Avis 2007 Annual Report Download - page 14

Table of Contents
The Wizard System
We own the Wizard System, our worldwide reservation, rental, data processing and information management system. The Wizard System
enables us to process over one million incoming customer inquiries each day, providing our customers with accurate and timely information
about our locations, rental rates and vehicle availability, as well as the ability to place or modify reservations. Additionally, the Wizard System
is linked to all major travel distribution networks worldwide and provides real-time processing for travel agents, travel industry partners (such
as airlines), corporate travel departments and individual consumers through our websites or calls to our contact centers. The Wizard System
also provides personal profile information to our reservation and rental agents to better service our customers. Among the principal features of
the Wizard System are:
We also use data supplied from the Wizard System and airline reservation systems in certain proprietary information management systems to
maintain centralized control of major business processes such as fleet acquisition and logistics, sales to corporate accounts and determination of
rental rates. The principal components of the systems we employ include:
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• “Roving Rapid Return”, wireless technology which permits customers who are returning vehicles to obtain a printed charge record
from service agents at the vehicle as it is being returned;
• “Preferred Service”, Avis’ expedited rental service that provides enrolled customers with a printed Preferred Service rental record in
their pre
-
assigned vehicle and a fast, convenient check
-
out;
•
“
Fastbreak
”
,
Budget
’
s expedited rental service which allows for a faster processing of rentals and service for enrolled customers;
• “Wizard on Wheels”, which enables us to assign vehicles and complete rental agreements while customers are being transported to
the rental vehicle;
• “Flight Arrival Notification”, a system that alerts rental locations when flights have arrived so that vehicles can be assigned and
paperwork prepared automatically;
• “Avis Link”,
which automatically identifies when a customer with a profile on record is entitled to special rental rates and conditions,
and therefore sharply reduces the number of instances in which we inadvertently fail to give Avis renters the benefits of negotiated
rate arrangements to which they are entitled;
• “Credit Card Link”, which allows both brands to verify all major credit cards through a real-time connection during the rental
processing;
•
interactive interfaces through third party computerized reservation systems such as Galileo and Sabre;
• “Avis Interactive”, which allows select corporate clients to easily view and analyze their rental activity via the Internet through
account analysis and activity reports, allowing these clients to better manage their travel budgets and monitor employee compliance
with applicable travel policies;
• “Direct Connect”, a service offered to business to business partners that allows them to easily connect their electronic systems to the
Wizard System, for either brand, and to obtain rate, location and fleet information as well as book reservations for their customers;
and
•
operations management programs that, among other things, enable field personnel to manage which vehicles will be rented next.
•
Fleet planning model
. We have created a comprehensive decision tool to develop fleet plans and schedules for the acquisition and
disposition of our fleet, along with fleet age, mix, mileage and cost