Left: Ritu Shannon, senior manager travel agency sales
Right: Don McPhail, AVP Strategic Sales, Enterprise Holdings
What’s new in the world of car rentals? Plenty, says Enterprise Holdings. In this edition of Friday Five, we ask the company’s Don McPhail, Assistant Vice President of Strategic Sales, and Ritu Shannon, Senior Manager, Travel Agency Sales, about the increasingly competitive market, the important of travel agents, and how it gives back to local communities.
1. How does Enterprise support Canadian travel agents?
McPhail: At Enterprise Holdings, we have a dedicated team of trained sales professionals that work with Canadian travel agents and agencies to support their needs. One of the ways we show our appreciation for our agent partners is through our Cash-In Club rewards program. Cash-In Club is available through all three Enterprise Holdings’ brands – Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car. The program offers travel agents the opportunity to receive competitive rates while rewarding agents for their business. Agents can convert their reward points to Visa Prepaid Cards, giving them the flexibility to use their rewards on anything they like.
We also work to maintain our strong relationship with the broader Canadian travel agent community. That’s why we’ve recently renewed our partnership with the Association of Canadian Travel Agents (ACTA). This is our third year as ACTA partners, and we’re hoping to continue to work on issues of mutual relevance and support each other’s commitment to work in the best interest of the travel agency community.
2. How does Enterprise use technology to make bookings easier?
Shannon: Enterprise has a number of programs that leverage new technology and real-time information to make bookings more efficient for customers and travel agents alike. Through Enterprise’s LaunchPad, travel agent bookings are already in the hands of Enterprise employees (literally!) when the customer comes through the door. With the LaunchPad software, Enterprise employees have real-time booking information on tablets, freeing the customer from the rental counter and providing a more streamlined experience – before, during and after their rentals.
Through National Car Rental’s Emerald Club members can also access real-time information to make bookings easier. Using the Virtual Aisle mobile app, members can see the real-time inventory available at select airport locations, then choose and reserve the specific car they wish to drive. This is just one more way we’re streamlining the booking and rental process.
3. The car rental industry is competitive, what makes Enterprise brands different?
McPhail: Our people. Enterprise hires motivated employees from across Canada and invests in their professional growth. Our employees bring to life our guiding principle of complete customer satisfaction. This principle has helped Enterprise Holdings grow to where it is today, and serves as the signpost for our future. We conduct surveys with hundreds of thousands of customers each month to ensure we’re delivering on this principle. In fact, earlier this year, Enterprise Rent-A-Car took top honors at the 2018 Travvy Awards, which honors the top brands across the travel industry, taking home Gold in the Best Overall Car Rentals and Best Domestic Car Rentals. Other recent travel honors can be seen on our website.
4. Enterprise Holdings is the largest car rental company in the world, how large is its Canadian presence?
Shannon: We pride ourselves on being a neighbourhood company, but we also have the distinction of being the largest rental car company in Canada. Enterprise Holdings’ diverse brand portfolio accounts for more than 750 fully staffed neighborhood and airport locations and more than 5,400 employees across the country. Our large network of locations makes it easy to connect customers with the right vehicle in the right place. We also offer other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name in Canada including Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Truck Rental, Exotic Car Collection by Enterprise and Enterprise Fleet Management.
We also studied our overall economic impact across Canada last year. We looked at all of our activities, including payroll, vehicle purchases and charitable giving. We found that overall, Enterprise Holdings gave Canada an estimated $2.8 billion economic boost. As Enterprise grows, we aim to hire, spend and give locally – benefiting the neighbourhoods in which we operate.
5. Finally, how does Enterprise give back in Canada?
McPhail: Enterprise is very proud to lead a number of initiatives to give back to the Canadian communities in which it operates. As part of our $60 million dollar Fill Your Tank initiative to fight food insecurity, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation will donate $1.5 million per year for six years to Food Banks Canada. Further, each Enterprise Holdings’ regional subsidiary receives an additional allotment to support local food banks and food bank charities of their choice.
Community engagement is one of our core values. That’s why Enterprise, National and Alamo employees are empowered to support the local charities of their choosing. Last year, the Enterprise Holdings Foundation and local Canadian employees collectively contributed more than $2.4 million to local charities. These include the national United Way, the Canadian Red Cross, and Montreal Children’s Hospital, as well as the Moncton Boys and Girls club, the Chilliwack Hospice Society, and many more.
