OnStar Technology Wins Stevie Award for Helping Motorists

'Best Use of Technology in Customer Service' is recognized

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Mar 02, 2012, 10:31 ET

LAS VEGAS, March 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Anyone who has pressed the OnStar button and spoken to someone on the other end knows how helpful these advisors can be, but the hardware behind the button is what makes the connection possible.

For the second consecutive year, OnStar was awarded a Stevie Award (http://bit.ly/xBH74J), this time for "Best Use of Technology in Customer Service." OnStar won a Stevie in 2011 for Customer Service Department of the Year in Telecommunications.

OnStar has significantly enhanced the customer's experience in the last year. OnStar For My Vehicle (FMV) (http://bit.ly/lIrmc1) was introduced last July, enabling 100 million other drivers to add OnStar service though an aftermarket rearview mirror.

OnStar also expanded the way drivers can get directions, by adding the option to send a destination from their smartphone to their vehicle (http://bit.ly/xNkdns) using the OnStar RemoteLink App. Also, OnStar Emergency Advisors began receiving Emergency Medical Dispatch training, so they can provide critical medical advice to victims while they wait for help to arrive on scene.

More than 3 million calls are received by OnStar advisors every month. The most popular service requests are for:

Turn-by-Turn Navigation: more than 2 million requests per month
Remote Door Unlocks: nearly 60,000 requests per month
On-demand Vehicle Diagnostic updates: about 55,700 requests per month

Additionally, OnStar also sends more than 4 million Vehicle Diagnostic emails to customers every month

Subscriber Samantha Carroll recently relied on OnStar's navigation to help her in an emergency. Her 4-year-old son had just fallen and received a deep gash in his forehead which required stitches immediately.

"Since this was the first emergency I ever had with my son, I was a nervous wreck," said Carroll. "I had no clue how to get to the ER. So thank God, I was able to get in the car and I was able to have [OnStar] download the directions for me as I was already on the road. I was so flustered that I doubt I would have had time or been able to log on to my computer and look up directions.

"It's nice to talk to someone, in case you're confused, lost or in an emergency," she said. "I think I will always be a subscriber."

About OnStar

OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the global leading provider of connected safety, security and mobility solutions and advanced information technology. With more than 6 million subscribers in the U.S, Canada and China, OnStar is currently available on more than 45 MY 2012 GM models, as well as available for installation on most other vehicles already on the road with OnStar FMV. More information about OnStar can be found at www.onstar.com.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

SOURCE General Motors