@Hertz: The Virtual Agent Lightens the Pain of Waiting

I’ll admit it; I hate waiting.

I try to be patient, yet I am spoiled by the immediacy of everything.

When the train gates fall and bring my car to a standstill, I sigh.

When all lines at the grocery store look like a LA freeway, smoke drifts out my ears.

When the number at the deli counter is 14 and I am number 36, I silently groan.

The Hertz Rental Car place in Atlanta, Georgia was a busy place a few weeks ago.

As I strolled up to the counter, the line was interminable; tense business professionals attempted to pass the time stuck in their smartphones.

I glanced to the left and noticed a bank of open monitors.

Simultaneously, a friendly young lady invited me to meet a virtual agent by guiding to an open computer.

“It will be much shorter than waiting in this long line,” she said.

I was a bit skeptical that I appeared to be the first taker (sucker!), but I was intrigued to test-drive the process.

“What’s your name, sir,” the smiling Hertz representative asked.

“Dan,” I responded.

“Dan, I’d like you to meet Mary. Mary will take care of you this morning.”

As the friendly young lady stepped away from the monitor, the smiling Mary appeared on the screen and began to quickly, courteously, effortlessly find me an affordable vehicle for my stay in Atlanta. The entire process probably took 2 minutes less than a face-to-face exchange – that’s efficiency.

I was impressed by how Hertz made the ‘impersonal’ exchange via computer very personal. Think Skype with a smile.

If the metrics make sense, other service industries (airports, ticket counters, car service stations) should seriously consider virtual agents to alleviate longer lines, harried travelers.

I may still dislike waiting, yet Hertz serves up a smidgen of joy while you wait.

Until next time,

Dan Naden