Saturn's Customer Focus Expands With New Retail Management System
20 January 2000
Saturn's Customer Focus Expands With New Retail Management System
Computer Sciences, Reynolds and Reynolds, and Siebel Systems Team With Saturn
To Build the Industry's First Customer-Driven Retail System
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 20 -- Saturn Corporation today
unveiled a technology strategy with Computer Sciences Corporation ,
The Reynolds and Reynolds Company and Siebel Systems, Inc.
that will make car-buying even simpler and more flexible for
consumers.
Saturn is the first to bring together the leaders in information
technology, automotive systems and e-business software to build an integrated,
open, real-time automotive retail management system. The system will be used
by an estimated 15,000 Saturn retail team members who work in over 400 retail
facilities nationwide.
The Next Generation Saturn Retail System will help improve customer
service and support and link all Saturn retail stores. As a result, Saturn
retailers can streamline and manage their business, stay in close touch with
Saturn owners and keep abreast of the changing needs and buying habits of
customers.
For example, the Web-based system will allow customers to use the Internet
to connect with retailers' computer systems to schedule service appointments
and check the service history on their cars. Retailers can use the system to
check inventory anywhere in the Saturn network. Retailers can also
communicate with customers over the Web to field questions and track special
needs.
-- Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC) is the lead information technology (I/T)
integrator on the seven-year contract, which has an estimated value of several
hundred million dollars.
Other partners include:
-- Reynolds and Reynolds, the leading provider of automotive retail
management systems. Reynolds will leverage its automotive and e-business
expertise to develop a Web-based enterprise management system that supports
Saturn's culture and links all its retail operations.
-- Siebel Systems, one of the world's leading supplier of e-business
application software, will contribute Siebel eBusiness Applications. Siebel
eBusiness will provide a common information system to help Saturn's retailers
increase coordination, communication and collaboration across their sales,
marketing and customer service departments. Siebel eBusiness will be
integrated with CSC's Customer Connect Solutions to enhance retailer-customer
relationships and improve the quality of service and support to customers,
giving them access to multiple communication channels including face-to-face,
via the Web and over the telephone.
Other companies on the CSC team include Dealer Kid.com, providing software
application expertise; Tibco, with software that supports a real-time
infrastructure; and Microsoft, supporting user functions such as Web access
and e-mail.
"Customer service is the heart of Saturn's culture," said Van B.
Honeycutt, CSC chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Our team
brings that same commitment to Saturn, building a next-generation system that
enables Saturn to support and serve customers better than anyone else."
"This is all about taking care of the customer and offering them more
value," said Cynthia Trudell, chairman and president of Saturn. "Our system
is a prototype within the GM organization, demonstrating how technologies like
the Web can expand our range of services and help us stay closely tuned to our
customers."
"Saturn and its retailers have always been committed to industry
leadership in customer service, and this partnership supports that effort,"
said Jill Lajdziak, Saturn's vice president of sales, service and marketing.
As part of the agreement, CSC will open a new Saturn Solution
Demonstration Lab in Nashville, Tenn., near Saturn's Spring Hill manufacturing
facility. Development of the Next Generation Saturn Retail System is expected
to take about 15 months, followed by a one-year deployment period and five
years of operational support. "We've taken a new approach with a vendor
teaming of this kind -- a first in the industry," added Lajdziak. "It was
important that we have an independent integrator like CSC oversee all these
specialists, allowing each company to stay focused on what it does best. Our
goal is a 'plug and play' environment that allows Saturn to change and adapt
the system to the needs of our retailers and customers."
The Web-enabled architecture developed by Reynolds will streamline
communication to customers, enable retailers to view vehicle inventory
anywhere within the Saturn network, improve customer contact and e-mail
integration to service appointments and scheduling, and provide real-time
access to the complete history of any vehicle.
The system will also be the first to feed customer and vehicle data
directly to the dealer's service department diagnostic equipment. To better
serve buyers, the system puts the latest financing and lease information at
the point of sale, allowing the finance manager to use a browser-based
application to automatically capture the latest finance/lease rates and
residuals, and instantly shop for and download financial contracts.
The system is also being developed on a foundation of total integration.
Every transaction will be captured when it occurs, instantly and automatically
updating every other piece of information it affects. The system will move
retailer parts data in real time and facilitate automatic shipping of parts to
retailers based on restocking levels. It will use object-oriented technology
to create real-time, user-friendly interfaces that give customers more
flexibility and the added convenience of using the Web to resolve issues such
as scheduling repairs, while providing retail team members the flexibility to
communicate with customers on-line.
In addition, the system will provide retail specialists with detailed
profiles of potential buyers so they can better predict and service customers'
needs. The deeper knowledge and insights that Siebel's front-end software
gives retailers about their buyers provides Saturn new flexibility to create
value-added services and packages to attract and retain its most profitable
customers.
About Saturn Corporation
Saturn Corporation entered the automotive market in 1990, bringing a new
level of customer service to automotive retailing. Saturn's first products --
the compact SL sedan, SW wagon and SC coupe -- featured innovations such as
space-frame construction and dent resistant polymer body panels. Saturn
recently introduced the world's first and only three-door coupe, followed in
1999 by a new line of mid-size cars, the L-Series. Saturn was created through
a unique partnership between General Motors and the UAW. Saturn and its
retailers share a strong focus on customer service, a focus that is an
integral part of Saturn's e-commerce initiatives. For more information on
Saturn and its products, please visit http://www.saturn.com.
About The Reynolds and Reynolds Company
Reynolds and Reynolds, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a leading
provider of integrated information management systems and related value-added
services to automotive and general business markets. The company reported
revenues of $1.56 billion for the 12 months ended Sept. 30, 1999. For more
information on Reynolds and Reynolds, visit the company's Web site at
http://www.reyrey.com or call the Information Hotline at 1.888.4REYREY.
About Siebel Systems
Siebel Systems, Inc., is the world's leading provider of eBusiness
applications software. Siebel Systems provides an integrated family of
eBusiness application software enabling multi-channel sales, marketing and
customer service systems to be deployed over the Web, call centers, field,
reseller channels, retail and dealer networks. Siebel Systems' sales and
service facilities are deployed locally in more than 26 countries. For more
information, please visit our Web site at http://www.Siebel.com.
About Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
Computer Sciences Corporation helps clients in industry and government use
information technology to achieve strategic and operational objectives. With
54,000 employees in more than 700 offices worldwide, the company tailors
solutions from a broad suite of integrated service and technology offerings,
including e-business strategies and technologies; management and I/T
consulting; systems development and integration; application software; and I/T
and business process outsourcing. Since its formation in 1959, CSC has been
known for its flexibility in its relationships with clients. Through numerous
agreements with hardware and software technology firms, the company is able to
identify and manage solutions specifically tailored to each client's needs.
CSC had revenues of $8.2 billion for the twelve months ended October 1, 1999.
Its headquarters are in El Segundo, California. For more information, visit
the company's web site at http://www.csc.com.