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BOSTON - December 10, 2002 -- Cross Country Automotive Services (Cross Country), a leading provider of integrated vehicle and driver programs including: telematics services, emergency roadside assistance, consumer affairs handling, and direct marketing services, announced today that it has reached several milestones and unveiled its 2003 strategy for the telematics marketplace. In recent months, the company has successfully launched key initiatives with Ford Motor Company and Volvo Cars of North America, deployed new technologies, developed new strategic partnerships, and named Jerry Kim, Wingcast veteran, to Director of Telematics Product Management and Marketing. Momentum will continue to build for the company in the year ahead as Cross Country leverages its scalability and capabilities across its telematics business line.
Cross Country's 2003 Strategy Redefines the Cost Equation for Telematics
Distinguishing the company from pure-play telematics service providers, Cross Country's expanded telematics strategy will leverage the assets, capabilities, and scalability resulting from Cross Country's profitable, thirty-year heritage providing integrated vehicle and driver programs. With over 50% of the automotive brands as clients and the leading market share in the property & casualty insurance industry, Cross Country's investments and innovation in its multi-channel contact centers -- with more than 1,000 associates available to meet the diverse communication demands of consumers in four geographically dispersed contact centers -- are enabling Cross Country to offer a lower cost solution thereby enabling wider telematics adoption. In 2003, Cross Country will extend their telematics capabilities across the enterprise by deploying one standard user interface. Agents will handle all telematics contacts in one common application irrespective of client, device specifications or services. This enhanced solution not only ensures reliability, it also enables Cross Country to reduce time to market for clients and reduce operating expenses. The net result is a more cost effective solution for both Cross Country's clients and their customers.
"We are confident that Cross Country's unique position in the market will enable us to lead the telematics industry in driving the cost down and the value proposition up," said Peter Van Alstine, Vice President of Product Management and Marketing. "In addition to leveraging our scale, Cross Country's sizable automotive focused non-telematics revenue and earnings stream provides confidence to both our current and prospective clients that Cross Country will continue to innovate, prosper and provide consistent high quality telematics services in the years to come."
Proven Technology Capabilities Leading the Future of Telematics
The development of Cross Country's enhanced strategy follows an evolutionary year for the company as they met key strategic milestones in the telematics industry. Over the past two quarters, Cross Country was selected over other independent telematics service providers to participate in two revolutionary industry initiatives including the deployment of Volvo's first comprehensive telematics system in the US and a groundbreaking safety pilot with Ford Motor Company.
Volvo's telematics system utilizes advanced multiplex information management including backup battery and antenna sources which are located in the dashboard, as far away from the crash location as possible, to help ensure systems operation in the event of an accident. In addition to recognizing the deployment of airbags and seatbelt pretensioners, the system is also capable of detecting severe rear end collisions and can connect automatically to the response center if any of the systems have been activated. The goal of this system is to ensure the system remains operable, even in the most severe crashes.
Selected by Ford Motor Company, Cross Country joined other partners to develop and deploy an industry-first telematics solution, enabling the transfer of critical voice and data communications to 9-1-1 dispatch centers, mitigating limitations in the current 9-1-1 infrastructure and enabling 9-1-1 centers throughout the country to more effectively dispatch emergency services to motorists in need. While other telematics service providers are currently working on an upgrade, Cross Country has the technology in place to attain valuable information from the vehicle including the severity of the crash, number of passengers in the vehicle, and the ability to send the information in a format that can be easily read by 9-1-1 operators, thereby reducing the risk of crash deaths. In addition, Cross Country and Ford are researching technology enhancements that will enable the delivery of this information directly to the trauma center. Further details will be available in 2003.
Wingcast Veteran Joins Cross Country's Telematics Business Line
Also announced today, Jerry Kim joined Cross Country as the Director of Product Management and Marketing for the telematics business line. In his role, Kim is responsible for leading the development and implementation of Cross Country's telematics products and services and has played a key role in the development of Cross Country's product strategy for 2003. Kim brings significant product management, marketing, and business development experience to the company.
Prior to joining Cross Country, Kim was Senior Product Manager at Wingcast, LLC, the now defunct joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Qualcomm, Inc that was expected to deliver telematics services to Ford and other OEM vehicle owners. Previously, Jerry held positions at Intersil Corporation and Ford Motor Company.
About Cross Country Telematics
Cross Country's telematics solutions combine the power of wireless communication, location-based technology, and vehicle systems monitoring capabilities. Cross Country's telematics offerings include location-enabled roadside assistance, mayday services, theft and alarm tracking and notification, vehicle systems monitoring and reporting capabilities, portal management, navigation assistance, traffic, turn-by-turn directions and other lifestyle services. Cross Country's telematics clients include Ford Motor Company, Volvo Cars of North America, and BMW, N.A.
About Cross Country Automotive Services
Headquartered in Medford, Massachusetts, Cross Country Automotive Services is a leading provider of integrated vehicle and driver programs in North America. Over 1,800 Cross Country employees serve more than 100 corporate clients and their more than 40 million customers each year. Cross Country Automotive Services is a member of The Cross Country Group, one of the largest privately held providers of customer service programs in the United States. For additional information on Cross Country Automotive Services, please visit their Web site at www.crosscountry-auto.com.
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