Orange Business Services has won a three-year contract with the car hire company Hertz for IoT connectivity services to support its hourly vehicle rental service in the UK and six other European countries.
The Hertz 24/7 hourly rental service is currently available for businesses and through retail partnerships, allowing users to pick up their rented cars or vans at any time, for any duration and from convenient locations.
The business model provides companies with technology-enabled pool fleets, which the company says have proven to drive significant savings and substantial improvements in utilisation and service for the end user. The keyless carscan be booked by employees on the phone, online or using an app, which simplifies and improves the process, thereby saving costs.
With the IoT connectivity that provides voice services from the vehicles, customers now have a direct line to the Hertz contact centre. Previously, each country had to use a local operator to provide the SIM cards. The new deal with Orange Business Services enables Hertz to centralize the management of its fleet's SIM cards and service management with one global communications provider.
'We are constantly evolving as a business to reflect the changing demands of our customers. Our partnership with Orange Business Services is an ideal step for us as we embrace the future and take on new digital technologies that improve customer service,' said Fabrice Genty, senior director, Car Sharing Operations at Hertz.'
'IoT technology paves the way for new innovative services in the future. Working with a global player in the industry like Hertz is a great opportunity for us to showcase our global IoT expertise and the reliability of our services. We prioritise an unmatched customer experience, and we're firm believers in pushing the boundaries of innovation. By working with Hertz, we can do both,' added Anne-Sophie Lotgering, senior vice president, Europe, Russia & CIS at Orange Business Services.
The Orange Business Services IoT connectivity service is part of Datavenue, a modular IoT and Analytics solution. To enable advanced analysis and decision-making, the Datavenue solution encompasses the selection of relevant data and objects, their reliable and secure connection, and their management in the customer information system environment. A global team of more than 700 Orange data-scientists and engineers design and develop these innovative services. Orange already supports over 11 million active objects across a variety of sectors, including Smart Cities, Healthcare, Automotive and Industry. The launch of Datavenue reaffirms the Orange commitment to supporting businesses with their digital transformation.
