OnStar by GM Turns Ten Years Old
31 August 2005 - 3:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Nearly 4 million GM customers receive value and benefits from
OnStar safety, security and peace of mind services DETROIT, Aug. 31
/PRNewswire/ -- Since beginning operations in 1995, OnStar by GM
has grown to become the nation's leading provider of in-vehicle
safety, security and communications services using wireless and
Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite technology. Throughout
the past ten years, OnStar has continually evolved, providing its
nearly 4 million subscribers with the industry's most comprehensive
in-vehicle safety and security system. On average each month,
OnStar advisors respond to more than 383,000 routing calls, 43,000
remote door unlocks, 23,000 roadside assistance calls, 27,000
remote vehicle diagnostic checks, more than 400 stolen vehicle
location assistance requests, 900 air bag deployment notifications,
15,000 emergency service requests, and 5,000 Good Samaritan calls.
Representing OnStar's commitment to increase value for its
subscribers, OnStar has launched six versions of hardware during
its ten year history. An important milestone for both GM and OnStar
came in 1996 when OnStar debuted exclusively on 1997 model year
Cadillacs. Earlier this year, GM announced OnStar service will
become standard on all General Motors retail vehicles, reinforcing
GM's Total Value Promise to its customers. ORGANIZATIONAL
HIGHLIGHTS Over the past ten years, OnStar has had over 53 million
subscriber interactions including more than 12 million routing
requests, 1.25 million door unlock requests, 750,000 Roadside
Assistance requests and 25,000 air bag deployment notifications.
Technology Leadership Another significant accomplishment and
important industry first for GM and OnStar was the introduction in
2004 of GM's Advanced Automatic Crash Notification (AACN) system
debuting on the Chevy Malibu. The AACN system incorporates a series
of strategically located sensors that automatically call OnStar if
the vehicle is involved in a moderate to severe frontal, rear or
side-impact collision, providing crash severity information to
OnStar call center advisors. Each month, OnStar advisors respond to
about 140 AACN system calls. In 2006, GM will have 24 vehicles
equipped with AACN capability. OnStar also offers a fully
integrated, hands-free wireless calling service that allows
subscribers to use their OnStar system to safely and conveniently
make and receive wireless calls in a hands-free, voice-activated
manner. OnStar Hands-Free Calling provides a safe in-vehicle
alternative to allow driving with hands on the wheel and eyes on
the road. OnStar Hands-Free Calling launched in October 2000 and
more than 630 million minutes have been sold to subscribers.
Leadership Awards OnStar has received a number of significant
industry awards for outstanding use of technology and service
performance. In 1996, OnStar won the coveted Computerworld
Smithsonian Award for its innovative application of automotive
industry technology which changed the driving experience forever.
That same year, the editors of Popular Science magazine (which
annually reviews thousands of new products, technology developments
and scientific achievements) selected OnStar to receive an award of
distinction as one of the 100 "Best of What's New" innovations for
1996. OnStar received the Cellular Telecommunications &
Internet Association's (CTIA) first Future Vision Award for great
strides in the areas of data products, software products and
end-user applications. OnStar employees were honored in 1999 with
the General Motors Boss Kettering Award for the first
implementation of a national wireless network using a
non-geographic area code (500) to deliver OnStar mobile
communication services. The next year, OnStar was named among the
'Web Smart 50' in the 2000 e-biz special report in BusinessWeek.
The publication recognized 50 of the world's leading companies that
were harnessing the power of the Web to create real-life,
innovative products and services that foster revenue and growth,
taking new approaches to changing the way global businesses
operate. The Telematics industry has honored OnStar for its
outstanding performance and leadership. The ComCARE Alliance and
Telematics Update magazine honored OnStar at the 2003 Telematics
Update Awards banquet for Telematics Industry Leadership;
Telematics in Action; and the Heroes award for call center
advisors. In 2004, Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) awarded OnStar
with the "Good Buy" Award making it the first time any automotive
product or service has been an award winner since the "Good Buy"
award program began ten years earlier and OnStar is the first ever
winner of a "Good Buy" award in the "service" category. This year,
OnStar received the coveted 21st Century Achievement Award from the
Computerworld Honors Program for its AACN system and visionary use
of information technology in the Transportation category and in
June, OnStar captured three Telematics Update Awards, making it the
only multiple winner in the 2005 judging and an eight-time winner
in the award's three-year history. Strategic Alliances Since its
earliest days, OnStar has worked with leading public safety and
emergency medical organizations including the Association of Public
Safety Communications Officials (APCO); the National Emergency
Number Association (NENA) and the National Association of EMS
Physicians. These efforts are aimed at ensuring that public safety
receives all essential information to respond to emergencies
whether they involve OnStar subscribers or are reported by OnStar
subscribers acting as Good Samaritans. OnStar is proud of its
relationship with the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children (NCMEC). Providing the largest mobile fleet of Good
Samaritans on the road, OnStar uses GPS satellite, wireless
technologies and the expertise of its call center advisors to help
find missing children. Any OnStar subscriber who wants to report
information related to an AMBER Alert, missing or lost child can
press the red OnStar emergency button in his or her vehicle.
