DriveNow Enhances Car Reservation Experience with Twilio
Technology Category
- Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors
- Sensors - GPS
Applicable Industries
- Automotive
- Cities & Municipalities
Applicable Functions
- Procurement
Use Cases
- Smart Parking
- Vehicle-to-Infrastructure
About The Customer
DriveNow is a carsharing service that operates in several cities across Europe and North America. The company is a joint venture between German automobile giant BMW and Sixt, one of the world's largest car rental companies. DriveNow's fleet includes a range of high-end vehicles, from the BMW 1 Series to the MINI Convertible. The service allows drivers to reserve a nearby car, pick it up, and then leave it anywhere within a defined area, with customers paying by the minute for each journey. DriveNow aims to provide a quick and reliable car rental registration and reservation process for its customers.
The Challenge
DriveNow, a joint venture between BMW and Sixt, provides carsharing services in various European and North American cities. The company faced a significant challenge in ensuring a quick and reliable car rental registration and reservation process for its customers. The process involved sending SMS notifications at two key stages - user registration and car reservation. However, DriveNow was experiencing issues with the reliability of these SMS notifications. Many customers reported that text messages were either delayed or failed to arrive altogether. This led to an increase in phone calls to the DriveNow call center, resulting in frustrated customers and increased operational costs. Additionally, DriveNow needed a solution that could adapt to different cities and territories as the company planned to expand its services.
The Solution
DriveNow turned to Twilio to streamline its user registration and reservation process. Twilio's Programmable SMS service was used to send confirmation PINs to users upon registration and important information about the car model, color, and location when a car was reserved. Twilio's solution was chosen for its reliability and immediacy, as SMS notifications were found to be the most effective way to reach customers in cities with varying network coverage. Furthermore, Twilio's ability to provision local German numbers through an API call allowed DriveNow to create a consistent SMS profile, regardless of the location. This feature was particularly beneficial as DriveNow expanded its services to other cities in Germany, as well as San Francisco and Vienna, with plans for further expansion in North America and Europe.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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