An Enterprise Essay Example

introduced the popular strategy of providing complimentary transportation to clients to transport them to the rental office. This approach was so successful that it was soon implemented in all locations and became a customer favorite. The iconic Enterprise wrapped car, introduced in 1993, further solidified the company's reputation. Consequently, Fortune Magazine recognized Enterprise as one of the top 100 firms to do business with.

Enterprise Rent-a-car has expanded from its modest beginnings to become a worldwide enterprise with more than 6,600 locations and over 820,000 vehicles. With close to 62,000 employees globally, including around 3,400 workers in the UK and approximately 190 personnel in Ireland, the company's founders' unwavering commitment to prioritizing both customers and staff is at the core of its accomplishments. The key to this success is Enterprise Rent-a-car's comprehensive approach to fostering loyalty among its clients through exceptional customer service training for all team members.

Enterprise Rent-a-car began with a fleet of only seven cars but has since experienced impressive expansion, generating approximately $8.2 billion in revenue and serving as an excellent model for other small enterprises. The company grants branch managers the authority to seek out greater profit margins and operate their establishments independently.

In 1962, Jack Taylor established a rental car business with a fleet of 17 cars, after observing his customers' need to rent vehicles while visiting their shops. In 1969, he expanded the enterprise beyond St. Louis and transformed it into Enterprise Rent-a-car. In 1970, while other American rental car companies were concentrating on the airport market, Taylor took his company to people's residences and workplaces and became successful with this strategy. A branch manager in Orlando introduced the pick-up service

for customers in 1974. Later, this became the famed "We'll pick you up" tradition of Enterprise Rent-a-car (About Enterprise Rent-a-car, Milestones, Who we are, 2005).

Starting with 6,000 rental vehicles in 1980, the company established a National reservation number for customers to make reservations and grew to 50,000 vehicles and 500 locations by 1989. In 1992, it achieved its first one billion in revenue and renamed its leasing division as Enterprise fleet services. The following year, the company expanded into the international market with its first office in Canada at Windsor, boasting 200,000 rental vehicles and reaching 1,500 locations. In 1994, the company opened an office in England, entering the European market. In 1995, the company introduced its airport rental car services at the Denver International airport and expanded its market and offerings. Fast forward to 2004, the company acquired 600,000 rental vehicles, 135,000 Fleet services vehicles across 6,000 US locations and had established a foothold in the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Canada with annual revenues exceeding seven billion dollars.

In 2005, Enterprise Rent-a-car commemorated their achievements and recounted their journey of expansion. The company's origins as a leasing service have since branched out into several areas such as Rent a car, Fleet services, used car sales, Rent a truck, and international operations. CEO Andy Taylor, son of founder Jack Taylor still leads the company after fifty years of operation. Enterprise Rent-a-car continues to prioritize delivering outstanding service to both its employees and customers while also engaging in Cultural Compass and social responsibility projects for the community.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car places customer service at the forefront of its business, according to (Enterprise Rent-a-car Customer Service, About Enterprise Rent-a-car, 2005).

The company's dedication to providing exceptional service has earned it numerous accolades for superior quality. In customer satisfaction surveys conducted by J.D. Powers and Associates and Market Metrix in the car rental industry in the United States, Enterprise Rent-A-Car consistently ranks highly.

Enterprise Rent-a-car utilizes the Enterprise Service Quality index (ESQi) to evaluate their service quality. They carry out phone surveys monthly with numerous customers to assess their contentment with every local branch. The ranking for each branch is based on the proportion of customers who report complete satisfaction with their latest encounter with Enterprise, also known as the "top box" rating. This ranking serves as a benchmark for all other employees, locations, and the company itself in terms of customer interaction.(Source: About Enterprise Rent-a-car, 2005)

This company's recipe for success is rooted in a firm belief in superb customer service and customer retention. This principle is instilled in every employee. In effect, every employee has the autonomy to enhance customer service. By providing such freedom and control to branch managers, employees and customers alike remain loyal to the company.

At present, the company has expanded across the United States with locations situated within a 15-minute drive from approximately 90% of Americans. It holds the title of the most renowned and successful rental car company. Jack Taylor's family privately owns it, and each location functions as a branch office owned by the firm. There are no franchise operations; all locations and segments are privately owned.

The company's success is attributed to their strong commitment to satisfying customers, which is reflected in their high level of motivation. Customers can conveniently reserve rental cars, fleet services,

or buy a new car through the company's website at http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do from their home or office computer.

The website of Enterprise Rent-a-car is recognized for its outstanding traits and user-friendly interface. It can be viewed in four languages: English, French, Spanish, and Dutch. The company strives not only to accomplish its business goals but also to foster economic development in the communities where it operates by purchasing goods and services from local suppliers and hiring a diverse workforce. Moreover, the company contributes millions of dollars every year to different organizations and initiatives while motivating its employees to engage in community service activities. As a result, Enterprise Rent-a-car is successfully fulfilling its social responsibility obligations.

