The Herz ExpressRent kiosks.

The Hertz Corp. has won the Digital Screenmedia Association's (DSA) Industry Excellence Award for "Best Travel Deployment" for the company's ExpressRent virtual agent kiosks, designed and deployed with the help of NCR Corp.

Hertz ExpressRent kiosks combine the flexibility and speed of self-service with the option of a personal touch by enabling live video chat with a Hertz agent who walks customers through the entire transaction. The car rental kiosks accept debit and credit card payments, validate drivers' licenses and print out the car rental agreement.

"The ExpressRent kiosks allow us to provide an exceptional customer experience by bringing the best self-service technology available and blending it with the human touch," said Joe Eckroth, CIO of Park Ridge, N.J.-based Hertz.

Hertz's ExpressRent Kiosk speeds up the car rental process and optimizes staffing during peak times at Hertz locations. It also allows Hertz to expand its reach to non-traditional locations where people may want to rent a car, like auto body shops or car dealerships, but which don't meet the volume for full-service locations.

Since deploying the ExpressRent kiosks, Hertz reports more than 10,000 transactions per week on the kiosks, with 82 percent of customers rating the experience positively. Facilitating live interaction with Hertz agents has also impacted ancillary revenues by allowing customers to choose upgrade and insurance options during the rental process.

Hertz worked with NCR to drive utilization and develop a better queuing system. By positioning the kiosks to face the queue and employing signage alerting passengers to the "live agent" kiosk, Hertz saw 38 percent of customers exit the queue to serve themselves.

"Facilitating real-time, live interaction between Hertz and its customers through self-service has had a measurable and significant impact on efficiency, revenue and satisfaction at Hertz," said Tyler Craig, general manager and vice president, NCR Travel, Duluth, Ga. "NCR congratulates Hertz for its continued commitment to delivering the best experience for its customers and on this award."

The Digital Screenmedia Association Industry Excellence Awards honors the best digital signage, mobile and self-service kiosk technology deployments across all vertical market segments.