News & Resources

DALLAS, TX — Todd Neiberger, Chief Executive Officer of TTN Fleet Solutions, announced today the launch of a heavy-duty roadside assistance solution for insurance providers and claims administrators. Known as “HD Assist,” the product has been piloted for several months. Now, TTN is making it available to the insurance industry, at-large.

“Many insurance companies want to provide heavy-duty roadside assistance for commercial auto insurance policyholders, but — typically — roadside assistance isn’t an internal competency or part of their primary business,” Neiberger explained. “We’re experts in heavy-duty roadside assistance, and we’ve applied more than a decade of experience to establish a program that lets insurance companies and others provide heavy duty roadside assistance, seamlessly, to their customers.”

Here’s how the program works. Insurers offer policies with specific inclusions, exclusions, deductible amounts, and other rules for covered roadside events. When trucks breakdown anywhere in the U.S., policyholders call a toll-free, dedicated, heavy-duty roadside assistance phone number to request help.

TTN Fleet Solutions expertly manages these events from start to finish. Agents confirm and explain coverage, collect deductibles, and then work directly with policyholders to manage towing and repair — billing separately and collecting payments for expenses that are not covered by insurance. In this manner, insurers reduce administration while customers benefit from a single point of contact and expert service.

“HD Assist is available to any auto insurer, claims administrator, or roadside assistance benefit provider who offers coverage but does not want the administrative burden of managing breakdowns,” Neiberger emphasized. “From initial call through verification of coverage, towing, repair, and payment… we manage the process for insurers and their customers.”

“We’re a heavy-duty breakdown and maintenance technology company,” added Tyler Harden, Chief Strategy & Product Development for TTN Fleet Solutions. “Our solution communicates rapidly, conveniently, and accurately with commercial auto policyholders regarding what is covered versus what is not. Think of it as an immediate ‘claims adjustment.’ Policyholders get quick answers regarding coverage and any amounts they owe. Insurers benefit from an enhanced brand image, along with credit from customers for fast, high-quality, heavy-duty roadside assistance and service.”

“We get drivers and equipment back on the road — regardless of what’s covered and what’s not,” Harden clarified. “We ensure deductibles and other expenses are collected and distributed properly. Our technology makes these transactions clear, quick, and precise — exactly what you’d want if you were a stranded driver, or an owner-operator wanting to reduce downtime and get freight moving again.”

TTN Fleet Solutions helps customers achieve better business results with industry-leading vehicle maintenance and repair technology and services. The company offers emergency roadside assistance, towing and accident management, scheduled maintenance, and contact center solutions. To learn more, visit www.TTNFleetSolutions.com/hdassist.

ARGYLE, TEXAS — Todd Neiberger, Chief Executive Officer of TTN Fleet Solutions, issued a statement today regarding his company’s service during recent, extreme Texas weather.  The statement commended employees for keeping the emergency roadside assistance provider open during the cold spell.

“Because we provide emergency roadside assistance to so many trucking companies and their drivers, it’s important that our service remains open and available even during the recent, uncharacteristic weather event in Texas,” said Neiberger.  “Our employees did exactly that.  We never closed.  We never left a single driver stranded.  And we accomplished all of this, notwithstanding the notion that many of our employees were working from home due to COVID, and their homes were stricken with no power, no heat, and in some cases, no water.”

“I’m proud of our teams for remaining open and available to drivers during what have been described as ‘snow-vid-like’ conditions,” he continued.  “I’m also grateful to the many customers who actually called to check on the wellness of our employees.  After years of us doing ‘wellness’ checks on their drivers, our customers were actually calling to check on us.  It’s very gratifying, on many levels.”

TTN Vice President of Operations Caleb Dill added, “My biggest take away is the resiliency of the team. Despite what seemed to be impossible circumstances, TTN was able to rally and continue to service our customers and drivers.  When it would have been easy to give in to the circumstances or call it quits, our people kept going.”

Even as staff members were attending to personal, weather related emergencies, executives at TTN Fleet Solutions manned phone lines to ensure the company’s roadside service commitments were met.

“People with and without power in their own homes have been working long hours, sleeping in the office or at coworker’s houses, and giving it their all to help the fleets and drivers we serve. We have executives, directors, and managers who have engaged to help TTN face these challenging times; this has been a complete team effort in the face of this storm, and we made certain that we did not keep drivers stranded,” said Dill.

