Widely recognized as one of the top dealership trainers - and a pioneer in helping auto retailers adapt their businesses to meet the needs of the ever-evolving Internet customer - Colome brings nearly three decades of industry experience, and relationships with thousands of dealerships, to eXteresAUTO. His career spans positions as Executive Trainer/Consultant at izmocars, Half a Car Group and Reynolds & Reynolds, and he most recently served as V.P. of Training/Consultant at Autobytel, Inc.

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            Las Vegas, NV February 1, 2011 —   Mobile Productivity, Inc., (MPi) (www.mpifix.com) the leading provider of vehicle inspection tools, processes, and consulting for auto dealer service departments, today announced that it will offer dealers a sneak preview of its latest service selling and customer retention tool, KnowYourVehicle.com, at booth # 4235N, at the 2011 NADA Convention and Expo in San Francisco, CA, February 5-7.

  The online platform, which will be fully available later this year, takes MPi’s highly successful Know Your Vehicle report, the ultimate service selling tool and customer takeaway, and places it online, making it a more interactive experience for the customer.

The Know Your Vehicle Report has proven to be an extremely powerful tool for promoting customer retention; dealerships using it enjoy over 30 percent of upsells from return visits within 30 days of initial service. The company predicts that the enhanced customer experience through KnowYourVehicle.com will drive results even higher. Full demonstrations will be available

KnowYourVehicle.com was developed to give the customer a more personal experience with their service department, along with easy access to their vehicle maintenance and repair information.

The Know Your Vehicle Report itself is customized to reflect the dealership's brand, personalized to the dealerships’ customers.  It provides detailed pricing and explanations of services. Each easy to read report produces automatic recommendation descriptions which include "good part/bad part" images. The full color Know Your Vehicle report enables customers to become better educated on the health of their vehicle and provides them with the prudent information to make an informed buying decision. The Know Your Vehicle report empowers customers and instills a higher level of confidence in the service department.

            KnowYourVehicle.com takes the report one step further and provides a fully interactive and more data-rich experience for the customer as follows:

·         KnowYourVehicle.com provides an interactive 3-D version of the customer’s vehicle with problem areas pinpointed that the customer can click on to find out more information about the current recommendations. Embedded links take the customer to photos of vehicle parts and an explanation of what is wrong and needs fixing.

·         Photos of the specific trouble points on the vehicle are easily sent to the customer’s personalized KnowYourVehicle.com site through the EDGE Mobile Inspection process.

·          Video links are also provided with short videos that offer more in-depth information to help the customer better understand the recommendations.

·         The site provides a complete profile for the customer with a full history of their vehicle. It includes all previous inspection reports and declined recommendations that the customer can view.

·         If a customer owns more than one vehicle at that dealership, they can view information for both vehicles and flip between the two.

·         All Know Your Vehicle Reports are available in PDF format for customer downloads.

·         The site can be customized by each dealership with different banners, colors, and designs.

KnowYourVehicle.com can also be accessed by the service advisor from MPi’s EDGE vehicle inspection software to help better educate the customer about needed repairs and prices during the initial service visit.  It also provides the service advisor with information on the customer’s vehicle so the service advisor can give a heads-up to the vehicle owner about any previously declined service that should now be done. In this way the customer can be better prepared and does not feel ambushed by an expensive repair they may not have been expecting. 

“Customers are more inclined to agree to needed repairs if talked about up front, rather than after they have waited for an hour in the waiting room, perhaps just expecting to get an oil change,” commented David Boyle, MPi President and COO.  “Whether the service advisor sits down with the customer at the computer and goes through KnowYourVehicle.com, or the customer accesses it at home, it takes the pressure off any sales pitch for the service advisor and helps the vehicle owner make up their own mind.  The customer can review pictures and videos in their own time, perhaps show it to their spouse and take the time to make an informed decision.  It’s a very powerful customer retention and selling tool.”

