IDIC Audit

Identify Differentiate Interact Customize

Emily Hanks

Table of Contents
Title Page
Table of Contents
Summary
Introduction
Identify
Differentiate
Interact
Customize
Conclusion

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Summary

This audit is to inform those who are interested learning about identifying, differentiating,
interacting, and customizing (IDIC) model. The information in this report follows a well-known
company and the ways the company uses and creates the IDIC model specifically for their
company. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of the nations largest and most successful rental car
companies. Enterprise works with customers who have been in accidents, corporations, and those
who just want to rent cars. Enterprise identifies their customers by the categories explained
before. Each customer is identified by the reason of their renting. When a customer is identified
by their reason for renting the customer is then differentiated. Enterprise also differentiates their
customers by the category they are place in.
The differentiation is considered when customers get different products or services when they are
renting a car. Even though the differentiation is similar to the identifying it has its differences
too. One of the differences is the way the employees at Enterprise interact with the customer that
walk into their offices. Every customer has the interaction with the employees, but every
interaction may be different. Employees have to read people to adapt to their demeanor, and
interact with that customer in a way that will satisfy the customer.
Every interaction comes with a customization. Once an employee and customer interact the
employee automatically starts customizing the service to the wants and needs of the customer.
This leads to the communication of the service and the offering of products as well. Enterprise
offers a couple of different product. Some are of the insurance choices provided, and some are
for the GPSs Enterprise has for rent as well. This report shares information in each section of the
audit and shares recommendations of what Enterprise can do to help continue the success of their
IDIC model.

Introduction
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a company that provides replacement or rental vehicles for people
within the community of their rental branches. Enterprise believes that great customer service,
integrity employee opportunity and community relations go hand in hand with business growth.
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The company strives to honor people and the environment by acting with honesty, integrity, and
fairness at all times, providing employees with a work environment of safety, respect, and
development and promotion within the business.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a company that is well-known globally, and like most every company
Enterprise interacts with many customers. Enterprise has a specific way of identifying their
customers through the categorical rental system the company has created. Within those different
categories Enterprise differentiates their customers based on the needs of each customer and their
rental car. As many companies are customer service based Enterprise is one of them.
Enterprise interacts with customers on a daily basis, whether it be an interaction through a
handshake, a telephone call, or a customer walking into the office. Enterprise continuously
interacts with customers. Every customer that walks through the office doors at Enterprise is
greeted and helped with whatever needs they are there for. The employees are there for the
customers and are there to help customize the needs, wants, preferences, and values of the
customer. Enterprise starts at the very beginning, identifying their customers.

Identify
As Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of the most well-known car rental companies, they have a
commonality with other companies in identifying customers. However, they do have their own
way of identifying customers in a couple of different ways. The common way they identify their
customers, like other companies, is by using a loyalty program. Enterprise has a loyalty program
that is called Priority Plus (PP). Customers have the option of joining the program if they feel it
will benefit them. Enterprise likes to use this program to identify their customers because the
customers who are signed up for the Priority Plus show in the computer system. This is a great
program for customers and the employees of Enterprise. Once a customer is in the loyalty
program the information that is needed to rent a vehicle stays in the system and reduces the
hassle in asking for the same information over, and over again, every time a customer wants to
rent a car. Priority Plus also helps Enterprise know what type of customers are renting with them.

The Second way Enterprise identifies customers is through the business they do with other
companies. Enterprise does a great amount of business with other companies such as; tire
companies, body shop companies, insurance companies, corporate businesses, and many others.
Enterprise can identify their customers through these businesses by knowing what type of work
the business does and why the customer would be renting a car. For example, if a gentleman got
in an accident and the insurance company paid for a rental car through Enterprise, Enterprise

would know that the gentleman would be an insurance renter and could gather an idea of the
needs and wants of what the gentleman would be looking for in a rental car. Another example
would be of a corporate office sending an employee on a business trip. Enterprise would know
that it is a corporate renter and can gather information from the corporation and find the wants
and needs for the renter. Identifying customers helps Enterprise understand their customers more.
From identifying customers Enterprise has a goal of having great customer service.
Enterprise has many goals and objectives throughout the company, but the biggest goal is to
deliver exceptionally high standards and exceed customer expectations. At Enterprise they love
customer satisfaction and make this their priority. When customers rent cars from Enterprise the
employees are expected to go above and beyond for the customers. To make sure the customers
are happy and leave satisfied employees at Enterprise ask three questions:
1. How was our service?
2. What can we do to make your experience better?
3. How can I make that up to you?
Another way to know if the goal Enterprise focuses on of customers leaving happy and satisfied
is through their company ESQI rating and survey. Every month the company is scored based on
the Enterprise Service Quality Index (ESQI) survey from customers. This survey is all about
finding out what makes customers loyal and who those loyal customers are. From this survey
Enterprise can figure out which customers will return time and time again, and also those
customers who will recommend going to Enterprise to rent cars. From the survey results
Enterprise employees and can find where their struggling and fix the problem to focus on their
goal of customer satisfaction.
From the surveys that are collected it can give Enterprise useful information. Enterprise does not
directly state what customer-based metric system the company uses. From the information given
it looks like Enterprise would use the Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) metric, and the Retention
Rate. With the predicted metrics Enterprise uses, they could possibly use the metrics to see the
customers use of Enterprise Rent-A-Cars website.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car does put effort toward tracking customer usage of Enterprises website. In
Enterprises system they can see the customers who have booked their rental cars through the
website. In the system employees at Enterprise can see what the customer wants and the results
of their choices. Sometimes customers will call the Enterprise office and ask questions about the
website. Enterprise updates their website on a daily basis as well as an hourly basis depending on
the seasons and holidays. This is an area where tagging customers can help the company in a
positive way.

