As countless new innovative disruptions extend to nearly every corner of our economy, now is the time for many industries, roadside services included, to transform themselves and fully embrace the digital business model. These disruptions—such as mobile apps à la Uber that provide instant response through easy-to-use technology—result in more competition, provide new choices and offer even greater convenience for clients and consumers, but pose a serious threat to those companies that fail to adapt.
At Agero, we view our own digital transformation in the context of serving our clients better as they undergo their own evolution. We are helping our clients respond to disruption through digitally-enabled technology, automation and innovative solutions that strengthen their businesses and create stronger, lasting connections with their customers. From the drivers in need following a crash to the tow truck drivers who depend on us for their livelihoods, to insurance providers and automotive manufacturers responding to rapid industry change, our strategy focuses on providing the safest, smartest solutions.
One recent example of this was the introduction of our expansive line-up of omni-channel interaction offerings. These new capabilities give our clients’ customers complete control over how they engage the Agero network for help, allowing them to place requests for assistance where they want, how they want and when they want. These solutions will continue to evolve as we move towards a future of connected, autonomous vehicles. It’s not hard to imagine, for example, the vehicle calling for service without any human interaction.
Beyond this, within our own internal operations, we recently completed a successful migration to the cloud. This migration allows us to improve network performance, add redundancy to our systems for enhanced availability, and automatically scale to meet demand when call volumes spike – enabling us to be nimbler than ever before. Most importantly, perhaps, moving to the cloud empowers Agero to innovate faster in response to the massive disruption our clients are facing, empowering us to provide leading services that help our clients gain a competitive edge.
While our focus is on delivering a seamless roadside experience for our clients, their customers and our vast network of service providers, it is a tremendous honor that others are noticing the success of these efforts, as well. Recently, Constellation Research recognized Agero in its second annual Business Transformation 150, a list of the top global executives leading business transformation efforts across their organizations. This recognition came on the heels of IDG honoring Agero at the AGENDA18 conference with a Digital Edge 50 award, further validating our strategy of making our customers the motivation for digital transformation.
In the past year and a half since joining Agero, I have been awestruck at the capability, commitment, passion and competency of the teams and individuals I have been interacting with daily, as I watch them work tirelessly on behalf of our clients and their customers. Every technology decision we make begins with empathy and consideration for our clients as well as the customers we serve on their behalf. We obsess about the experiences of our customer stakeholders and how to make them even better. As we continue down the digital transformation path, we remain committed to safeguarding drivers on the road through a unique combination of platform intelligence and human powered solutions—and an eye towards driving exceptional customer experience, thus creating lasting connections between our clients and their customers.
As Chief Digital Officer, Bernie's 30 years of technology experience, energy and insight are helping Agero drive new product/platform introduction, client delivery, and the establishment of new software-enabled business models.