Welcome back to your next Automotive Transformation Group update where we discuss the latest developments across our organisation.
In September we announced further personnel changes, including the appointment of Richard Johnston, who will be stepping into Tim Smith’s former role as CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) and the promotion of Anson Moniz, who will be stepping into the role of CPO (Chief Product Officer). Existing CPO, Giles Smith will continue to bring value to The Group as an active member of the Board and Executive Team, helping us further accelerate growth. This is an exciting time for Automotive Transformation Group, and we are pleased to see these appointments receive such prominent levels of internal and external support.
September also saw the announcement of our partnership with account-to-account payment platform, Vyne, enabling us to introduce open banking into NetDirector® Auto-e as a more cost-efficient payment alternative. The partnership will facilitate faster, more secure payments for both customers and consumers. You can learn more about the partnership here.
Meanwhile, our product teams have been hard at work, optimising our existing NetDirector® Auto-e product to improve user experience. A new Recommended Vehicles feature is currently being piloted in the UK and will be made available to end-to-end NetDirector® Auto-e customers soon. The feature will present relevant vehicles to consumers both on the listing page and when completing a valuation. While this will keep them engaged on the platform, it will also ensure the consumer finds the right vehicle for them as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have any questions, contact your account manager or our support team to learn more.
Likewise, please contact a member of the team if you are interested in learning more about our new Negative Equity feature, whereby consumers can now complete their purchase regardless of whether they are in a negative equity position. Now, when exploring finance options, customers can add their existing vehicle as a part-exchange, allowing consumers to factor vehicles with negative equity into their finance options by adding the negative balance onto their required cash deposit. The feature will explain to customers how their deal has been constructed and will invite them to progress with a finance application.
As we ventured into October, our NetDirector® SalesMaster team completed a widely requested enhancement whereby users will be able to update records, including the move of a status from quotation to ordered/delivered across any number of orders in bulk. This offers maximum efficiency to Fleet Suppliers, allowing them to make bulk updates in as little as 2 stages. If you’d like to learn more about this update, get in touch with a member of our support team for details.
Throughout the year we deliver retention solutions across multiple markets and OEM brands across the globe. Most recently the team have successfully launched their 19th P360 retention module in partnership with one of the world's leading automotive Financiers and further expansion is planned in the next year. Likewise, our Key2Key teams continue to work with Ford Credit Europe, most recently launching in a second market, while collaborating with the brand to further enhance the platform and achieve better results. Meanwhile, our Academy team, who help these brands get the most out of our retention tools received a glowing review from Marshall Hyundai Gloucester, stating P360 is “A fantastic piece of software demonstrated in a clear and concise way. Brilliant.”
The last two months have seen a flurry of site launches including Dales Cornwall Trade Centre, Leslies Motor Group and Balmoral Garage, as well as Indongo Auto and CFAO Motors Nissan in partnership with Compatible Automotive in South Africa. Overall, our project delivery team received an impressive 4.7/5 average feedback score, and in October we were fortunate to have won Car Dealer’s Best Website Design for Franchised Dealers. This award means a lot to the organisation, not just because it is our first as a unified entity, but also because it is voted for by customers who, as Tim Smith stated in his interview with Car Dealer, are central to all we do at Automotive Transformation Group. You can watch the interview here.
Finally, it was a pleasure to see so many of our colleagues take part in the first companywide STEPtember, where we not only managed to cover an impressive 3,803 miles, but were able to do so in teams, making the most of the last few days of sunshine as well as benefiting from some good old-fashioned exercise. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who played a part in organising this initiative and look forward to seeing our colleagues reunite once again, in November's company update.
We look forward to seeing what December has in store for Automotive Transformation Group. Follow us on LinkedIn to receive the latest updates directly to your news feed.