Immediately, the subscriber will be connected with an OnStar
advisor who will expedite the call to one of the nation's 6,000
emergency service centers. OnStar is also a member of the ComCARE
(Communications for Coordinated Assistance and Response to
Emergencies) Alliance, which is a coalition of more than 100
organizations who work to encourage the development and deployment
of life saving communications technologies that will enhance
America's emergency response capabilities. In 2004, OnStar
partnered with Verizon Wireless to provide the America's Choice
Plan with OnStar, a FamilyShare plan that allows Verizon Wireless
customers to add their vehicle to an existing line of service and
share Verizon Wireless plan minutes with their vehicle. OnStar will
be fully digital in all GM model year 2006 vehicles, expanding
vehicle availability for the digital hand set program. America's
Choice Plan with OnStar is available in all Verizon Wireless
digital markets. OnStar recently joined with America's Most Wanted
in an effort to portray ordinary persons and, with the help of
OnStar, their extraordinary life situations. The OnStar "Call to
Action" segment featured on America's Most Wanted programming
depicts OnStar Good Samaritans who have assisted with finding
missing or lost children, reporting accidents, locating stolen
vehicles and capturing criminals. OnStar regularly assists law
enforcement in locating subscribers' stolen vehicles and in doing
so, has helped police find criminals involved in auto-theft rings,
carjackings, drug trafficking and robberies. OnStar will support an
important regional readiness exercise to be held September 7-11,
2005 in Moundsville, West Virginia. Mock Disaster 2005 will allow
OnStar to cooperate with emergency service providers under a
variety of realistic scenarios to validate protocols and enhance
relationships. OnStar's involvement will feature a Good Samaritan
call, routing support around a hazardous material spillage,
Advanced Automatic Crash Notification and a request by law
enforcement personnel for a stolen vehicle's location.
Accomplishments in Advertising Throughout the decade, OnStar has
executed award-winning advertising campaigns to effectively
communicate the distinct services provided to consumers in
successfully building the OnStar brand and defining its unique and
relevant customer services. Today's "real stories" campaign,
launched in 2002, uses actual subscriber stories in the
subscribers' own voices to share their life-changing experiences.
This award-winning campaign conveys the importance and real
benefits of OnStar services through the eyes of actual subscribers.
In 2005, the OnStar brand reached 100% brand awareness among new
vehicle intenders and over 80% of current subscribers prefer or
will only consider vehicles with OnStar for their next purchase or
lease. Command Center OnStar by GM recently unveiled its newly
designed Command Center, the nerve center for OnStar service to its
subscribers. The OnStar Command Center monitors performance of the
OnStar call centers; critical communications and operating system
infrastructures; and provides comprehensive information based on
severe weather conditions and national news. Within the Command
Center is the OnStar Sound Studio, a new state-of-the- art digital
broadcast studio to support a variety of communications
initiatives. In the past four months, nearly 20 guest DJ's, ranging
from local on-air personalities to nationally syndicated talent,
have broadcast from the OnStar Sound Studio. The new facility
complements the relocation of OnStar headquarter operation to the
GM world headquarters at Renaissance Center in Detroit. About
OnStar OnStar, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors, is the
leading provider of in-vehicle safety, security and communication
services using wireless technology and the Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellite network. OnStar is available on more than 50
GM models for 2005. Over the next few years, OnStar service will be
a standard feature for GM's retail customers in the United States
and Canada, covering all segments and prices except for some
commercial vehicles. OnStar safety and security services include
automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle
location assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance,
remote door unlock, and GM Goodwrench remote vehicle diagnostics.
OnStar Hands-Free Calling allows drivers to make and receive
hands-free, voice-activated calls from their vehicle. More
information about OnStar can be found at http://www.onstar.com/ .
DATASOURCE: General Motors Corporation CONTACT: Anne Mittelstaedt
of OnStar, +1-313-667-0874, Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.onstar.com/
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