Uber has always made it easy for people to get on-demand rides. When we introduced Uber for Business, our mission was to give organizations a more efficient way to manage their business travel and improve their employees’ experience. 

Today, we’re excited to expand the Uber for Business platform beyond business travel, to include a world-class customer transportation solution, Uber Central.  With Uber Central, organizations of all shapes and sizes — from small nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies — can now easily provide on-demand, door-to-door transportation for their customers, clients, and guests. 

Uber Central offers organizations:

• A way to provide a better customer experience. With Central, businesses can give customers or clients a premium door-to-door experience by requesting a ride on their behalf. Customers don’t need to have an Uber account, or even a smartphone, to take a ride with Central. 

• An innovative transportation solution for their business. Businesses can replace inefficient, expensive shuttles and car services by leveraging the latest technology. 

• Simplified reporting and management. With the Uber for Business platform, organizations using Central get access to the digital billing, reporting, and management tools they need to efficiently manage their transportation operations. 

Based on the initial responses from a few the businesses that helped us pilot Uber Central, we’re excited about its potential to transform the customer experience.

A Los Angeles hotel sets itself apart

Los Angeles is home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. To set itself apart, Hotel Angeleno delivers end-to-end, premium experiences for its travelers. To make travel seamless for guests — whether they’re heading to the airport or exploring the town — the hotel uses Central to organize Uber rides for their guests. The single-view dashboard is especially helpful to the Hotel Angeleno guest services team who often juggle multiple requests to serve hotel guests. The hotel has even created customized key cards, so their guests know that Uber is right at their fingertips.

“As an independent hotelier, Hotel Angeleno strives to provide unique service offerings, and Uber Central is a game changer for us. Guest satisfaction has increased significantly, as Uber is far more convenient and affordable than the alternatives. Plus having a digital record of our trips in one place really helps us streamline our customer service operations. It's a win-win."  Dean Yamashita,  Director of Sales & Marketing, Hotel Angeleno 

A roadside assistance service elevates customer care 

One of the largest roadside assistance providers in the US, Agero is bringing peace-of-mind to customers during stressful roadside events. With access to Uber Central, Agero’s clients — which include leading auto manufacturers, auto insurers, and vehicle servicing companies — can now offer rides to their customers if their vehicles are inoperable. Agero identifies the customer’s most convenient pickup location, requests a ride from the Uber Central dashboard, and sends help in an instant.

"Customer satisfaction is our number one priority at Agero, and Uber Central helps us focus on the customer’s needs during an otherwise stressful experience. Our business protects over 80 million drivers in the US each year, and Uber Central provides a scalable way for us to deliver reliable rides when our customers need them most.” Cathy Orrico, Senior Vice President, Client Services & Sales, Agero

A nonprofit gives seniors more independence 

Common Courtesy is a nonprofit focused on expanding mobility to all who desire it, especially seniors and those with limitations that affect their ability to drive. Many of these individuals don’t own a smartphone and would otherwise be unable to easily get a ride. Common Courtesy uses Uber Central to help people schedule one-off and recurring rides with Uber.

"My wife and I created Common Courtesy because we believe mobility is a basic human right. Uber Central helps us provide independence and freedom to our community in a way never possible before. We no longer need dozens of cell phones to manage multiple rides at once, and with the business-ready version of Uber Central we expect the process to be even easier. What we do wouldn't be possible without Uber. Period." Bob Carr, Founder, Common Courtesy

Get started with Uber Central today

Listen in as Rob Hubbell from Edmunds.com tells us what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

We talked to Patrick Abad, Managing Partner at the Williams Automotive Group, during Presidents Club. Hear what he has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the industry progress.

Check out what Renaldo Liu, from SpeedShift Media, has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Check out what Mark Rask, the Digital Marketing Manager from Allen Turner Chevrolet has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Hear Wesley Miller of LotLinx discuss what he thinks is ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Hear from dealership owner Rick Evans what he thinks is ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Did you miss the 2017 Presidents Club? Don't worry, we've got you covered! Here's a quick recap of the event, you can stay tuned for information on the workshops, keynote speakers, and more!

Check out more of our coverage:

News Recap

MVI Winners

Mobile First Marketing

Five Things Learned

How Do You Prosper in a Plateau Environment? Adopt Digital Retailing Now

With digital retailing, dealers can turn inventory up to five days[1] faster while making consumers happier.

