Using the power of information to improve customer loyalty

Published: March 2007
By Mike Jones, Ebbon-Dacs

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, has been an accepted part of Dealer Management Systems for some time. However, are current practices really effective for the typical Dealer Group?

This paper takes a brief look at how Ebbon-Dacs’ approach through their EDVantage solution is different to that of conventional Dealer Management Systems (DMS).

Most DMS products today address the need for CRM through traditional follow ups to sales and after sales activities. Typically this is achieved through a variety of manual or automated routines put together over time.

But CRM needs to evolve. The overriding need is to be flexible and to be inclusive. It should not simply be regarded as a function addressed by software. Instead, it has to be a company-wide business strategy designed to increase profitability by building customer loyalty.

This can only be achieved by building a “smarter” CRM solution. To be effective it has to allow CRM to become part of the core DMS business processes. It has to be available to all users, not just regarded as a detached series of back-office routines.

EDVantage takes a different approach through what it refers to as event based CRM.

Because EDVantage already uses events as the key to controlling process within the business, allowing CRM to introduce extensions to these business processes in the form of additional CRM events is the logical next step. In this way, the dealer group is able to manage CRM as part of the core business process.

Major Benefits to the Dealer Group

  • CRM can be designed to suit the Dealer Group’s business and is an “open” solution rather than a prescribed set of routines. Activities such as service no shows, missed test drives, overrunning workshop visits, overdue sales contact, future service work reminders, seasonal campaigns, dormant complaints etc. can be managed through an automated CRM event. However, any type of data held within the DMS can be used as a trigger for CRM events to extend the sales or after sales process.
  • CRM is an automated 24/7 process monitoring the business through the day, not just at a given point in the day or overnight or when the user remembers to look. This allows effective and timely response to activities which become due or for selling opportunities which are recognised.
  • Events and actions automatically generated by CRM can be assigned to specific individuals within a department. Alternatively they can be allocated to marketing personnel within the dealership, or even to a group call centre facility. However, assigned tasks can easily be reconfigured to mirror changes to Dealer Group infrastructure or to changing personnel responsibilities.
  • Delivery channels for CRM events include scripted calls to customers, printed or call based questionnaires, SMS text alerts as well as the traditional e-mail and letter communication. The effectiveness of these can be measured within EDVantage, and adapted as necessary.
  • Companies can extend the data stored against individual customers by recording responses to dealer group designed questionnaires or scripts. The information recorded may itself then automatically trigger CRM events using dealer defined criteria. This allows dealer groups to design and build their own tailored customer profiles from which CRM can automate the way they respond to the information captured.
  • Incomplete CRM events can themselves be monitored by the CRM system and escalated to senior management if required.

This event based approach, where CRM is embraced within complete and flexible processes enables dealer groups to implement their own best practices and also to innovate with new initiatives that aid customer service and help win business.

Download this white paper (in Adobe PDF format)