To hear Stacey Milliken, who works for Burgner Enterprises, the Dollar Thrifty franchisee in Nashvil

On the eve of auto rental market budget rent a car discount codes consolidation, while the rest of the free world concentrates on how 93% of the North American market will soon be controlled by three companies, I couldn t help but think of the opportunity that awaits the independent brands.
The opportunity first becomes apparent by understanding that the independents the entrepreneurs in this industry are alive and well and are filling the need for choice in car rental. This is manifested on Expedia, which has changed its matrix to display smaller brands on the first search budget rent a car discount codes results page. It is found in an article in the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of Budget Travel Magazine that highlights the independent car rental brands ( They Try Harder Too ).
After flying into Ft. Lauderdale, I saw the independent brands such as Royal Rent-A-Car and E-Z Rent-A-Car with counters in the consolidated rental car facility alongside the big boys. Fox is just off airport and now has five locations budget rent a car discount codes in Florida, a testament to the brand s growth in the state in less than two years.
The need for choice is evident in the pending Hertz sale of Advantage to Franchise Services of North America (FSNA), U-Save s parent company. The Summit s opening speaker, Bob Barton, is president and COO of FSNA.
This need for choice is an open door of opportunity. But how can the independents take advantage? That could be found during the presentation of Stuart Greif, budget rent a car discount codes who runs the JD Power and Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study. It was two words on a single slide:
A smile matters. Greif gave metrics that correlate the number of staff interactions with smiles in the car rental experience to an increase in satisfaction. How much does a warm smile cost? Greif pointed out. It s true the name brands with the big pocketbooks don t have a lock on smiles.
Now here s the good news for the industry overall: While JD Power won t disclose the results of the 2012 rental car satisfaction study until Nov. 8, Greif did reveal that the average satisfaction index score for the industry overall continues trending upward since the Recession. And coming out of the Recession, the car rental industry s scores continue to improve at a better pace than those from the hotel and airline industries.
Greif also mentioned another JD Power customer satisfaction study for the hotel industry. Ranking third overall behind luxury brands Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons is Drury Hotels, a family-owned, mid-scale chain based in the Midwest. Drury s ranking budget rent a car discount codes is a testament to the fact that you can compete asymmetrically with bigger brands, Greif said.
Greif showed that as customer satisfaction increases, budget rent a car discount codes so does advocacy, loyalty and usage of that brand. This fact ties into data presented budget rent a car discount codes from a Frontline Performance Group survey on local market customers. For loyal customers, who rent four or more times a year, the price tipping point that would send them elsewhere is $8 a day. The tipping point for the less frequent customer, who rents one to two times a year, is $3.50.
And that s because budget rent a car discount codes people matter a point that became especially evident in the acceptance speeches from the winners of the Auto Rental News Professional of the Year Awards, sponsored by American Express .
To hear Stacey Milliken, budget rent a car discount codes who works for Burgner budget rent a car discount codes Enterprises, the Dollar Thrifty franchisee in Nashville, and Elizabeth Alonso from Midway Car Rental in Southern California, is to experience budget rent a car discount codes excellent customer service come to life. (Veronica Weston of Avis Budget Group couldn t travel because of Storm Sandy.) There are no words on paper that can capture their reactions to winning the award or the emotions in their speeches on their commitment to their companies and customers.
Chris Brown is the executive editor of Business Fleet Magazine and Auto Rental News for Bobit Business Media. Through these publications, online newsletters, trade events and associations, Chris covers all aspects budget rent a car discount codes of the fleet world, including fleet management, manufacturer fleet activities, the fleet leasing industry, vehicle remarketing, rental industry news, car rental budget rent a car discount codes taxation and legislation as well as automotive environmental initiatives and trends.