Tagging customers would be an excellent way for Enterprise to get to know and understand their
customers more and better. One way to tag customers would to take a picture and put it in the
system with their account/profile. Some customers may or may not like the idea, but if they are
loyal customers taking their picture and keeping it could make them feel special. The objective
of taking the picture and keeping it would be kind of like a trigger. When a customer calls and
when an employee pulls up their profile they would see the picture and know who they are
talking to. This way they can remember who the customer was and it will trigger their memory
of what car/service the customer received and if the customer was satisfied when they left the
office.
Another way Enterprise can tag customers is through mail services. Enterprise can send
customers personalized post cards for holidays and birthdays. On these post cards they can put a
coupon or a discount for their next rental. This would let the customers know that Enterprise
does care about them and cares about their business. This could increase the connection between
Enterprise and the customers. This is also an idea to help Enterprise identify their customers.
Enterprise does a great job at identifying their customers but they could also use some help in
finding more ways to identifying new customers. A recommendation for Enterprise would be to
start a social media site so customers can connect with other customers and share their
experiences. This could help with a word of mouth technique as well. If a customer shared an
experience they had at Enterprise they can share the word with other people and other people can
look at the site and see how good Enterprise is. Using a social media website can also help
Enterprise connect with customers. This can help them if a customer left unhappy and did not say
anything about their unhappiness to an Enterprise employee. Through social media Enterprise
employees can fix the problem by connecting with the customer.
Enterprise has a significant way of identifying their customers through their special Priority Plus
program and through other companies. They also have a customer satisfaction survey that allows
Enterprise to see how well they are completing their customer service. With all of the effort
Enterprise puts into identifying their customers they also have a significant way of differentiating
their customers.

Differentiate
When a company identifies their customers they need to find a way to differentiate their
customers. Enterprise is a company that identifies their customers and also differentiates them.
Enterprise currently differentiates their customers by separating their customers into three
different groups. Group one consists of insurance renters, groups two is made up of corporate
renters, and group three is considered the retail group. These groups are separated like this
because these are the main renters Enterprise works with.
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The insurance group is made up of people who have gotten into an accident and their insurance
is taking care of the payment for the rental car. For this group, Enterprise works with people
working at the insurance companies, and those who have gotten in the accident. The corporate
group is businesses who pay for rental cars for their employees when a rental is needed. An
example of this group would be Kern River Gas Co. Kern River sends their employees out on
business runs quite a lot, and have a business deal with Enterprise for renting vehicles. The last
group is called considered the retail group because this is the group of all of the other renters.
This group contains customers who rent vehicle for vacation, those customers who only rent
from Enterprise, or customers who rent from Enterprise for fun. These three groups are
differentiated in a distinct way.
One way Enterprise differentiates the insurance group is through one of their required policies of
a security deposit. At Enterprise there is a required security deposit, an amount of $50.00,
$150.00, or $250.00. The $50.00 amount is specifically for insurance renters, and is the
differentiation of the insurance renters. The $150.00 amount is for the other renters who have an
in-state drivers license and those who have an out-of-state drivers license and are paying with a
CREDIT card. The $250.00 amount is for those renters who have an out-of-state drivers license
and are paying with a DEBIT card. The main differentiation is for the insurance renters and how
Enterprise caters the requirement to them. Enterprise lowered the expected amount for the
insurance renters hoping the renter will be satisfied after the traumatic experience of the accident
they were in. Enterprise differentiates corporations in a similar way.
Enterprise differentiates corporations by having a business deal with them. The corporations are
like royalty to Enterprise. Enterprise wants to keep the best relationship with these corporations
to keep their great business. Enterprise rents cars to corporations two to three times a week,
sometimes even more. The business deal is to help Enterprise receive business and maintain that
business. The agreements and such of the deal are disclosed and not discussed outside of the
company. Sometimes the corporate renters who rent from Enterprise become loyalty renters, only
rent from Enterprise, and become retail customers.

Retail customers are differentiated at Enterprise by the Priority Plus Program. Many retail
customers are those who continue to rent from Enterprise time and time again. With the retail
group many customers are differentiated by the profile/account created when the customer first
rents an automobile from Enterprise. The differentiation is the retail customers have the
opportunity to participate in the discounts Enterprise offers throughout the year. Enterprise has a
rental special September through May for their retail customers. The special is renting a car for
$9.99 a day, which saves the customer a lot of money. This helps to keep Enterprises customers
differentiated. Once the customers are differentiated Enterprise follows a calculation to find the
lifetime value of their customers.