A dealership can receive a no-cost price quote and business case by contacting MPI at (888) 503-8040 or visiting MPi’s website at: www.mpifix.com

About MPi:

For more information visit:

http://www.mpifix.com/company/overview.aspx

http://www.mpifix.com/Customers/Videos.aspx

http://www.mpifix.com/solutions/recommendation-videos.aspx

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TimeHighway.com’s Updated Online Service Scheduling Solution for Auto Dealers Enables Fast Appointments, Digital Inspections, Service Menus & Appointment Backstop

NAPLES, FL, January 31, 2011 – TimeHighway.com (www.timehighway.com), recently announced several major updates to its real-time, online service scheduling solution that greatly benefit auto dealer service departments, increasing service revenue by creating a more efficient way to schedule service.

TimeHighway allows dealerships to manage the service drive and offers customers real-time, online service scheduling with DMS integration, automatic confirmation, reminder and thank you emails or text messages. Its leading solution offers VIN specific menus, digital inspections, back-stop service for incoming overflow service appointment calls, express check-in and express check-out. The newly revamped version will be available for demonstration in booth #2130S, at the 2011 NADA Convention and Exposition in San Francisco, CA,

February 5-7.

Recent updates to TimeHighway.com include:

·        Quick Appointment – Customer can make an appointment from the dealer’s website without having to register.  TimeHighway automatically registers the customer and sends them a username/password that can be used on subsequent visits.

·        Express Check-in – Provides customers the ease and convenience of “checking in” online – just like they do today for their flights.

·        Express Check-out – Allows customers to pay online.

·        Confirm Appointment – When receiving the courtesy reminder email, the customer now has two options – Confirm Appointment or Reschedule Appointment.  Clicking on the confirm appointment button creates more of a commitment on the part of the customer and reduces No Shows.

·        Pending Appointment – Internal user is now alerted when a customer calls into the dealership if there is already a pending appointment for the customer/vehicle.

·        Customer Online Appointment with Comments – Dealership personnel are notified when a customer schedules an online appointment and adds comments.  Such comments may require a response prior to the appointment.  For example:  “Please contact me with the cost of two tires.”

·        Any Advisor – When this tab is selected, TimeHighway will rotate through the advisors when a specific advisor isn’t selected.

·        Next Appointment – Simple way to schedule the customer’s next service appointment. One click loads the vehicle’s op codes, customer data and advances calendar to schedule ahead. Encourages repeat visits much like scheduling next appointment when leaving the dentist’s office. 

·        Acura Dealers Integration– The latest release is integrated with MyAcura.com and Acura.com.

TimeHighway also offers integration with:

·        eMenus – Best-in-class, dynamic VIN specific service menus, with op codes, parts and labor pricing maintained.  Generates maximum absorption rates and increased gross profit.

·        Digital Inspections – No change in current process – limited technician training required.  Inspection form is completed with digital pen and stored, providing on-demand access to both the customer and service advisor.  Allows user to track advisor sell-through and provides a report for technician thoroughness.

·        GetAbby – IVR technology that provides backstop service for incoming appointment calls.  Abby works 24/7/365 – never takes a vacation or sick day.

According to TimeHighway.com President Karen Dillon, since the new release dealers are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of new customers that are scheduling through their websites.  Within just 30 days, one Toyota dealership went from 17 new customers scheduling online with 79 confirmed appointments, to 105 new customers using online scheduling and 185 confirmed appointments. “We attribute this increase to the lack of requirement for the customer to “register”, which makes scheduling a service appointment extremely simple and quick,” said Dillon.

Randy Brobston with Hall Automotive Group comments: “TimeHighway.com allows us to schedule appointments properly, thus providing better management of the service drive.  This also increases efficiency in service, provides maximum shop loading and creates a much better experience for our customers, along with increased profitability for the dealerships.”

TimeHighway.com enables dealers to keep the service department staffed 24/7 so as not to miss out on potential service customers. 

“Customer expectations are changing – the traditional ways of doing business will no longer work.  Connecting with customers before, during and after a purchase is the key to driving sales and service business,” Dillon said.

