How 2023 Was Like Agero's Super Bowl Victory

2023 was a banner year for Agero. By every measure, we made incredible improvements to our roadside service to enhance the experience for your customers. 

Comparing December 2023 to December 2022, we saw:

  • 600 basis point increase in NPS - We saw an increase of 600 basis points in customer likelihood to recommend the service, as measured by Net Promoter Score (NPS) 
  • 6-minute improvement in service speed - In-network service providers are getting to customers 6 minutes faster, with a median time of 48 minutes from when we begin dispatch to on-scene arrival
  • 400 basis point decrease in Out-of-Network - Over 99% of dispatches are now going to in-network service providers, up from 95% a year ago

We consider 2023 our Super Bowl victory, but we won’t rest with just one championship trophy in the case. We have strategies in place to come out on top year after year. 

Championship-level success takes planning, execution, and agility

Whether you are cheering for the Niners or Chiefs (or Taylor) this Super Bowl season, we know each team started with a strategy that needs to be executed relentlessly, long before the season starts. You need to get the right players on the roster, give them the tools they need to be successful, make sure everyone is in sync across different units, draw up a game plan, and get complete buy-in across the organization. You also need to stay focused through all the unexpected moments that are bound to occur. And to compete at the highest level year in and year out, you need to instill a culture of excellence. 

It’s no different for us at Agero. We’re laser-focused on making your brand the hero when we deliver service to your customers, because that is how we create value: turning tens of thousands of daily roadside incidents into experiences that build positive brand engagement and loyalty, and increase the lifetime value of these customers to your brand. 

Before you take the field, you need to make the right investments in technology, data, and customer experience

Just like any team with Super Bowl aspirations, our road to success in 2023 began before the year even started. The roadside industry demands an incredibly smart, efficient, and agile system. This is why we rebuilt our technology stack around Swoop, the industry’s most powerful and versatile dispatch platform. And, as we brought clients onto that platform, we’ve continuously used our unparalleled data at scale to power the machine learning that identifies additional opportunities for improvement. 

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In just the past 2 years, we have invested over $100M into innovation, taking on often complex technical projects to systematically eliminate friction points. In the process, we’ve improved our back-end systems, enhanced front-end digital experiences, and refined the manual processes that are so integral to providing exceptional experiences to every stakeholder across the roadside ecosystem.  

We’ve taken the technology we use to create millions and millions of NPS promoters for our clients every year and made it more configurable and resilient. For anyone who wants a glimpse at our playbook, here are a few examples of the types of projects that have helped us succeed. 

Example One: Making the right read and calling the right play

The coach may be calling the plays, but the QB has to read the defense and make adjustments before snapping the ball, and then it’s all about execution. We need to make the right read on every roadside event so we can select the best service provider, with the right equipment, who can get on-scene fastest, every time. To this end, we reimagined the database architecture used to document service provider rates and equipment, leading to unprecedented dispatch accuracy and configurability.

The completion of this complex project in March and subsequent enhancements throughout the year resulted in a sharp increase in dispatches handled by our curated provider network. In December 2023, 98.8% of dispatches were handled in-network. In January 2024, that figure got even better, surpassing the 99% mark. A record-breaking number.

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Increased precision in provider selection also led to an 11% year-over-year improvement in auto-assigned dispatches through Swoop, accounting for 81% of all provider assignments. This consistent upward trend in auto-assigned dispatches means our advanced tech system is delivering the most efficient experience to providers and the customers who need their support. 

Example Two: Getting your customers to the end zone faster

Continuous analysis and testing of customer experience components such as digital intake flow, communication content and cadence, and live event support contributed to a 15% increase in cases that were completed without any assistance from Agero agents, up to nearly half (47%) of all roadside opportunities. 

Blog-Image-Fully-Digital-Roadside-1200x628 Essentially, we’re removing any speed bumps that stand in the way of customers getting the fast, efficient roadside support they need, while also proactively communicating service updates to avoid any customer confusion or uncertainty. If you’re wondering why digital efficiency really matters, these agentless cases have a near-flawless NPS of 91. Keep in mind that the scale for NPS ranges from -100 to 100, with 0 being average and anything over 50 generally considered world-class. Even Patrick Mahomes would be impressed with those stats. 

In the months ahead we are excited about additional enhancements to our Customer Mobile Web digital intake channel that will further accelerate how we continuously optimize the customer experience while providing an even more seamless customer journey. 

Example Three:  Updating the playbook to hit targets faster

Our focus on using data to find opportunities for improvement also led to the redesign of the architecture for determining the disablement location. This resulted in 16% fewer instances of service providers not locating the customer at the scene of the incident, leading to a reduction in cases that required multiple dispatches to resolve the customer’s issue. Essentially, we’re making it easier for service providers to find customers in need, leading to faster service and more efficient resolution. 

Example Four: Teamwork makes the dream work

Our investments in our service provider network go well beyond the technology itself. We have also expanded our provider communication capabilities with a variety of new outreach and communications strategies. These include:

  • Revamping our BluePrint materials, the industry’s most comprehensive vehicle-handling training library, and making those materials easier than ever to find and access while on the job
  • Rolling out a new provider-oriented dashboard to increase transparency into provider performance metrics  
  • New communications strategies for delivering technology best practices and tips for addressing common industry pain points 
  • Provider incentive programs, including the 3rd annual Summer Hustle campaign

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2024: A new season begins 

We’re excited about the achievements and progress we made in 2023, and we couldn’t have done it without the hard work and dedication of countless people across the entire Agero organization. It’s also a testament to the teamwork and support from our incredible clients and partners. 

Thank you! 

Now let’s keep that momentum going. We were put to the test in the first few weeks of January 2024, when weather-related spikes in roadside activity led to a stretch of daily volume that eclipsed previous all-time highs with 55,000 events on a single day. We packed our playbook to stay competitive in any circumstance so that even with volume surge, our in-network dispatch rate remained over 99% and NPS was 300 basis points higher than in the same period 12 months ago.

Still, 2024 is a whole new season, and we’re eagerly pursuing opportunities to generate value across the roadside ecosystem. This means new platform features and capabilities, new tools and resources for insurance agents, auto dealers, service providers, and other stakeholders, and new opportunities to create efficiency and revenue for our clients. 

Bill Belichick, the longtime coach of the New England Patriots, knows a thing or two about sustained excellence and putting multiple championship trophies in the case. He said, “What we can control is our performance and our execution. And that’s what we’re going to focus on.” Preach, coach. 

Now, let’s get to work.

 
 

Meet the Author: Eliahu Sussman – Director, Roadside Engagement

At Agero, Eliahu helps communicate how the company’s roadside products, features, services, and solutions work and why they matter. He is obsessed with problem solving, consumer research, data analysis and making complex ideas easily understandable. Prior to joining Agero in September 2020, he led marketing efforts at tech start-ups in the Greater Boston area. Eliahu holds a B.A. in English with a minor in Spanish from Boston University.
 
 

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