Microsoft Licenses DealerPoint Technology to Help Honda and Acura Dealers Manage Internet Leads
20 September 1999
Microsoft Licenses DealerPoint Technology to Help Honda and Acura Dealers Manage Internet Leads
MSN CarPoint and American Honda Provide Dealers with Tools to
Maximize Service for Internet Customers
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20 -- At a press briefing held in
San Francisco today, Microsoft Corp. announced an agreement
with American Honda Motor Company Inc. to license the DealerPoint technology
feature in the MSN(TM) CarPoint(TM) online automotive service, for use by all
Honda and Acura dealers. DealerPoint is an online lead-management system
designed to help dealers manage and quickly respond to Internet prospects,
reduce dealership lot times, and monitor online sales performance.
Under the licensing agreement, DealerPoint technology will be provided to
more than 1,250 Honda and Acura dealers regardless of whether they are
CarPoint-affiliated dealers. DealerPoint will continue to be available to all
dealers enrolled with CarPoint.
DealerPoint includes an industry-first feature that allows dealers to
import leads from multiple Internet sites and online car-buying services into
one e-commerce management tool, helping them manage Internet customer leads
more easily, respond faster to customer inquiries, and increase their
sales-closing ratios.
"By licensing our DealerPoint platform technology to industry leaders such
as Honda, we are building an automotive marketplace in which dealers have the
technology and tools to respond immediately to their customers and provide the
vehicles customers want," said Lindsay Sparks, CEO of MSN CarPoint. "This is
a testament to the commitment of CarPoint to provide e-commerce technology
solutions to the automotive industry."
"Honda recognizes the importance of providing our dealers with the best
Internet tools to help them leverage their e-commerce business," said Dick
Colliver, executive vice president at American Honda. "The Internet customer
is now becoming everyone, and we want our dealers to be ready to meet and
exceed the Internet needs of consumers of the new millennium."
Multiple Leads, One Management System
DealerPoint will receive and track Honda and Acura dealers' Internet leads
from a variety of sources, including online buying services, Honda and Acura
retail dealership Web sites and Honda.com (http://www.honda.com/).
DealerPoint was the first Internet product to offer this support.
Honda and Acura dealers will now be able to track and respond to their
incoming Internet new car leads, manage their new car inventory, and monitor
the performance of their Internet department with up-to-the-minute response
times. This Web-based program is available to Honda and Acura dealers and can
be used from American Honda Internet and Honda or Acura Internet network PCs
running the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT(R) 4.0
operating systems with access to Microsoft Internet Explorer browser software
version 4.01 or higher.
DealerPoint features in the license agreement include the following:
-- Prospect Manager gives multiple salespeople online access to a
dealership's electronic customer contacts, allowing faster responses
to price inquiries for new and used cars. Prospect Manager also
provides templates for rapid e-mail responses to customers; the
ability to track phone calls, e-mail messages, price quotes and
appointments; and alerts about unread or overdue e-mail leads and the
failure of customers to respond to dealer e-mail messages.
-- Account Manager and security features allow sales managers to easily
allocate leads generated from CarPoint among sales staff, helping
dealers respond more quickly to customer inquiries.
-- Reporting capabilities allow dealers real-time access to online sales
results and the ability to compare them with the previous month's
figures.
About American Honda Motor Company Inc.
Last year, American Honda achieved record U.S. sales of 1,009,600 new
Honda and Acura cars and light trucks, exceeding 1 million for the first time
in history -- and the third straight year of record annual sales. The Honda
Civic, Accord and CR-V all are retail sales leaders in their segments; the new
Honda Odyssey has been hailed as the benchmark in the minivan category; and
the Acura TL has been recognized for setting a new standard for value in the
luxury class.
Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles
and lawn mowers at its U.S. manufacturing operations using domestic and
globally sourced parts. Honda maintains R&D centers in Los Angeles, Ohio and
North Carolina that design and develop many of the products sold in America,
and production engineering operations in Ohio. These operations play an
increasingly important role in Honda's global organization.
About MSN CarPoint
MSN CarPoint is a comprehensive automotive Web site offering users
complete car-buying and car-care information. Launched on the Internet in
July 1996, CarPoint gives users fast, convenient access to detailed
specifications and pricing information, reviews and advice from leading
automotive writers, interactive decision management tools, a new- and used-car
buying service, and personalized maintenance and recall information.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in
software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products
and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of
making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full
power of personal computing every day.
Microsoft, MSN, CarPoint, Windows and Windows NT are either registered
trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other
countries.
Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their
respective owners.