Digicall Assist to understand how we can support you with B2B2C roadside assistance.
