Feb 18, 2021   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Agero Introduces End-to-End Vehicle Recall Management Solution, Helping Auto Manufacturers Quickly and Effectively Drive Recall Completion

Agero, a market leader in software-enabled driver assistance services, today introduced Recall Solutions, the industry’s first suite of integrated end-to-end vehicle recall management services. The new offering helps auto manufacturers quickly stand up and scale streamlined and effective recall experiences for their teams, dealers and vehicle owners, a process that is complex to manage and typically delayed by inaccurate information and coordination obstacles – reasons why more than one in five vehicles have an open recall according to recent reports. The comprehensive suite of services covers everything from VIN owner validation to omnichannel email/phone/digital outreach and service scheduling, vehicle logistics support, real-time reporting and digital case management.

“When these unexpected campaigns arise, manufacturers need a partner that can quickly cover all that their recall requires, from finding and contacting customers to coordinating and supporting repair scheduling – all while putting brand messages and customer experience first,” said Jason Peters, vice president, Consumer Affairs and Connected Vehicles at Agero. “We’ve been supporting the automotive ecosystem – from manufacturers to dealers to fleet managers to repair shops and their customers – for decades and have seen just about everything, giving us the systems, infrastructure, partnerships and expertise needed to quickly drive results.”

As vehicles and their systems grow in complexity and increasingly share components across models and brands, the industry continues to face frequent, high-impact recall campaigns. Locating and reaching current owners can be difficult, and effectively coordinating across dealer and repair networks often becomes a logistical nightmare. To top it off, consumers express a wide range of reasons for not responding and completing repairs. Agero has spent years helping the largest automotive brands navigate and complete more than 50 recall campaigns ranging from targeted stop-drive safety campaigns to large-scale, multiphase nationwide recalls, and in late 2019 launched a new dedicated Consumer Affairs division to handle not just recalls, but inquiry and complaint management, technical and connected vehicle support and more. The newly announced Recall Solutions now augments previous capabilities to deliver expanded services through an integrated, configurable program that can be deployed in less than 24 hours – ensuring visibility, results and peace of mind through comprehensive end-to-end campaign management.

Recall Solutions addresses the failure points that are common in traditional recall campaigns to drive recall completion at all stages:

Recall Owner Validation – Finding the correct owner of a vehicle is the first step to successfully completing a recall campaign, but difficulty arises as the vehicle changes ownership throughout its lifecycle. Agero can validate current vehicle owners while augmenting and enhancing owner records by utilizing existing proprietary and partner data sources that provide access to more than 170 million unique records, thereby increasing the likelihood of reaching and notifying the correct vehicle owner the first time.

Proactive Engagement – While regulations require customer notification by paper mail, this approach does little to address downstream coordination and follow-up. Recall Solutions optimizes inbound and outbound communications through a seamless omnichannel experience that also reaches owners through notifications such as email, phone or text. These additional touchpoints can cause typical mail-only response rates of 66 percent to jump to about a 90 percent completion rate.

Scheduling – Forty percent of owners in need of a recall repair struggle with scheduling due to lack of integrated systems or trouble finding an appropriate time. Recall Solutions can work directly with dealer scheduling systems to reduce friction.

Vehicle & Customer Logistics – There are important nuances to handling movement and repair of a two ton vehicle, especially if the recall creates an immediate and critical safety concern. Agero has spent decades working directly with OEMs, dealers, repair facilities, tow providers and motorists, and has incorporated that systems and process expertise into its Recall Solutions to ensure necessary vehicle logistics across 100% of zip codes nationwide. Agero can also seamlessly manage the process of helping customers hand off and reunite with their vehicles by scheduling a loaner or rental, or coordinating rideshare services to minimize consumer inconvenience.

Real-Time Reporting ­– Recall Solutions incorporates the latest in digital and mobile touchpoints, real-time campaign analytics and reporting, NPS and CSI feedback and more to ensure branded, simple visibility into campaign success and sentiment.

“Recalls are unfortunate and increasingly common,” noted Peters. “Manufacturers need a holistic solution that can quickly ramp the campaign, positively engage customers and provide the insight needed on completion so that the whole process is as painless and problem-free as possible. We’ve used our years of automotive experience to build that with our Recall Solutions.”

For more information on Agero’s new Recall Solutions product, please visit: www.agero.com/consumer-affairs, watch our video or download our service overview. Please also check out our recent blog posts on understanding the customer and recall best practices. A sales representative can be contacted here.

About Agero

Agero’s mission is to rethink the roadside experience through a powerful combination of passionate people and data-driven technology, strengthening its clients’ relationships with their customers. As a leading B2B provider of next-gen driver assistance services, Agero is pushing the industry in a new direction, taking manual processes and redefining them as digital, transparent and connected. This includes: a transformative roadside event management platform powered by Swoop, a San Francisco based software company acquired in 2018; comprehensive accident management services; knowledgeable consumer affairs and connected vehicle capabilities; and intuitive tow dispatch software.

The company protects 115 million vehicles in partnership with leading automobile manufacturers, insurance carriers and other diversified clients. Managing one of the largest national networks of service providers, Agero responds to approximately 12 million service events annually. Agero, a member company of The Cross Country Group, is headquartered in Medford, Mass., with operations throughout North America and Europe. To learn more, visit www.agero.com.