Case Study.

Existing systems included a DMS supplied by one of the top industry providers and a 'T' Card system.

The DMS did a good job of raising Job Cards, Invoicing and Customer/Vehicle management, but was lacking when it came to workshop control and was considered awkward to use by the department staff.

The 'T' Card system had been in place for some time but required CA's to write comprehensive information on each card and maintain the running totals on which the system relied.

The net result was that CA's were away from their desks for a considerable period over the course of a day, resulting in customers finding it difficult to contact them by telephone and delays at Service Reception.
Workshop loading suffered as the increased pressure on CA's time meant that 'T' Cards were seldom completed properly, writing was often illegible and loading was reduced to a simple glance at the 'T' Card board to see if it appeared empty or full.

Another major issue was the amount of the Workshop controllers' time being consumed by answering queries by CA's, Parts, and Sales personnel. It was quite usual for there to be a queue of 5 or 6 people at his desk other than Technicians. He had become the departments 'Blue Blanket' and was finding it difficult to dedicate enough of his time to running the workshop.

The overall effect of this way of working was low staff morale as everyone was under pressure dealing with complaints from either customers or their own colleagues. This in turn resulted in lack of teamwork and a culture of back-watching.

What was needed was a system that allowed CA's, Parts Personnel and the Controller to access the information and status of each job without leaving their posts or taking up each other's time and they needed a more accurate and reliable method of workshop loading.

In short they all needed to know who had done what, why, and when, and they needed this information at their fingertips.

EaziTrack-SC was designed to fulfil these requirements and not, as many DMS systems are designed, to satisfy the needs of the accounting department. It is a dedicated tool for the people at the sharp end. Its purpose is to compliment the DMS not replace it.

The system was implemented and apart from the inevitable initial reluctance of staff to accept that the system was a benefit (the usual resistance to change), soon started to prove its value to both staff and customers alike.

The ease at which CA's could get a status update resulted in much shorter Customer phone calls, making it (a.) easier for customers to get through in the first place, and (b) more time available to spend on customer care.
Customer complaints fell and Reception morale increased.

In the Workshop, fewer people at his desk meant that the Controller was less stressed and able to run the workshop more efficiently, this in turn was noticed by the Technicians and resulted in improved workshop morale.

From a financial point of view, this overall improvement in efficency and morale led to increased sales, part of which was achieved through higher customer retention, and also through a new willingness to up-sell - an activity which before was seen as something that simply increased the workload and pressure.

Six months after implementation the Dealer Principle announced a steady 16% increase in the number of retail hours sold, and an increase in productive efficiency from 115% to 119%. This he felt was directly attributable to EaziTrack.

The results of a Manufacturers Mystery Shop also awarded the CA a 100% score, the first time the dealership had ever achieved this, and brought about by the ease with which the system led the CA through the booking procedure.

“ I am pleased and impressed with EasyTrack-SC. It’s an excellent communication tool between departments and allows Customer Advisors to be more pro-active. It has resulted in increased customer satisfaction, and has had a direct impact on the time-effectiveness of personnel.

DM
Dealer Principal."