Enterprise Rent-a-car offers corporate programs to Washington metropolitan area embassies at a lower price. These programs include short and long-term discounts. The majority of embassies are enrolled in the Corporate Class Rental Program, which provides access to discounts, uniform rates, and complimentary additional drivers.

The Enterprise Rideshare branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car offers carpool and vanpool options for both individuals and businesses in Northern and Southern California. Founded in 1994, the company is headquartered in Orange County, California. With a fleet of over 700 vehicles, they transport more than 7,000 commuters daily. Along with their other services, this particular offering has been a triumph for Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Rideshare, 2004).

Amidst their tie-ups with insurance companies for replacements, emergency services, and rental cars, the company serves in the insurance replacement market. Marketing-wise, the audience has been captivated by their TV advertisement featuring a car wrapped in paper bearing the slogan ‘We’ll pick you up,’ highlighting their most in-demand service of fetching customers to their rental

office location free of charge. Additionally, the company provides employment opportunities for military service candidates as well as fresh college graduates, having been recognized as the top employer for college graduates four years in a row.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is known for providing exceptional customer service and has received recognition from various entities. JD Power and Associates awarded them with the highest customer satisfaction rating among rental car companies at several airports, while they frequently rank first in the Market Matrix Hospitality Index for rental car industry customer satisfaction. In 2006, Enterprise Rent-a-car reported on Answers.com that they were voted as the top car rental company in the US.

Their goal is to become the leading company in the car rental business, a feat they are close to achieving. Currently holding the number one spot in the US market and considered one of the best internationally.

The company's focus on enhancing its local car rental services for a varied customer base, such as individuals, organizations, insurers, and policyholders in need of vehicle replacements following theft or damage, has always been paramount. In response to customers requesting the same level of service at airports, the company ventured into airport rentals in 1995 and currently manages more than 180 on-site airport locations globally. With new sites opening monthly (between two to three), it is now among the leading car rental services available at airports.

(Where we are going, Enterprise Rent-a-car, 2005). The company's venture into the global market commenced in 1993 with the inauguration of its first branch outside the US in Canada. Subsequently, Enterprise Rent-a-car has set up 341 branches in Canada and extended its operations to other international markets such

as the UK with more than 300 locations, Germany with over 140 locations, and Ireland with roughly 25 locations. There are plans for future expansion into international markets while prioritizing exceptional personalized customer service.

Enterprise Rent-a-car is expanding beyond their car rental business, with various segments that are growing. Fleet services currently utilizes 175,000 vehicles and they also offer truck rentals and used car sales. The Centric Group has been established to experiment with new products and has achieved moderate success. The company plans to increase the number of segments, believing that this will lead to greater success. Over the past 50 years since its founding, Enterprise Rent-a-car has demonstrated impressive adaptability to new technological systems. (From "Where we are going," Enterprise Rent-a-car, 2005).

Enterprise Rent-a-car has announced a $200 million investment in technology over the next 5 years to accommodate anticipated business growth. The company's objective is to use modern technology to expand and maintain its leadership position in the car rental sector. Their approach involves implementing state-of-the-art point-and-click technology while also encouraging employees to independently manage their local businesses as a means of motivation for sustained success and future progress.

Enterprise Rent-a-car's triumph is credited to the foresight of its individual managers. The company prioritizes maintaining these managers' drive and enthusiasm (Where we are going, Enterprise Rent-a-car, 2005), and this has contributed to their significant rise in the car rental industry from modest beginnings. Experts studying Enterprise's growth have determined that listening to customer feedback when making business decisions has been instrumental in their success. Their free pick-up service was a groundbreaking move that provided convenience to customers and helped establish them as pioneers in the

industry (Conclusion).

Small businesses can learn from Enterprise Rent-a-car's history and growth to apply valuable lessons to their own operations. Despite being a large conglomerate, the company's success is grounded in its focus on smaller businesses that comprise its entirety. Moving forward, Enterprise Rent-a-car intends to expand globally, introduce new services and products, and increase business segments. Consequently, the company has become a valuable resource and model for new businesses due to its gradual development. Management and business students can receive training from Enterprise Rent-a-car through internships and employment opportunities.

Enterprise Rent-a-car places great importance on the autonomy of their location managers, who are encouraged to implement innovative strategies and adapt to the community for sustained growth. The company attributes their success to customer satisfaction and utilizing feedback.

To learn more about Enterprise Rent-a-car, please visit https://aboutus.enterprise.com/who_we_are/milestones.html, embassy.org, or vanpool.com. You can find their homepage at https://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/home.do along with additional historical information available at https://www.enterprisealive.com/en/about_us/our_history.html. Furthermore, the company prioritizes customer service as outlined on https://aboutus.enterprise.com/who_we_are/customer_service.html and is committed to ongoing progress as stated in https://www.enterprisealive.com/en/about_us/where_we_are_going.html.