TTN Fleet Solutions helps customers achieve better business results with industry-leading vehicle maintenance and repair technology and services. The company offers emergency roadside assistance, towing and accident management, scheduled and preventive maintenance, and call center solutions.

For more information, visit www.ttnfleetsolutions.com or call (800) 825-4138.

50+ years ago, there was one tech company — IBM. It made the hardware. It made the software. It sold the services. And if you were a beneficiary of IBM’s technology, you understood you were a service provider, not a tech company.

Once IBM unbundled its software from its hardware, the lines began to blur. The Internet boom made the moniker even more difficult to apply. And the answer to the question, “What is a tech company,” became more difficult to answer, over time.

Quick… name a company that provides an app to book, manage, communicate about, and update your travel plans.

If you named Airbnb, Expedia, Hotels.com, or Kayak, then you named a technology company, right? But what about Marriot? What about Hilton? United Airlines? Don’t they have apps? Don’t they fit that description? See what I mean? Tech companies can be difficult to define.

Why would anyone care? Isn’t it true that if you build an enduring company, a brand people trust, and a reputation for providing value, then does how you’re classified really matter?

Yes. As a practical matter, tech companies have an easier time attracting employees. They have an easier time attracting investment dollars and business partners. When they’re sold, tech companies achieve higher multiples. But here’s a better question, “Why would TTN Fleet Solutions care whether you viewed us as a tech company?”

Now, this is a question I can answer.

We believe tech companies lead the way for setting new customer expectations. They innovate. They build each new generation of products and establish new services. They disrupt industries, lower costs, enhance services, and — most importantly — they enable competitive advantage to those who adopt their technology, just like IBM did more than fifty years ago.

Tech companies create marketplaces where there are advantages to shopping. They give customers a reason to make purchases within the new marketplace rather than going direct to service providers. They don’t just offer technology. They use it to gain competitive advantage.

Airbnb offers greater choice. Uber offers more convenient service. Amazon lowers costs and enhances services with easy shipping and returns. At TTN, we offer each of these advantages, and we improve quality, by vetting the service providers in our network and ensuring that when you need towing or repair, you’re getting it from someone proven, someone you can trust, and someone who can quickly and efficiently help you access additional, related services.

But that’s not all… There’s a mindset that exists within technology companies. Within them, you’ll find CEOs and executives who are restless, leaders who are concerned with making underlying technology accomplish even more for customers…making benefits more obvious, more abundant, and more accessible.

Marriot can add whatever app it wants. Its focus remains on providing you with an incredible stay. The company is famous for it. Its app is a means to that end.

Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Amazon, and TTN — our focus is on changing the way our customers do what they do. At TTN, we love towing companies, but our focus is and always has been on making the experience of getting a tow (or any related service) easier, safer, faster, and less expensive. And like other technology companies who have created a superior marketplace — we insist on providers who are focused on providing you with a superior version of what they do, too.

Tech companies make decisions accordingly.

We build momentum for ourselves and customers. So everyone involved — providers included — can stay relevant.

At TTN, we operate a world-class, industry leading call center staffed with agents who understand the maintenance and repair industry. We employ a set of best practices we’ve developed over the course of more than a decade. And we’re expert at not only getting trucks back on the road, but also keeping drivers happy and informed throughout the process.

If you want to know everything about that and learn how we can help you — either with full-time coverage or during nights, weekends, or periods of peak demand — I invite you to reach out to me or anyone at TTN to help you.

But if you want a few tips and tricks that will help you improve your call center operations immediately, keep reading.

Deliver a Solid First Impression

Drivers want to be able to believe in you. So when they call with an emergency, answer the phone within just a few seconds. Then, impress drivers the moment they answer with active listening. This involves demonstrating concern, paraphrasing what you’re being told, and providing verbal affirmation, such as, “I see,” “I understand,” or “I empathize and want to help you with that issue.”

Active listening is a skill. It can (and should) be developed with training. It’s way more than “just being nice.” It involves not only affirmation, but also confirmation of perfect understanding of why a driver is calling and what must happen next.

