MPi's Advanced Repair Guidance Information System (ARGIS) Generates $1.2 M in Needed Additional Repairs; Satisfied Drivers & Safer Vehicles Result
LAS VEGAS--Jan. 2, 20063, 2006--Mobile Productivity, Inc. (MPi), a premier supplier of proprietary diagnostic, repair information and service merchandising solutions to the automotive industry, today announced a milestone for its Advanced Repair Guidance Information System (ARGIS(TM)). For the month of December '05, dealers using the system inspected over 11,000 vehicles and customers purchased an additional $1.2 million in needed parts and labor; resulting in safer vehicles, happier customers and more profitable service departments.According to Kelly Cashman, Director of Fixed Operations at William L. Morris Chevrolet, in Fillmore, CA, one customer stated that ARGIS helped save his life by finding a life-threatening problem that would have been missed by a regular inspection. Upon receiving his treatment plan in the Know Your Vehicle(TM) report, the customer was initially upset at the extent of maintenance required; a new windshield, wiper blades, a new front tire and a brake job. However, when the inspection report was fully reviewed and the customer was shown how the tire was worn down to its steel belt, he quickly changed his mindset and thanked the service personnel for such a thorough inspection that potentially saved his life.
"Our customers feel safer and more confident with the ARGIS inspection. They can see it is extremely thorough and the Know Your Vehicle report makes it easy for them to understand and agree with any recommended repairs. ARGIS is the best tool on the market for service areas to build credibility, customer loyalty and retention. Our dealership is seeing $15-20,000 per month in additional gross profits," said Cashman.
Terry Zito, Service Director at Jimmy Johnson Chevrolet in San Diego, CA, states that there are three items most frequently missed by regular inspections that the ARGIS inspection finds: wiper blades, tires and batteries.
According to Zito, the average service department generally checks wiper blades and batteries at the customer's request, if visibly damaged, or at a particular mileage band for the battery. Tires are typically inspected at the time of rotation.
"ARGIS has had a huge impact on the safety and well being of our customers. For example, our wiper blade replacement has shot up about 70%. You may think this is not a big deal in Southern California, where it only rains about 5 times a year, but in a raging storm if your wipers are flopping all over the place, it is a huge safety item. And we've all had an instance with a flat battery. There is no worse feeling than to be in an unusual place, with no way to start the car. ARGIS ensures we never miss these problems. It is all about trust and looking after the well being of the customer," Zito said.
The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) estimates that the unrealized potential of automotive aftermarket products is $60 billion or more per year. AAIA finds that consumer neglect of regular care is a result of a lack of awareness and understanding, inconsistent messages, misinformation and misperceptions.
According to Les Silver, MPi CEO, ARGIS is helping service departments capture their share of this unrealized potential. "With ARGIS, dealers are demonstrating a higher level of quality, professionalism and credibility to an audience that has for many years been skeptical. ARGIS is helping these dealerships build trustworthiness and customer loyalty by performing a better inspection and doing a superior job of explaining needed repairs to the customer. As a result, MPi clients are realizing benefits that average $100 to $125 in additional needed repairs per vehicle inspection, a substantial increase in revenue per RO," Silver said.
The latest version of ARGIS, which includes additional inspection, up-sell and repair processes measured and tracked by a series of management reports, will be showcased at the 2006 NADA Show and Convention in Orlando, FL, February 11-14 at booth 3514. For more information call Susan Lovett at (800) 997-1674 x2010, email slovett@mpifix.com or visit www.mpifix.com.
About Mobile Productivity, Inc.:
Mobile Productivity, Inc. (MPi) provides a highly innovative and proprietary diagnostic, repair information and service merchandising solution to the automotive industry. MPi's solution addresses two of the largest challenges facing the automotive industry: the ability to reliably service increasingly complicated vehicles in a cost effective, profitable, and high quality manner and the ability to increase customer pay profits through non-warranty vehicle inspections and repairs.
Mobile Productivity Inc.'s Advanced Repair Guidance Information System (ARGIS(TM)) is a proprietary diagnostic, repair information and service merchandising solution that enables service departments to increase efficiency and profits by streamlining vehicle diagnostics using a customized repair information system that easily walks a technician and service advisor through the diagnosis using OEM data, all supportive wiring diagrams and service information. ARGIS also provides service departments the ability to effectively increase customer pay sales using a customized inspection process, Know Your Vehicle(TM). These detailed inspection processes are proven to deliver a 2-to-1 return on investment giving service departments the ability to maximize all the revenue that's available to them.
MPi is backed by Warburg Pincus, a global leader among the top private equity and venture capital firms. Since 1971, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $21.5 billion in 525 companies in 30 countries. Throughout its 35-year history in private equity, the firm has invested at all stages of a company's life cycle, from founding start-ups and providing growth capital to leading restructurings, recapitalizations and buy-outs.