Avis appoints new CEO

Following the resignation of Wayne Duvenage from his position as Chief Executive of Avis Rent a Car South Africa, Avis management has decided not to replace Duvenage, but to rather have the position absorbed by Keith Rankin, Chief Executive of Avis Rent a Car Southern Africa. Rankin, who was also instrumental in appointing Duvenage in 2006 to run the South African business, joined Avis back in 1998 and has held various positions within the group, before being appointed into the position of Chief Executive: Avis Rent a Car Southern Africa in 2004.

Avis Adds Android App

Avis Rent a Car has launched its Android reservations app, which enables customers to book their car rental through any Avis branch worldwide from their smartphone, running the Android operating system.

The Avis Android app will store the customer’s personal details securely from their first booking, which means confidential information only needs to be entered once. Reservations can also be viewed and cancelled from the app, and a smart search function has been included, which displays nearby Avis branches with a map and full address.

The app can be adapted for international travel and bookings. Customers are able to search for the Avis Android app through the Android Market on their smartphones, or use the following link to download the app through their PC:https://market.android.com/details?id=com.avis.android.za. The iPhone app is already available to South African users for free through the Apple App Store. The South African-based Avis Blackberry app is also available at no charge on the South Africa BlackBerry App World.  

Consumers Give Avis Top Spot

Consumers have voted Avis Rent a Car into first place in the South African Service Awards (Car Hire), with the car rental giant achieving 90,12%.

 The awards are acknowledged as a premier customer-driven service award system, recognising that the customer is best able to rate the service he or she receives from any company.

 “It reassures us that our promise of putting people before cars and an attitude of trying harder continues to be delivered by our people,” said CEO Wayne Duvenage.

 Avis introduced its Customer Service Index (CSI) in 2003 and currently over 3,500 monthly interviews are conducted with customers, examining interaction with the brand via the many interfaces it has and taking time to analyse trends therein.

Avis Announces Coach Charter Acquisition

Avis Rent a Car has announced the acquisition of the Avis Coach Charter operation as a corporate business, effective from October 2011.

The coach charter company started as a licensee operation in 2008. Avis Southern Africa Chief Executive, Keith Rankin, says “Avis Rent a Car now owns 75% of the company, with former licensee Nobbie Marais owning the remaining 25%.”

Marais, who has 28 years of experience in the business, will remain on board as general manager of Avis Coach Charter. Rankin says with the Coach Charter operation being a strategic part of Avis’ Total Transport Solution, the car rental company decided to purchase a shareholding in the organisation with a view to facilitating growth and taking service delivery to a new level.