Done correctly, active listening will actually increase your agents’ understanding of problems and will help your call center increase driver satisfaction by ensuring faster and more accurate resolution of issues.

Shorten Resolution Time

Drivers deserve fast and knowledgeable support. Your call center can’t provide this unless it’s trained in how to solve the most common issues drivers call about. The less an agent knows about how to resolve important issues, the more likely that agent is to place a driver on hold.

Call center training should include not only skill and knowledge-based presentations, but also should be accompanied by documentation, quick reference guides, videos, and other tools agents can keep at their fingertips and use in real time.

What else will happen? Your agents will be more confident and have an easier time enjoying their jobs, because they will be better equipped to help people, faster. So you’ll reduce your churn of call center employees while you reduce driver turnover.

Track Driver Satisfaction

There’s an old adage that what you measure is what you’ll improve. At TTN, we’ve found that to be true about call center management.

The best bet is to automate measurement of key satisfaction indicators. Configure your call center software to automatically monitor call sentiments. Share results with call center staff and engage your staff in development of strategies for improving service.

In addition, pay close attention to these key metrics:

• Average Speed of Answer (ASA)
• Average Handle Time (AHT)
• Customer Satisfaction Rate
• Compliance/Quality Scores

Hire the Right People

This may sound obvious, but there’s a counterintuitive piece to this advice that some hiring managers may not realize. Specifically, TTN hires for attitude first, aptitude second.

Why? It’s much easier to teach a friendly person how to resolve breakdown issues than it is to teach a broken-down person how to be friendly. A call center agent who lacks empathy or compassion won’t provide great service to drivers, regardless of his or her knowledge of diesel engines.

Hire good people and train them as subject matter experts.

Use Technology with a Purpose

Chatbots and interactive voice response systems are not always for drivers. If applied incorrectly, they can be frustrating in an emergency where time matters and patience is scarce. Drivers sometimes want to speak with a person. And you should make sure that person is a well-trained agent.

If you do use an auto attendant, be sure to give drivers an “out,” such as pressing “0” to reach someone who can begin helping, immediately.

There’s plenty of technology available that can speed the transactional nature of a call for help. Don’t add technology that’s abusive or technology that slows the process.

Give Agents the Tools To Do Their Jobs

It takes more than Internet software and a Rolodex to make agents successful. Whether in the office or working remotely, your agents will benefit from easily accessible databases, phone system features that facilitate cooperation and teamwork, and a customer relationship management system that serves to let agents access basic information and the histories of trucks and other equipment.

Take care of your team, and your team will take care of your drivers.

View Calls as Opportunities

There was a time when companies encouraged drivers not to call their support centers. But today’s most successful call centers understand that any costs they incur from a call are usually far offset by avoidance of soft costs or hidden costs associated with drivers not getting help or with equipment not being serviced.

Every call represents an opportunity to improve something.

And organizations that view driver calls for emergency service in this regard will eventually view their call answering operations as money-saving organizations, rather than cost centers.

In fact, TTN estimates an annual savings of 15 percent or more — in soft costs related to roadside assistance, breakdown management, and maintenance — for more customers who use our services exclusively. There’s much you can do on your own; however, chances are we’ve already invested in what you need and can leverage our well-equipped and highly trained agents to enhance your team.

cdill@ttnfs.com

ARGYLE, TEXAS — In a letter to employees today Jeff St. Pierre, founder of TTN Fleet Solutions, announced the promotion of Todd Neiberger to the role of Chief Executive Officer.  St. Pierre will retain the title, “Chairman of the Board.”

“Our company has had tremendous growth, and we have emerged as the undisputed technology leader in the fleet maintenance space,” St. Pierre declared.  “Todd’s leadership has been vital to our success, and he has earned the opportunity to continue that success with greater autonomy.  As Chairman of the Board, I’ll remain engaged and available to Todd, but it is Todd who will lead the company now and into the future.”

St. Pierre continued, “Todd has taken on increasing responsibility for strategic leadership since joining us as Chief Financial Officer in 2019.  He’s led us through a phase of entrepreneurial and technological expansion.  The company has benefitted from his experience managing growth and developing teams, and — along with the rest of our management group— he’s guided the company to dominate the transportation maintenance and repair space with a technology-based competitive advantage.”

