PEX Network’s key takeaways:
- The Hertz Corporation is driving process automation and artificial intelligence (AI) enabled innovation in partnership with Microsoft.
- Hertz has begun developing low-code applications and agents with Power Platform.
- “Power Platform makes it easy to bring really innovative automation and AI concepts to life and that makes it even easier to demonstrate the possibilities to both our employees and management.”
The Hertz Corporation is partnering with Microsoft to drive process automation and AI innovation.
Hertz, one of the world’s leading car rental and mobility solutions providers, has begun developing low-code applications and agents with Power Platform. Apps built on Power Platform include a schedule planning app for employees and an AI-driven agent used by the customer service team to support customers seeking roadside assistance.
An early agent pilot has already reduced the time to resolve customer issues by over 15 percent.
“Power Platform makes it easy to bring really innovative automation and AI concepts to life and that makes it even easier to demonstrate the possibilities to both our employees and management,” said Zac Cadi, director, strategic technology initiative at Hertz. “We’re at the beginning of a very exciting journey with Power Platform.”
Hertz drives process automation & AI innovation
“We have literally hundreds of processes that could benefit from automation and AI, and we see Power Platform as a fast, efficient way to develop solutions that deliver those benefits,” explained Cadi.
Power Platform can tightly integrate with other Microsoft technologies and applications. One such application is Microsoft Shifts, which is integrated with Microsoft Teams. Together, Teams and Shifts allow employees to view and manage their schedules from a single location, including the ability to easily swap or offer shifts to teammates – streamlining a process that previously required multiple approval channels.
Building on this capability, Hertz used Power Apps to develop a “Start My Day” app that combines shifts data with work-related information from other platforms, creating a highly efficient planning tool for employees.
The app also brings in reports called “huddle sheets,” which provide employees with upcoming car rental activity for their specific locations, such as the number of cars being picked up and returned that day.
In addition to improving employee convenience and efficiency, the app streamlines management processes. Shift changes that once required manual entry into the ADP payroll system are now automatically updated.
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Accelerating AI-driven innovation
Power Platform is also a key enabler of AI initiatives. At Hertz, success with AI depends on balancing enablement and governance, a goal supported by Power Platform tools such as Microsoft Copilot Studio.
“Microsoft Copilot Studio enables our team to start building agentic solutions while also providing just the right number of guardrails,” said Cadi. “In this way, it’s more like a protected wilderness park than a zoo – a platform where our makers are free to roam, but also where we can maintain control of data and development. Microsoft Copilot Studio gives us the confidence to effectively explore and realize the potential of AI at Hertz.”
Hertz is planning to roll the agent out to more locations soon, with the agent expected to generate significant time and cost savings, while also freeing employee time for more complex customer queries.