Introducing Digital Roadside Assistance by DriveSure

Imagine your car breaks down and you’re stuck on the side of the road. The weather outside is intolerable, and you’re already running late. Luckily, you have roadside assistance, but now you need to call for help, provide information about you and your vehicle, and try to describe where you’re located.

Roadside assistance call centers can make life a lot easier for vehicle owners, but at DriveSure we’re always asking: how could we make this better? How could we improve this process?

That’s why we’re proud to announce that we’re reinventing the roadside assistance experience – making it just as easy to get help as it is to request a rideshare or order food for delivery.

DriveSure helps dealerships keep customers coming back for maintenance, tires, and repairs by empowering dealerships to include a suite of renewable benefits with every qualifying purchase or service. With this reimagined way of providing roadside assistance, those benefits are getting far more valuable.

The Digital Roadside Assistance Experience: How It Works

When you’re already in a stressful situation, you want to resolve it quickly and simply, and to have the peace of mind that help is on the way. When you need roadside assistance, extra conveniences and reassurance can go a long way towards making your day.

When we realized DriveSure could massively improve this process, we got to work. We wanted to create something that would make life easier for vehicle owners and deepen their relationship with the dealership at the same time.

To streamline the process, we digitized it. Now it all starts with a little QR code, customized for each vehicle and printed on the windshield sticker you give vehicle owners when they visit your dealership. If a driver needs assistance, they simply scan the QR code, and it takes them to a mobile-friendly webpage where they can either request roadside help or schedule service at your dealership.

The QR code is already loaded with their VIN, so they don’t need to look around for (or type in) their information. When the vehicle owner taps the button to get roadside help, they are automatically taken to our custom roadside assistance dispatch website with Allstate, where they are able to select the type of help they need. Through this process they can find out immediately whether they qualify for the roadside assistance benefits they need.

Additionally, their location is pulled from their cell phone, so there’s no longer a need to explain where they need assistance. This can be especially helpful when vehicle owner’s aren’t quite sure where they are or how to describe their location over the phone.

Rolling out automatically to dealerships, for an effortless transition

This QR code will be automatically added to the custom maintenance reminder stickers placed in vehicle owners’ cars, so dealerships already offering DriveSure won’t need to do any extra work to add Digital Roadside Assistance. You can simply keep doing what you’re doing and watch as more drivers come back to you for service.

On the vehicle owner side, the world has gotten much more familiar with QR codes in recent years, so most of your customers don’t need to learn anything new. The sticker will include some text telling them to scan it to get roadside help or schedule service, so it’s clear what they need to do.

For customers who still prefer to call, the sticker still includes a number to dial as well.

What makes this program different?

DriveSure’s roadside assistance stands apart for several reasons, improving the customer experience from start to finish.

No app necessary

While there’s a growing number of services who provide roadside assistance digitally, they all require vehicle owners to have a particular app installed. This creates a problem: what are customers supposed to do when they don’t have the app?

That’s why we said, “forget an app, let them just scan a code to autofill their info and get started.” This way, they’re able to get the help they need quickly.

Immediately check for qualification

Customers automatically find out their qualification for benefits after they scan the code, so they have a clear picture of what their options are.

Live tracking of tow trucks

If you can see where your Uber driver or pizza delivery person is on a map, why can’t you see where your tow truck driver is? This live location tracker gives customers peace of mind, knowing help is on the way, without being left in the dark.

What does Digital Roadside Assistance do for vehicle owners?

Aside from preloading their information, this process cuts out unnecessary phone calls, making the customer experience easier, more seamless, and more consistent. There’s no more wondering if they qualify for benefits, and the ability to automatically provide their location means they can be found instantly without having to explain in detail where they are.

Plus, since this new process eliminates the conversation between the dispatcher and the provider, there’s way less room for miscommunication or other inconveniences.

We’re also finding this QR code approach is especially popular with younger vehicle owners, who tend to dislike having to make phone calls to get help.

What does Digital Roadside Assistance do for dealerships?

First and foremost, this service makes your customers’ lives easier through a valuable service your dealership is providing them. It’s going to be the easiest-to-use roadside assistance program vehicle owners will have experienced, and that’s hard for people to turn away from. Since vehicle owners need to visit your dealership to renew their benefits if they want to keep using these perks, they have an extra incentive to return to you regularly for service.

As before, the custom sticker for their vehicle still reminds vehicle owners that they can renew these benefits each time they come to you for service and when they need to do so.

Further still, when they request towing, the website prioritizes your dealership as the target destination for service (automatically listing you as the towing destination when they are within 25 miles), which ensures customers get the best quality help and that you retain their business.

What about routine maintenance? Suddenly, it becomes much more convenient for vehicle owners to schedule service at your dealership, because they can scan the code and start scheduling within seconds.

When can I start offering Digital Roadside Assistance through my dealership?

For dealerships currently using DriveSure:

We’ve already started rolling out Digital Roadside Assistance for our dealerships and have gotten incredible feedback so far. Dealerships appreciate the ability to offer their customers more roadside assistance options, while still giving the phone option to customers who prefer that. We will continue rolling out this service in the coming weeks, so you may be able to use it by the time you read this. The change will happen automatically, so you won’t need to take any action.

For dealerships not currently offering DriveSure:

To get DriveSure’s dealer-loyal, digital roadside assistance, dealerships simply need to sign up for DriveSure. To sign up or learn more about how DriveSure makes your dealership the go-to provider for maintenance, tires, and repairs, schedule a free consultation with one of our customer retention experts today.

Conclusion

DriveSure continues to progressively improve the customer experience so your dealership can continue to surprise and delight your customers. We’re thrilled to be on the forefront of the next evolution of roadside assistance and can’t wait to hear about the difference it makes for you and the customers you serve.