Nissan North America Announces the Deployment Of a Retail Channel eCRM Solution
1 May 2000
Nissan North America Announces the Deployment Of a Retail Channel eCRM Solution
GARDENA, Calif., April 28 Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA)
announced today a technology strategy with DealerKid.com and strategic allies
that will integrate their corporate consumer marketing programs with their
retail channel distribution and service offerings.
NNA is the first to implement a retail channel eCRM technology solution,
which will extend its e-business strategy by deploying an integrated, open,
real-time automotive retail electronic customer marketing and management
application. The application will be implemented in phases, beginning with
Infiniti dealerships. Ultimately, NNA hopes to offer the program to all
Infiniti and Nissan dealers in the US. There are approximately
1250 independently operated Nissan and Infiniti dealerships in the US which
together employ approximately 25,000 sales and service representatives.
The NNA eCRM solution will help integrate Nissan and Infiniti dealerships
with NNA's corporate offices. This integration will allow NNA to be more
responsive to its customers, provide improved marketing support to its
dealers, and assist participating dealers in establishing and managing
relationships with customers. DealerKid.com as the lead application provider
will be working with other software and solution partners, including
E.piphany, NetSearch LLC, and Ernst & Young to provide the Nissan eCRM
solution.
E.piphany is a leading provider of real-time analytical software that
creates a single high-level view of the car-buyer. E.piphany software will
enable NNA to profile and analyze individual customer characteristics and
preferences and then leverage that information to create marketing campaigns
and individually tailored products and services within the DealerKid
applications. The E.piphany software combines best-of-breed extraction, data
warehousing, reporting, data mining, campaign management and real-time
personalization into an integrated platform that eliminates the need to
assemble and maintain multiple high-end tools from various vendors.
http://www.epiphany.com
NetSearch, LLC is the leader in increasing automotive Internet sales
productivity through the use of wireless applications and advanced wireless
technologies. NetSearch's technology integration with the DealerKid
Enterprise application allows retail representatives to receive and reply to
their customer requests instantly, via a pager-sized Wireless Intelligent
Terminal whenever they are away from their offices. In addition to instant
wireless response, the application integration offers retailers comprehensive,
tracking and accountability tools. http://www.netsearchllc.com
Ernst & Young is assisting NNA with its CRM strategy and program development.
http://www.ey.com
About DealerKid.com
DealerKid.com is a leading provider of electronic customer marketing and
relationship management software and services for the automobile retail
industry in the United States and Canada. DealerKid.com software and services
will enable NNA to develop and implement effective eBusiness and retail
customer experience strategies. DealerKid.com will help NNA and its dealers
by positioning them to capitalize on the increasing use of the Internet,
telephone, fax and electronic mail for consumers to research, evaluate and
initiate purchases of new and pre-owned vehicles, parts and accessories, and
vehicle repair services. The DealerKid.com software provides retail sales and
service process automation and customer database mining and marketing features
for direct mail and tele-service campaigns. http://www.dealerkid.com
"This is about change, this is about changing the automotive retail
paradigm to a customer centric pull solution," said Charles Shamblee,
DealerKid.com president and chief executive officer. "This group of
technology providers will enable NNA to make that change. We are deploying
the next-generation customer marketing and relationship management solution
that will enable NNA to serve their customers better than any one else in the
automotive industry."
"We at Nissan continue to find ways to better serve our customers through
emerging CRM technologies and intend to remain in the forefront of e-commerce
through DealerKid.com and E.piphany," said Ted Ross, manager, owner loyalty
and CRM of Nissan North America, Inc.
DealerKid.com and its partners will immediately begin deployment of the
applications, with the implementation of an integrated Web-based Internet
sales management application, followed by integration of NNA legacy systems
and customer support call centers.
The integration of DealerKid.com and E.piphany's Web-based architectures
will streamline communication to customers and enable NNA and its dealers to
view customer sales and service requests from multiple customer contact
points. The eCRM solution will provide online feature supervision for
customer management of vehicle sales, vehicle service and parts requests.
Some additional management features include; automated processes, mail merge,
integrated email, scheduling phone calls, work activities and meetings.
The solution will also be the first retail distribution electronic
customer marketing and relationship management application to combine customer
relationship management, database marketing and eBusiness strategies. The
integrated solution will help NNA and its dealers find, build and implement
targeted customer profile programs. NNA and its dealers will be able to blend
their existing customer databases with a redefined prospective customer
database allowing them to use professional direct mail to educate their
customers about vehicle sales and service offerings. NNA can also use
professional customer care center marketing and relationship management
representatives to schedule appointments for retail sales and service staff.
Every customer transaction will be captured when it occurs, instantly and
automatically update all other information within the application. The
application 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 vehicle inventory and
service appointments, while providing sales and service representatives the
flexibility to communicate with customers on-line. The eCRM solution will
provide NNA and its retailers with detailed customer information so they can
better predict and service customers' needs.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering,
manufacturing, sales and consumer and corporate financing. Nissan in North
America employs more than 20,000 people in the United States, Canada and
Mexico, and generates more than 70,000 jobs through more than 1,500 Nissan and
Infiniti dealerships across the continent. More information about Nissan in
North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be
found online at http://www.nissandriven.com .