In the rental branches at Enterprise the calculation of lifetime value of customers is not really
spoken of, and is not really used. It might be used more in the administrative office. However,
there is a chart employees reference to calculate and keep track of how the branch is doing
revenue wise, cars rented, transaction time to rent, etc. If Enterprise used a calculation for the
lifetime value of their customers they would most likely use CLV. When a company
differentiates their customers they need to make an effort to find out what the differential needs
are their customers. Enterprise does take this into consideration and makes the effort to find the
differential needs of their customers.
Enterprise puts forth an honest effort in differentiating their customers and how they do this is
quite simple. Enterprise employees ask their customers many questions when the customer first
comes in to rent a car. The company understands there are many question asked but they feel it is
necessary to differentiate their customers.
Some of the questions the employees ask are What brings you to enterprise today? What type
of car are you wanting to rent? Are there any specific needs you need for the rental car?
How many people are riding with you in the rental car? Who all will be driving the rental
car? etc. These questions are beneficial in differentiating customers because it sets up a
relationship between the customer and Enterprise employees. With these questions Enterprise
can differentiate their customers by knowing what customers need what for their rentals. For
example, if a family goes to Enterprise to rent a car the employees can ask the questions above
and find what the family needs. Asking these questions the employee may come to find the
family needs an SUV instead of a compact car. This differentiates the customer in what type of
rental vehicle the customer drives off of Enterprise Rent-A-Cars lot. Every successful company
can always use recommendations to be even more successful.

Enterprise is a successful company and is always open to any recommendations to help their
company become even more successful. One recommendation I would give Enterprise is to find
a specific calculation for the lifetime of their customers. As stated before, the calculation may be
discussed in the administration office but if the calculation is discussed in the rental branches I
feel this would help Enterprise differentiate their customers in different ways. If Enterprise found
a specific calculation this would tell them what customers will stay with their company. This will
help the employees find different ways to differentiate their customers who will stay with the
company. Another recommendation for Enterprise would be to decide specific differentiated
traits they are looking for in their customers. This would help the employees by knowing how
much effort they need to put into the relationship of the customer. Relationship building is an

import role in the success of differentiating customers and it is also an important role in
interacting with customers.

Interact
Working in a customer service company employees are constantly working with customers and
interacting with them. Enterprise is a company who continuously works with customers who
come and go. Enterprise interacts with them in a different manner than most customer service
based companies. Enterprise employees start building a relationship with customers the moment
they walk into the office. Most employees greet customers with a warm smile and a handshake.
Employees at Enterprise try to make the customers experience the best they can by making it an
at home feeling. Enterprise wants to make their customers feel like they are the only person in
the office and make the customer feel like they are the number one priority. Enterprise
employees want customer to leave happier than when they came into the office. They do this by
going above and beyond for the customers. Employees make sure the service the customer
receives is top notch. This is also done by asking customers three questions at the end of the
customer interaction. The three question employees ask are
1. How was our service?
2. What can we do to make your experience better?
3. What can I do to make that up to you?
The interaction portion of Enterprise Rent-A-Car is a strong unit and at this time no
recommendations come to mind. After employees and customers interact the company finds
means to customize communications, and products for their customers.

Customize
Enterprise is a company that tries to have clear and concise communication with their customers.
From observations Enterprise communicates with their customers through incoming and
outgoing phone calls, and customers coming into the office. There is always a conversation to be
started at Enterprise. Communication is a needed skill at Enterprise. There is plenty of room for
miscommunications and Enterprise does as much as they can to not let miscommunications
happen. Telephone calls is the most used for of communication at Enterprise. Employees
constantly call the customers with a reservation, customers who are in rental cars already, and
many more customers with questions or concerns. Like every company communication works
hand in hand with the products the company offers.

Enterprise offers a small variety of products, and with those products the communications needs
to be clear and concise. The product Enterprise offers to their customers are Collision Damage
Waiver, Personal Accident Insurance, Supplemental Liability Protection, Road Side Assistance,
GPSs, etc. Not every customer who rents a car from Enterprise purchases the products
Enterprise offers. This is an area where communication and product offerings can align with the
customers preferences and values.
One recommendation to help Enterprise align the communications of their customers
preferences and values is by asking the customers directly what they prefer. Usually people can
see the values of their customers when they know their preferences. This could go along with
product offering as well. If a customer is asked directly they tend to shy away and do not answer.
Those customers who are willing to share their thoughts help Enterprise create a way to match
the customers needs, wants, preferences, and values.

Conclusion
Throughout the observance of working with Enterprise, there is a great IDIC model the company
has in place already. Enterprise identifies their customers, they differentiate their customers, they
interact with their customers, and they customize their customer. However, there are
recommendations Enterprise can use to strengthen their IDIC model. Some of the
recommendations are starting a social media site where customers can interact with each other.
Finding a calculation for the lifetime of customers would be another recommendation for
Enterprise to follow. This will help them to know how many customers are loyal to their
company, and also know how many people might not favor Enterprise as their rental car experts.
This IDIC report is to help Enterprise continue their success but also to embrace any weaknesses
there might be and make them strengths.

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