The AA of South Africa uses what3words for roadside assistance
No matter where you’re driving, getting stuck in the middle of nowhere is never part of the plan. To make things more frustrating, trying to explain where you are when there are no addresses can be a long and complicated process. To help callers get assistance exactly where they need it as quickly as possible, the Automobile Association of South Africa now accepts 3 word addresses.
Everywhere in the world has a 3 word address, so it’s easy to say exactly where a breakdown or accident has happened. For example, ///vehicles.quack.enjoyed is a specific spot on the M14 on the way to Melkbosstrand.
If a car breaks down there, the driver can open the what3words app and tap the ‘Locate me’ icon to find out her current 3 word address. She can then call the AA and ask for roadside assistance at “vehicles quack enjoyed”. The contact centre agent can quickly look up the 3 word address and dispatch a team to that exact location.
“what3words shortens the conversation between our members and contact centre agents, helping us improve our service to our customers,” said Jaco van der Merwe, Head of IT, Automobile Association of South Africa.
what3words for emergencies
In South Africa, ER24 , the country’s leading medical emergency services provider has also partnered with what3words, and has been encouraging people to download the app to be prepared.
Many police forces, ambulance, and fire and rescue services in the UK accept 3 word addresses from callers so they can say exactly where they are and get help fast.
The what3words app is free to use on iOS and Android and works offline, making it ideal for use in areas with an unreliable data connection. It is available in over 35 languages including isiZulu, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.
Download it here or find out more about what3words for emergency services .
