Traffic.com Expands Services
This website sees press releases from many online businesses claiming that their websites are ‘personalized’. However, the question to be asked in many cases is ‘What is the actual benefit to the customer from the personalization of this service?’ In many cases, there is not a great deal, which explains why purely online services are not often featured on this site. To be a genuinely personalized online service, there needs to be a benefit to the customer beyond simply saying ‘Welcome back John Doe’ on the homepage.
One online service that does appear to give some customer benefit is Traffic.com, which provides real-time traffic information in many locations in the U.S. Within the last few days, the company announced that it has expanded its geographic coverage from 40 to 50 U.S. metropolitan areas. More than 120 million drivers now have access to free, real-time traffic information online and on-the-go.
Traffic.com’s 10 new metropolitan areas are Albany, NY; Birmingham, AL; Greensboro, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Louisville, KY; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; Raleigh-Durham, NC; Tulsa, OK; and Tucson, AZ.
Gathering, processing, and distributing real-time, digital traffic data since 1998, Traffic.com provides comprehensive coverage of all major U.S. metropolitan areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, and Washington, DC. Traffic.com collects data via the combination of proprietary, state-of-the-art roadside traffic sensors, government sources, and locally-specialized operations teams. The company says it has advanced the traffic industry Market Growth Marks Milestone from the Only U.S. Company to Supply Ad-Supported Traffic Services to Consumers via Television, Radio, Web, and Wireless Platforms.
“Smart growth, strategic partnerships and superior technology have kept us at the forefront of the traffic information industry,” said Robert N. Verratti, chief executive officer, Traffic.com.
In addition to consumer customers, Traffic.com also delivers content for all 50 U.S. metropolitan areas to business partners for online, mobile, and in-vehicle applications; cable and broadcast television; and terrestrial and satellite radio. Government agencies and Departments of Transportation across the country also utilize Traffic.com’s data and services for infrastructure planning purposes, as well as commuter and traveler systems.
“We believe Traffic.com is the first choice for business partners and consumers seeking the highest quality traffic information. Our ability to ensure we are the preferred provider is demonstrated by recent agreements with top-tier global partners like AOL, Microsoft, and Garmin International Inc.,” said Robert N. Verratti.
Included in personalized reports is up-to-the-minute traffic data including drive times, delays, incidents, average speed, and slowest speed along a route, as well as indication of worsening or improving congestion trends, for 50 metropolitan areas via its free, interactive traffic hotline, which uses the number 1-866-MY-TRAFC (1-866-698-7232). Drivers can also register to receive free phone alerts, mobile e-mail alerts, and desktop email alerts all available through www.traffic.com.
Traffic.com is targeting the market for location-based advertising, by combining messages with Traffic.com’s localized content in the 50 metropolitan areas. Traffic.com say they are the first in the industry to pioneer pinpoint mobile advertising opportunities, that enable advertisers to communicate highly-targeted localized messages in a friendly, non-intrusive style to navigation device users every time they calculate a route or request traffic information via the mobile device.
Possibly the most important element to Traffic.com’s service personalization is that it is available through multiple channels – there isn’t any benefit in an online traffic service that can only be accessed on a computer. In particular, the company has an agreement with Garmin International Inc. to serve as the exclusive real-time traffic provider in the continental United States for the Garmin Mobile20 – a GPS automotive navigation system that delivers Garmin’s voice-prompted, turn-by-turn directions using Bluetooth wireless technology on Smartphones. Traffic.com content will be integrated into the Garmin product line and used to improve the utility of the Garmin navigation service by enabling users to detect and avoid traffic problems.
Also, members can set up Custom Traffic Reports – messages that are sent to the customer to inform about traffic conditions on saved Drives. The customer can get reports at the same time on selected days of the week, or when traffic conditions are bad, or both.
So perhaps the two factors that distinguish the true personalized online service from the impostors are those that add an extra dimension to the information, such as time or location. These are the services that tell you the situation in real-time (right now), or the situation at your chosen location. Or like Traffic.com, do both at the same time.
Are there other dimensions that distinguish true online personalization? Readers’ opinions are welcomed.
