Volvo launches driver concierge service

Volvo Cars has unveiled a concierge service concept that could mean its customers that they will never have to stop at a petrol station, go to a car wash or even take their car in for a service ever again.

The concierge services could eventually become a part of the Volvo On Call mobile platform.

The car-maker is piloting the idea in San Francisco, targeting Volvo owners driving the latest XC90 SUV and S90 saloon.  The pilot is due to start in November and will ramp up to include around 300 Volvo owners

“Imagine parking your car in the morning at work and when you head home your car has been serviced, cleaned and refuelled. These are the kind of services we want to deliver to our customers,” said Björn Annwall, senior vice president, global consumer experience at Volvo Car Group.

“Our research shows that people spend hours every week doing these small errands. We want to give that time back to Volvo drivers, so they can do something more valuable instead.”

Research by Volvo has shown that more than 70% of customers want fuelling services at their fingertips, while 56% want their car picked up for routine maintenance, and 49% would like to be able to have their car moved to another location when desired.

The Volvo owners participating in the pilot can use the pilot app to identify concierge services available in the immediate vicinity and order them via their smartphone. Requests are then sent to an authorised Volvo service provider, who will refuel the vehicle, perform scheduled maintenance, or whatever additional service the owner has requested.

The company has developed an app that provides a one-time-use digital key, which is location and time-specific, and sends it out to the authorised service provider. When the services are complete, the car is locked and the digital key expires. The car can also be returned to where the customer left it or delivered to a completely new location at the customer’s request.

Volvo Cars’ network of digital innovation labs in California, Shanghai and Gothenburg are focusing on understanding the needs of the company’s growing customer base in an effort to further expand the range of services on offer.