Prior to joining TTN, Neiberger served for seven years as Chief Financial Officer of Magpul Industries, headquartered in Austin.  Prior to Magpul Industries, Todd was the Chief Financial Officer of Kroll Factual Data for 16 years.  His experience includes managerial and executive positions at both private equity and publicly held companies ranging in size from $65 million to $455 million in revenue.  Neiberger has proven leadership in building high performing companies with strong EBITDA growth.

“I’m stepping into this role with market-leading products and services — and an industry-leading management team,” Neiberger said.  “We have an expanding customer base, and our services are in high demand.  I’m looking forward to this new role and to continuing our commitment to making TTN Fleet Solutions an even stronger company for employees and customers.”

Neiberger lives in Argyle, Texas with his wife, Lisa Neiberger, and their three daughters, Alyssa, Emily and Payton.

TTN Fleet Solutions helps customers achieve better business results with industry-leading vehicle maintenance and repair technology and services. The company offers emergency roadside assistance, towing and accident management, scheduled maintenance, and contact center solutions.

For more information, visit www.ttnfleetsolutions.com or call (800) 825-4138.

ARGYLE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jim Coffren, Vice president of Sales for TTN Fleet Solutions, announced today that the company would begin providing Emergency Roadside Services (ERS) to Mckinney Trailer Rentals, effective immediately. Specifically, TTN will provide overflow, night and weekend support to Mckinney’s internal maintenance team, which offers maintenance and ERS services to its customers.

“Mckinney Trailer Rentals is a growing organization,” Coffren began. “They’re emerging as one of the prominent trailer leasing and rental companies in the industry. As Mckinney expands, they will continue to provide exceptional support to their customers, and we are glad Mckinney selected TTN as a service provider.”

“The support of customers is at the forefront of our concerns,” confirmed Dave Tavares, President of Mckinney Trailer Rentals. “Our intention was to find the right partner to ensure that we met our customers’ needs. We were attracted to TTN Fleet Solutions due to the sophistication of their technology, the expertise of their people and their convincing response to our careful RFP process.”

TTN is an industry leader at ERS, managing breakdown events to ensure the right providers are assigned, services are performed as requested, and no more time, labor or materials are used than necessary. The company also ensures accuracy by auditing every invoice they manage.

“We were two weeks away from signing up with a different provider,” explained Dean Magistrale, Director of Maintenance for Mckinney Trailer Rentals. “What we saw at TTN truly stopped us in our tracks. Their people and processes, along with their unique approach to ERS event management resonated with us. We’re confident they can help us scale our business.”

Added Josh Dill, Director of Business Integrations for TTN Fleet Solutions, “Mckinney Trailer Rentals has an in-depth understanding of their ERS events which makes this relationship a seamless fit for TTN. That made it very easy for us to replicate their complexity and deliver a solution custom to their need. We’re excited about the relationship, and we’re honored that Mckinney allowed us to present our solution.”

TTN Fleet Solutions helps customers achieve better business results with industry-leading vehicle maintenance and repair technology and services. The company offers emergency roadside assistance, towing and accident management, scheduled and preventive maintenance, and call center solutions. For more information, visit www.ttnfleetsolutions.com or call (800) 825-4138.

Mckinney Trailer Rentals, headquartered in Brea, California, is a leading provider of equipment rentals and leases in the Western United States and Texas. Mckinney has been supplying customers with quality equipment and service for over 30 years. With 15 branch locations in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, California, Arizona and Texas, the company offers an extensive fleet of dry vans, refrigerated trailers, flatbeds, curtain vans, chassis and storage trailers.

For more information, visit MckinneyTrailers.com or call (800) 355-4973.

Contacts
Media Contact:
George Carson
PR Representative
TTN Fleet Solutions
(330) 342-8000

ARGYLE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Tyler Harden, Vice President, Service Provider Network at TTN Fleet Solutions announced today that the company has entered into a strategic marketing partnership with Diesel Laptops.

“Diesel Laptops and TTN Fleet Solutions serve the same industries, and we’re leaders in our respective crafts,” Harden explained. “This relationship enables TTN to provide leading diagnostic tools and equipment along with related support and training to the towing and repair professionals within our network.”

