SYMBOL TECHNOLOGIES, TBS TEAM TO PROVIDE CUSTOMER SERVICE SOLUTION TO AVIS EUROPEAN CUSTOMERS

Mobile Computing Solution Based on Symbol PPT 2700 Hand-Held Computer, Microsoft Pocket PC Operating System

Symbol Technologies and Technological Business Solutions (TBS) have announced a partnership to provide Avis Europe, the PPT 2700leading car rental company in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia with a to accurately and quickly assess light damage to cars. , incorporating the new Microsoft , and the AutoGraph software system developed by TBS.

Lightly damaged vehicles are becoming increasingly costly for car rental companies. Using this new system, vehicles can be easily inspected and have an estimate prepared instantly. "We estimate that the European rental industry could potentially save approximately £30 million a year on unrecovered costs," says Randal Tarn, director fleet and operations, Europe, Avis Europe. "This new system saves considerable time, with appraisals being completed in just two minutes. It also ensures that crucial customer information and signatures are not lost. Symbol and TBS really came to us with a complete solution for our need to put the customer service first."

The new system merges two functions at Avis: rental check-in and damage tracking. The vehicle's registration number can be keyed or scanned into Symbol's PPT 2700 bringing up all essential information onto the screen. Previous appraisal information, previous mileage and fuel levels can all be sourced from a database. The Avis employee logs any damage visible, such as a chip on the wing, prior to processing the check-in onto the compact hand-held device.

Sven Oernfeldt, Symbol vice-president and general manager, EMEA said, "The PPT 2700 is . We expect that this application will become commonplace within the industry and we are proud to be associated with Avis' leading role in its deployment."

When the car is returned the damage history is checked. If there is any new visible damage AutoGraph calculates the cost of repair to the vehicle using industry standard times and part costs. The customer can agree and sign for this on the screen. This information can be downloaded via a docking cradle, or remote GSM telecommunications system to the AutoGraph host and Avis' Wizard system, which updates the fleet records, generates any damage claims and calculates the final rental charge, which can be printed immediately.

"Working with Symbol, TBS has been able to harness the unique enterprise features of the new Pocket PC platform to make the most easy-to-use, integrated and versatile mobile solution on the market today," said Steve Reynolds, managing director, TBS Ltd.

Symbol, TBS and Avis are trialing the solution in Scotland; the solution is expected to be put in place in other European countries later this year.