Agero Expanding to Add Scheduled Vehicle Transfers

[TowNews]

The coronavirus pandemic and increased demand for “contactless” dealership pickup and delivery helped inspire the move, says Cathy Orrico, chief client officer for Agero.

 

Agero, which already provides emergency roadside assistance coverage and accident management services for automakers and insurance companies, is rolling out new services to provide scheduled vehicle moves as well — like moving dealer trades between dealerships, or pickup and delivery of customer vehicles for service visits.

 

“We do emergency services,” Cathy Orrico, chief client officer for Agero, says in a phone interview. “When a vehicle breaks down, that’s typically when we’re interacting” with customers, she says.

 

What’s new is, “We’re taking our infrastructure from emergency services, to scheduling services,” Orrico says.

 

The coronavirus pandemic and increased demand for “contactless” dealership pick-up and delivery helped inspire the move, she says. Agero calls the new service Vehicle Transport.

 

Agero is a brand name of the Cross Country Group, based in Medford, MA. The company got its start in 1972 as the Cross Country Motor Club, providing coverage for roadside assistance and towing services.

 

Agero already provides white-label, branded roadside assistance services to “about 75%” of auto manufacturers doing business in the U.S. and Canada, Orrico says, including both high-end luxury brands and mass-market brands. Its customers also include fleet owners.

 

In addition, the company says it provides services for 10 of the top 15 insurance companies. 

 

Agero has more than 2,800 employees. It provides the software and call centers to act as the first point of contact for customers, and to dispatch services. The company also has assembled a nationwide network of more than 8,000 national, regional and local providers of tow-truck services, flatbed transporters, etc.

 

The latest software applications allow customers to see on their smartphones where their transporter is and when it should arrive, similar to ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, Orrico says.

 

All told, between roadside assistance and accident management services, Agero’s services already cover around 115 million units operating in the U.S. and Canada, the company says.  The number of “service events” it responds to averages about 12 million per year.

 

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