“We recognized diagnostic equipment can be a challenge for our service providers,” Harden continued. “So we worked with the team at Diesel Laptops to create a special ‘TTN package.’ This kit will offer a comprehensive solution for over-the-road diagnostics and will serve as a huge value to providers by enhancing the overall customer experience. With this in the hands of our providers’ technicians, they’d be viewed as premier providers within our network.”

Tyler Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of Diesel Laptops also commented, “TTN and Diesel Laptops have common goals in mind – To help our customers reduce costs, increase productivity, and increase vehicle uptime. We are excited to work with TTN and their service providers by giving them access to high quality diagnostic tools, service and parts information, technician training, and live diesel technicians to call for assistance.”

TTN Fleet Solutions will begin marketing and providing its Diesel Laptop tool and equipment packages to its provider network effective immediately. For more information, providers can contact Harden at (817) 380-3818, or by email at vendors@ttnfs.com.

TTN Fleet Solutions helps customers achieve better business results with industry-leading vehicle maintenance and repair technology and services. The company offers emergency roadside assistance, towing and accident management, scheduled and preventive maintenance, and call center solutions.

Contacts
Media Contact:
George Carson
PR Representative
TTN Fleet Solutions
(330) 342-8000

Here’s What Drivers Want from Your Call Center

The transportation industry’s shortage of drivers reached a record high in 2018 and won’t be much different this year. So thoughtful companies are asking TTN, “What can we do to increase driver retention by enhancing the experience of our drivers?”

We’re glad you asked.

First, you should know that a majority of callers are dissatisfied with call center service. How many? According to a recent study from Forrester Consulting, that number is a staggering 54%.

What do they want?

When drivers call, they want to be treated like customers. According to the same study, callers’ priorities are to talk with a skilled agent and to have their issues resolved. Here’s what they asked for, specifically:

1. “Resolve my problem quickly.”
2. “Answer the phone quickly.”
3. “I want to speak with a real person.”
4. “I want access to information about my problem.”
5. “I want an agent based in the country I’m calling from.”
6. “I want to be treated with respect.”
7. “Give me multiple ways to reach out for help when I need it.”
8. “When I call, I want the agent to have access to all my information.”
9. “Agents should be easy to interact with.”
10. “I want my details recognized.”
11. “Agents should have good communication skills.”

So how can you give that to them?

The solution requires a combination of automation, technology, and human interaction.

At TTN, we begin with the human element.

Our agents are qualified, knowledgeable diesel technicians and skilled, professional communicators. No one answers the phone in our call center without first completing a rigorous training program. Our training requires not only a sophisticated understanding of the industry and equipment we’re supporting, but also of our field-tested and proven methodology for customer service.

If you’re putting just anybody on the phones, your relationships with drivers are at risk.

Next we add call center management software engineered to speed interaction and automate resolutions. The ability to answer and resolve problems quickly allows call center agents to move on to the next caller, which is important for drivers who want to feel cared about, taken care of, and important. It’s also important for our client companies, who want drivers and equipment back on the road, quickly.

Here are a few more tips for improving call center service:

Avoid Repeats. When there is a problem, drivers want to tell their story just once. They don’t want to repeat it multiple times to multiple agents.

Personal Service. It used to be that a fast response was enough. But with all the improvements in customer service that people experience elsewhere in their lives, more drivers than ever expect their experience to be personalized.

If your call center is treating drivers like case numbers rather than people, then that must stop. If your call center can’t deliver both speed and personalization, then you’re losing the battle to give drivers what they want.

Skip the Voice Response System. Voice response systems are a significant source of frustration. If you’re using one to service drivers, then you’re doing the opposite of what drivers want.

Give Consistent Answers. Your driver service methodology should include a mechanism for ensuring that drivers will receive the same answers regardless of whom they speak with in your organization. Anything else is irrational and will result in poor driver service.

If you’re in the transportation maintenance business, it’s likely that none of this information will surprise you. Yet it’s also likely that demands on your time, resources, and personnel don’t always allow you to focus on driver service the way you want to. Meeting driver expectations for call center service, though, will lead to greater retention, lower costs associated with turnover, and keep your assets on the road, more often.

Let us know if you’d like help from TTN.

Sources: TTN, Forrester Consulting, American Trucking Association