Thrifty Car Rental 2011 Annual Report Download - page 15

Dollar has strong relationships with many significant international tour operators and brokers who
specialize in inbound travel to the U.S., as well as domestic tour operators, who generate inbound
business to Hawaii, Florida and other leisure destinations.
Major travel agents and consortia operate under preferred supplier agreements with Dollar and
Thrifty. Under these agreements, Dollar and Thrifty provide travel agency groups additional
commissions or benefits in return for featuring Dollar and Thrifty in their advertising or giving Dollar
and Thrifty a priority in their reservation systems. In general, these arrangements are not exclusive
to Dollar and Thrifty.
Both Dollar and Thrifty have also developed strategic partnerships with certain hotels, credit card
companies, and with most U.S. airlines through participation in airline frequent flyer programs. In
addition, Dollar and Thrifty actively participate with our partner airlines in their respective branded
Web sites.
Internet Marketing and Distribution Channels
Dollar and Thrifty focus on Internet advertising and marketing, which continue to be the most cost-
efficient means of reaching travel customers. Dollar and Thrifty promote their respective brands via
Internet banner advertising, keywords and rate guarantees to encourage travelers to book
reservations on their own branded Internet Web sites, dollar.com and thrifty.com. In addition, Dollar
and Thrifty both continue to make technology investments in their respective Web sites, dollar.com
and thrifty.com, to provide enhancements to best meet their customers’ changing travel needs.
In 2011, Dollar and Thrifty re-launched their mobile Web sites, since mobile is rapidly becoming a
significant booking channel for customers. New mobile applications are expected to be rolled out in
2012 to meet consumer demand. Additionally, in 2011, Dollar and Thrifty continued their efforts to
integrate customer transactional data with an email marketing program to deliver relevant messages
to subscribing customers at optimal times, with a view to increasing customer engagement and
loyalty. The Company believes that this type of integration can increase the interaction between
customers and the brands while expanding customer loyalty and increasing revenue.
Dollar and Thrifty are among the leading car rental companies in direct-connect technology, which
bypasses global distribution systems and reduces reservation costs by allowing customers to book
directly through the travel partners’ Websites. Dollar and Thrifty have entered into direct-connect
relationships with certain airline and other travel partners.
In addition, Dollar and Thrifty are featured with numerous national online booking agents where
customers frequently shop for travel services and are in regular discussions with owners of other
emerging travel channels to secure inclusion of the Dollar and Thrifty brands in those channels.
Dollar and Thrifty have made filings under the intellectual property laws of jurisdictions in which they
and their respective franchisees operate, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to protect
the names, logos and designs identified with Dollar and Thrifty. These marks are important for
customer brand awareness and selection of Dollar and Thrifty for vehicle rental and for dollar.com
and thrifty.com for reservation services.
Customer Service
The Company’s commitment to delivering consistent customer service is a key element of our
strategy. At its headquarters and in company-owned stores, the Company has programs involving
customer satisfaction training and team-based problem solving focused on improving customer
service. The Company’s customer service centers measure customer service through third-party
customer satisfaction surveys, track service quality trends, respond to customer inquiries and
provide recommendations to senior management and vehicle rental location management. The
Company conducts initial and ongoing training for headquarters, company-owned store and
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