The Cobalt Group Launches All-New Lead Manager Product
SEATTLE--June 12, 2001--Comprehensive new CRM product gives automotive dealers power to
efficiently manage all leads and turn more prospects into customers
The Cobalt Group , a leading provider of e-business products and services to the automotive industry, today announced the launch of Lead Manager 2.0, a major upgrade to its customer relationship management (CRM) tool for automotive dealers.
Lead Manager 2.0 delivers a comprehensive set of new features designed specifically for automotive dealerships to help dealers efficiently manage all communications with their customers and prospects through a single Web-based application.
"Cobalt's Lead Manager 2.0 is much more than a simple product upgrade; it's a complete overhaul that helps dealers better serve customers and improve closing ratios," said Mike Martinez, vice president of marketing for The Cobalt Group. "With the wide range of powerful new features in Lead Manager 2.0, dealers can improve their lead response times, track leads, ensure prompt and professional follow through with customers and prospects, and ultimately shorten the sales cycle."
Lead Manager 2.0 can serve as a dealership's communications hub by empowering auto dealers to efficiently manage all communications through a single Web-based system. Leads coming into the dealership over the Internet, by phone, or in person can be instantly assigned using new powerful rules-based and round robin lead distribution features. Floor sales personnel, Internet managers and parts and service staff can all utilize Lead Manager 2.0 through the Internet interface or have customer and prospect requests routed directly to their cell phone or other wireless devices, or e-mail. Lead Manager can be set up to automatically route leads to all dealership profit centers (new car sales, used car sales, parts, service, F&I) resulting in higher ROI (return on investment).
"Lead Manager 2.0 moves as fast as our sales department," said George Suggs, e-commerce director at Randy Hiley Mazda Volkswagen in Arlington, Texas. "It enables us to quickly handle our incoming leads from the phone, Internet, and walk-ins, and even work ahead to the next steps to help make sure we are following up with all our customers and prospects. It frees our sales personnel up to do what they do best -- sell cars."
Sales personnel can use Lead Manager 2.0 as their daily work planner to prioritize and handle sales opportunities quickly. Next action prompts, alerts to management and help functions ensure that leads will not fall through the cracks. Lead Manager 2.0 can help build the foundation for long-term customer satisfaction and future marketing and sales campaigns by creating an integrated customer and prospect database.
With input from dealers and Cobalt's Dealer Advisory Board members, Lead Manager 2.0 has been enhanced with a number of powerful new dealer-driven improvements.
| -- | Improved user interface reflects the way dealers do business. |
| -- | Simple, intuitive main leads page provides daily work plan for sales staff. |
| -- | Streamlined, one-click actions improve sales representatives' efficiency. |
| -- | Immediate prompts to set the next action keep sales representatives on track. |
| -- | Overall performance increase of more than 60% versus previous versions. |
| -- | Dynamic rules-based and round-robin lead assignment functionality delivers the right lead to the person. |
| -- | Alert capabilities enable dealership management to efficiently monitor all leads. |