DES PLAINES, IL – Wheels, Inc., a leader in the multi-billion-dollar fleet-management industry, announced today that it has been named a finalist in three categories for the 2011 American Business AwardsSM (a.k.a. “The Stevies”) for Sales and Customer Service. 

Wheels’ Vehicle Inventory Management team was nominated as a finalist in one of the “Customer Service Department of the Year” categories.  In addition, the company’s Driver Services Center earned a finalist nod in one of the “Contact Center of the Year” categories, and its Collision Management team was shortlisted in the “Front Line Customer Service Team of the Year” group.

“Our focus has always been on delivering top-level customer service, but recent economic challenges and new global demands for service excellence have really brought that commitment to the forefront and resulted in new opportunities to dazzle our clients,” said Christine Steinberg, Vice President of Customer Service Operations for Wheels. “This year we experienced six-year highs in overall performance and satisfaction ratings from our customers, and we are proud that the American Business Awards judges have recognized the VIM, DSC, and Collision teams as being key contributors to that.”

The Wheels Vehicle Inventory Management (VIM) program is unique in the fleet industry for its capability to ensure optimal use of a client’s vehicle inventory.  The VIM team provides complete oversight and deployment, founded on customized client profiles, leading analytics and end-to-end customer service, to assure that each client’s individual vehicle assignment and inventory management preferences are followed.  The team’s scope includes pairing available vehicles with new vehicle requests across North America to identify the best fit, fastest and most cost-effective solution for each situation.  The team also handles driver on-boarding and departures, along with disposing of, moving and storing vehicles.

The Wheels Driver Services Center (DSC) serves as a toll-free, single-point-of-contact support system for its clients’ drivers to assist them with virtually all aspects of vehicle use.  The multi-lingual DSC features a specially-trained call staff of Driver Services Associates that handle over one million inbound and outbound calls a year for services like maintenance, collision and fuel.  The Wheels DSC is among the industry leaders in call response time, service level commitment, employee retention rate and overall client satisfaction.

For more than 30 years, the Wheels Collision Management team has managed all aspects of vehicle accident services and collision repair for the company’s clients and their drivers.  The front-line team helps drivers through many phases of accident management, including accident filing, first notice of loss reporting, police report requests, rental vehicle management and notification to the client’s liability carrier on behalf of the driver.    The Wheels process delivers high levels of driver satisfaction – recent driver survey data indicate 92% of drivers rated the Wheels Collision Management service as exceeding or far exceeding their expectations.

The Stevies are among the world’s premier business awards, and the Sales & Customer Service award segment honors the accomplishments of sales, customer service, and call/contact center professionals across the globe.   Award entrants are from all types of businesses – large and small, public and private, for-profit and non-profit.

This year, nearly 850 entries from companies in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration in more than 90 categories, and only about a third of all entries submitted were named as finalists.  Winners will be announced during a gala in Miami Beach on February 21. 

About Wheels, Inc.
Wheels, Inc. (www.wheels.com), which pioneered the concept of auto leasing in 1939, provides a full range of specialized services to help organizations manage their vehicle fleets. Wheels manages more than 315,000 vehicles, and has been named on the InformationWeek 500 list of top technology companies in each of the past 10 years. Its holding company, Frank Consolidated Enterprises, sees nearly $2 billion in annual sales, and currently ranks as the largest privately held fleet management company and one of the largest private companies in North America. For additional information, please contact info@wheels.com.