ARI Opens Houston Call Center For Fleet Management Services

Automotive Resources International (ARI) announced on December 6 the start-up of a new Houston, TX call center. This is the company's sixth North American call center, including Maple Shade, NJ; Grapevine, TX; Mississauga, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec; and Mexico City, Mexico.

According to ARI Senior Vice President of Fleet Services, Bob White, call volume for 2011 is on track to hit 3.1 million in the U.S. alone because of the company's growth over the past few years. The company now manages over 780,000 vehicles. "Houston was chosen as the location of our new call center based on the availability of qualified technicians. But other considerations included availability of quality facilities, accessibility for local employees and ARI's management team, and the overall quality of life for ARI employees," added White.

The new call center has capacity for 185 employees. Calls are directed by country, allocated to each center, and routed to the most appropriate available technician, regardless of location.

Ted Davis, Department Head, Call Center Operations, says that the company began hiring technicians from the Houston area this past August and putting them through an intensive training program in its Grapevine facility. "We temporarily relocated new technicians to Grapevine so they'd not only be capable of taking calls the first day we opened our doors but they'd also have absorbed the ARI culture. In addition, we relocated experienced technicians from Grapevine and Maple Shade to support the new team."

ARI, headquartered in Mount Laurel, NJ, is the second largest vehicle fleet management organization in North America with a workforce numbering more than 2,000 and offices throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Europe. The company manages over 780,000 cars, trucks, and equipment in North America and more than 1.8 million fleet vehicles globally.

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004