Comments on: UCS buys Reynolds & Reynolds http://www.dealerrefresh.com/ucs-buys-reynolds-reynolds/ Obstacles, Observations and Opinions of an Automotive Internet Sales Manager Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:01:29 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joe Pistell http://www.dealerrefresh.com/ucs-buys-reynolds-reynolds/comment-page-1/#comment-137 Joe Pistell Fri, 25 Aug 2006 17:06:40 +0000 http://dealerrefresh.groovecommerce.com/?p=65#comment-137 "...Now if they could only build a CRM system that actually works well." Music to my ears! You can tell that the R&R CRM platform was assembled by a team of people that had to cram in every feature imaginable (not a bad thing), then slapped it together without any LEADERSHIP from it's end users (a very bad thing). They need a complete makeover with site navigation optimization gurus and a dealer focus group to beta with. FOCUS GROUP 101. Speaking of focus group, if R&R wanted proof of it's platform's usefulness (not that R&R really want's this info), it would be easy to construct a SIMPLE test for the various levels of users and ask them to complete daily tasks... create an email, find a customer that sent an email with specific keywords sent several weeks ago, build a report, ask the sls mngr to pull all the ups on a stock# from the last 20days, create a mail campaign to all past buyers who are NOT did not lease... etc. They'd discover 3 things. #1). I'd bet that the avg. Dealer uses <30% of it's potential. #2). This would present some new training revenues for R&R #3). Top R&R mngt. should be alarmed and fast track the fix. I find the entire R&R CRM platform to be a time robbing, head scratching and a puzzlement. It's not me, although I am not from this industry. I am very technically adept. As an example, I've designed and built our web site (breseechevrolet.com: a complete makeover is underway). From a management perspective, I have decades of experience being self-employed with a staff of 30. From my unique perspective, I understand the thoughts & needs of everyone involved in the CRM soup (customers, sales reps, Sls mngrs, GM, etc..). IMO, Because the layout is not driven by the end users, even though the items I need are in there (somewhere), I can't string together hours of un-interrupted time to see where and how all the parts connect (as R&R sees it). R&R university is another example of a good idea in need of navagation & content leadership. HEY! I am not all grumbles, the R&R telephone customer support crew is as fine a group as I have ever found, kudos there (who ever assembled and defined that dept, needs to help his co-managers at R&R!). If R&R had CSI surveys, they'd fail miserably! Joe Pistell Internet Director BreseeChevrolet.com joep@breseeChevrolet.com “…Now if they could only build a CRM system that actually works well.”

Music to my ears!
You can tell that the R&R CRM platform was assembled by a team of people that had to cram in every feature imaginable (not a bad thing), then slapped it together without any LEADERSHIP from it’s end users (a very bad thing). They need a complete makeover with site navigation optimization gurus and a dealer focus group to beta with.

FOCUS GROUP 101.
Speaking of focus group, if R&R wanted proof of it’s platform’s usefulness (not that R&R really want’s this info), it would be easy to construct a SIMPLE test for the various levels of users and ask them to complete daily tasks… create an email, find a customer that sent an email with specific keywords sent several weeks ago, build a report, ask the sls mngr to pull all the ups on a stock# from the last 20days, create a mail campaign to all past buyers who are NOT did not lease… etc.

They’d discover 3 things.
#1). I’d bet that the avg. Dealer uses <30% of it's potential.
#2). This would present some new training revenues for R&R
#3). Top R&R mngt. should be alarmed and fast track the fix.

I find the entire R&R CRM platform to be a time robbing, head scratching and a puzzlement. It's not me, although I am not from this industry. I am very technically adept. As an example, I've designed and built our web site (breseechevrolet.com: a complete makeover is underway). From a management perspective, I have decades of experience being self-employed with a staff of 30. From my unique perspective, I understand the thoughts & needs of everyone involved in the CRM soup (customers, sales reps, Sls mngrs, GM, etc..).

IMO, Because the layout is not driven by the end users, even though the items I need are in there (somewhere), I can't string together hours of un-interrupted time to see where and how all the parts connect (as R&R sees it).

R&R university is another example of a good idea in need of navagation & content leadership.

HEY! I am not all grumbles, the R&R telephone customer support crew is as fine a group as I have ever found, kudos there (who ever assembled and defined that dept, needs to help his co-managers at R&R!).

If R&R had CSI surveys, they'd fail miserably!
Joe Pistell
Internet Director
BreseeChevrolet.com
joep@breseeChevrolet.com

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