As Americans return to roads en masse, lockdown restrictions are eased and schools and offices open back up, the demand for roadside assistance is higher at this moment than it’s ever been.
While traditional motor clubs and other roadside providers are struggling to meet the demands of their clients and return to pre-pandemic service levels, HONK Technologies has had success in maintaining key performance indicators like high NPS and low ETAs throughout the last year and a half.
As I sit at my desk pouring over weather reports from around the country, I can’t help but think back to my days as a tower. As I sip my warm coffee, I get a slight chill up the back of my neck looking at temperatures dropping and snow totals starting to pile up. That old familiar feeling, “business is about to pick up.” While 2020 has not been a normal year by any stretch of the imagination, there’s still a few things that are certain, one of those things being when there’s winter weather, towers are going to be busy. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks for staying safe during the winter months, and I’d like to share them with you, our Service Provider network. Some of these pearls of wisdom were handed down from the “old-timers,” others I learned from my own mistakes.
This year was unlike anything that we could have ever imagined. In a time of great adversity, 2020 turned ordinary people, like towing and roadside professionals, into heroes seemingly overnight. It was their perseverance that continued to inspire the HONK Team to innovate – helping to make the day-to-day life of a Service Provider easier by moving the industry towards a more digital and efficient future.
We’re proud of our accomplishments and efforts this year, and while it was hard to just pick 10 things for us to mention in this blog post, our work together over the last 12 months has pushed us towards a place that will help us accomplish some of our long term goals in 2021.
Let’s start with number 10.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to towing damage claims, a picture can SAVE you a thousand or more dollars. We encourage our Partners to be proactive during the course of a service, by documenting any damage that is noticed before they touch or move the vehicle.
Damage claims are an expensive aspect of the auto industry according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. In 2019 an average property damage claim was $4,525.
Isiah Haggins had just received a layoff notice and buyout from General Motors when the factory where he worked closed its doors for good. He had always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and running his own business and felt the time was finally right to make it happen. As it happened, Isiah started part-time towing prior to the General Motors shutdown. Because of this experience, he decided he liked the idea of helping customers on his own terms and decided to start a towing business.
From the technology that goes into trucks to the platforms businesses use to dispatch and communicate with their operators – the towing and roadside industry is undergoing a major transormation as it adapts to the rapidly advancing digital world.
The time to become a “Leader” within the industry is now. Customers today expect immediacy and convenience. Digitally transforming your business can help you achieve those goals.
So whether you’re towing cars, fixing flat tires, providing fuel deliveries or offering jump starts, these 5 tips can help you get ahead of your competition and set you up for success in the future.
