New Feature Bolsters National’s Award-Winning Service for Frequent Business Travelers Demanding On-the-Go Service
ST. LOUIS, 2012-08-01 — /travelprnews.com/ — National Car Rental, the premier rental car brand for business travel, today announced the launch of its new Return Alerts to Emerald Club members to enhance efficiency, choice and convenience in their frequent business travel.
The new service – offered to those renting two days or longer in the United States and Canada – sends an email alert to Emerald Club members four hours in advance of a scheduled car rental return. The alert features the return location address and airport name, a link to a map guiding the customer to the return location and the contact number to call if a reservation extension is needed.
“When business travelers hit the road, speed, ease and options are top priorities,” said Rob Connors, assistant vice president of marketing, National Car Rental. “Return Alerts enhance the travel experience by providing travelers with automatic email notifications that remind them of their vehicle drop-off time and location, even in the midst of a busy schedule.”
Return Alerts join other offerings introduced in the past year that specifically target Emerald Club members. Drop & GoSM is an expedited rental return process that allows customers to simply drop off their vehicle and have the receipt emailed to them. Customers who are registered for Drop & Go service will be informed by their Return Alerts if the return location is also a Drop & Go location. Emerald Club members also can receive Arrival Alerts, an email received when their flight lands that provides their reservation number, information about their National rental location and directions to the rental center.
Another major benefit to Emerald Club members is access to National’s “Emerald Aisle,” an exclusive section of the lot where members can select any vehicle as long as they reserve a mid-size car; members only pay the mid-size rate, even if they end up driving away in a larger vehicle. National operates more than 60 Emerald Aisle locations in the United States and Canada, including at the top 50 airports for business travel.
These offerings are all part of National’s ongoing commitment to customer service. What’s more, they are a direct response to listening to the needs of business travelers. “Through ‘The Emerald Exchange’ – our online community of 300 Emerald Club members – we gather insights into what those customers demand from the car rental experience,” said Connors. “Listening to their feedback has led to innovations like Return Alerts, Arrival Alerts and Drop & Go. It’s also helped to make the National Car Rental brand an industry leader in ensuring customer loyalty, customer satisfaction and market share growth.”
For more information, visit www.nationalcar.com. To enjoy all the benefits of the Emerald Club, enroll online by visiting www.emeraldclub.com.
About National Car Rental
Founded in 1947, National Car Rental is a premium, internationally recognized brand serving the daily rental needs of the frequent airport traveler throughout the world. With National, time-sensitive customers in the United States are able to quickly choose their own vehicles, based upon their advance reservation and requested car class, and then simply drive away from the airport. National – which launched the car rental industry’s first comprehensive frequent-renter program – further expedites the rental process for Emerald Club members by offering counter bypass as well as Drop & GoSMservice with convenient e-receipts. The Emerald Club program also provides electronic “Arrival Alerts” and access to National’s “Emerald Aisle,” an exclusive section of the lot where members can select any vehicle as long as they reserve a mid-sized car.
In 2011, Executive Travel magazine recognized National as the top rental car service in the travel industry, honoring the brand with its “Leading Edge Awards.” In addition, the SmarterTravel Editors Choice Award went to Emerald Club in 2010 and 2011 as the “Best Rental Car Loyalty Program.” Emerald Club also was awarded a 2010 Business Traveler Innovation Award – sponsored by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and The Wall Street Journal – for expediting the travel process and enhancing convenience and efficiency. National is the “Official Car Rental Company of the PGA of America.
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