NEW YORK, April 11, 2017 – At the 2017 Automotive Forum in New York City, Cox Automotive COO Mark O’Neil issued a call to action:  “Adopt digital retailing now or get left behind.”

In his speech, “Connected Retail:  Deals in the Digital Age,” O’Neil provided a game plan for dealers wanting to prosper in the current plateau environment. Though he predicts that completing deals 100 percent online is approximately a year away, O’Neil highlighted the advantages of early adoption. O’Neil outlined several existing digital retailing tools that dealers can implement now as they move toward click to buy. One of the biggest objections to digital retailing from dealers is putting F&I information online, but Cox Automotive research[2] shows that 83 percent of consumers are interested in learning about F&I products before entering the dealership.

The following digital retailing tools can speed up the sales process while providing consumers the option of performing tasks online at their own pace and from anywhere:

• Negotiating the deal including a real payment;
• Securing financing approval;
• Researching F&I products and choosing them online; and
• Receiving a real offer for their trade-in.

“Click to buy is definitely where we want and need to go in automotive,” said O’Neil. “Success in retail can only be achieved by giving consumers options that enable the buying experience that they want. The beauty of digital retailing is that it is a win-win. Consumers are happier3, and early studies show that digital retailing tools can help dealers turn inventory up to five days faster1 as compared to traditional sales.”

O’Neil explained that Cox Automotive data and industry insights show that consumers continue to be frustrated with several aspects of the car buying process. According to a recent Cox Automotive study[3], shoppers spend the majority of their in-store time at a dealership on an emotional rollercoaster that has a deep valley of negative emotions.

“If an amusement park only had one ride and it was a rollercoaster that was mostly flat, not many people would choose to go there,” said O’Neil. “In this case, consumers are spending too much time in activities that are not a fun part of the car buying process. We know that technology can make the buying process enjoyable and can improve the dealership’s effectiveness.”

He explained how various industries have created positive digital buying experiences that consumers want, including:  Amazon, Domino’s, Rocket Mortgage and Zappos. All of these retailers use technology to enable a customized, fast and transparent buying experience that removes friction from the buying process while improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By digitizing tasks in the buying process, consumers can spend their in-store time doing activities that research1 shows create positive emotions, such as:  meeting an informed salesperson; test driving the vehicle; and taking delivery of the vehicle; and learning about its features and technology.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises’ other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

Presidents Club was a CRAZY busy day and a half, but we all learned so much in the short amount of time we were there!

From Jared's beginning keynote speech, to an afternoon full of workshops and learning, to a fantastic closing address by David Mead, the entire thing was a great opportunity for learning and growth.

So I've compiled some of my key takeaways from the event, and my conversations with dealers and vendors alike about the industry.

• Innovation Is Happening Now. If you're not willing to adapt with the market, to learn and grow today, you're already behind. Jared and many of the workshop presenters talked all about innovations coming to the auto industry, as well as the innovations that are already upon us. There's a huge value in being willing to progress!
• Change Doesn't Have To Be Intimidating. Many of the workshop presenters spoke about small things that you can start doing right now to get your dealership on the path towards upward progression. From re-evaluating your used vehicle strategy, to timing your process, to asking your vendors if they can analyze SEO and digital marketing more in-depth, there are a dozen things that you can start doing to make positive changes.
• Millennials Aren't The Only Ones. We talked a lot about how to market and get millennials involved in the dealership, but we also talked about the reality being that EVERYONE has the technology and resources to research and understand the process. This means that we have to change up our customer experience to be able to connect with everyone.
• Get Back To Basics. While Presidents Club talked all about the innovations coming in the future, there was also a huge emphasis on the importance of using these innovations to help us get back to the most basic and important elements. Customer service, the sales process, transparency, and more were all discussed as basic principles that we can work to improve on.
• Culture Is Key. David Mead spoke extensively about culture and making sure employees are taken care of first. Dealerships can be rough places to work, but there is such a value in helping people love coming to work, in them feeling safe and confident in their abilities and the people they work with. If we learn to take care of our employees, they in turn will take care of the customers! 

A crazy 48 hours in New York with great food, and great company, really opened my eyes about what the auto industry is becoming. It introduced me to so many people who are leading the charge for the automotive future. And I frankly, couldn't be more excited with where we are headed!