For more information, visit www.TimeHighway.com and view our FAQ’s; contact Karen Dillon at KDillon@TimeHighway.com or 239-593-4620; or visit Booth 2130S at NADA in San Francisco for a personal, in-depth presentation.

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January 27, 2011 - Burlington, VT.  Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, today announced that it has acquired selected assets of EpikOne, Inc., a Burlington-based digital consultancy specializing in metrics strategies, media measurement and user experience optimization. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

As a trusted partner in Google’s AdWords, Analytics, Website Optimizer and Search programs, EpikOne developed an unparalleled understanding of the Google product suite and built one of the world’s leading consultancies with this expertise. Clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies have relied on EpikOne to deliver the latest in digital metrics and web analytics and – more importantly – to turn metrics into actionable information for marketers. EpikOne has worked with leading global brands across a wide range of industries, including Bulgari, Conde Nast, Eurail, GE Healthcare, Harvard, Intuit, Mattel, Morgan Stanley, the National Hockey League, Sony Music and Travelocity.  

“The acquisition of EpikOne is a case where the whole will definitely be greater than the sum of the parts ,” said Rick Gibbs, President and Chief Technology Officer at Dealer.com.  “We have already strategically redeployed EpikOne’s employees throughout Dealer.com – to maximize their immediate impact on the business and expedite product development. With these new capabilities to support metrics and intelligent dashboards tailored specifically to the automotive space, we believe we’ve leapfrogged many of our competitors who continue to rely on more generic solutions.” 

Dave Winslow, co-founder of EpikOne and now Intelligence Chief at Dealer.com, added, “We are very pleased to join forces with Dealer.com, the clear leader in automotive digital marketing. We built EpikOne as generalists working with some of the world’s best-known brands, but now look forward to focusing on the auto industry, where the opportunities and rewards for those who truly excel online remain very substantial.”

About Dealer.com

Dealer.com is the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, providing award winning e-marketing solutions to automotive manufacturers, auto dealers and multi vertical media companies.  The company’s innovative websites and integrated online tools include advertising alternatives that significantly lower the cost of customer acquisition, enhancing dealers’ efficiency and profitability. 

Recent national and international accolades include: Inc. magazine’s 2010 Top Small Company Workplaces and Inc. 5000, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, top ranking in The Net Promoter® Score Survey of customer satisfaction, Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 and the Web Marketing Association's Automobile Standard of Excellence. In addition, Dealer.com was the 2009 Top Rated Website Provider on DrivingSales.com, and won the 2010 Dealers' Choice Diamond Award for Best Website Solution and the 2009 Most Comprehensive Search Marketing Platform Award from the Automotive Search Marketing Association. For more information visit: http://www.dealer.com/promo/look-inside.htm.

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Largest car dealer social network expands media footprint with first on-demand, interactive TV property dedicated to dealer profitability

SALT LAKE CITY, UT,  Jan. 27, 2011  -- DrivingSales (www.drivingsales.com), the auto industry's largest car dealer social network, today announces that DrivingSalesTV (DSTV) will launch at NADA 2011 with live and up-to-date coverage from the convention and expo floor.  The new web channel will stream breaking industry news, dealership trends, and 'the story behind the story,' as well as broadcast interviews with the experts, executives, and innovators who help drive the auto industry forward. 

"The market changes at 100 miles an hour, but most dealers get their info at 25 miles an hour," said Jared Hamilton, CEO and founder of DrivingSales, which owns and operates DSTV. "DrivingSalesTV's mission is to get to the heart of our industry and deliver timely and valuable information to car dealers, at their convenience – on-demand and/or in real-time."

Available live at drivingsalestv.com starting February 4, 2011, DrivingSalesTV is one in a series of planned expansions of the DrivingSales media network, which is rapidly becoming one of the auto industry's most influential trade media properties.  

DrivingSalesTV's broadcast calendar will include live streams from industry events; special reports from dealerships around the country; focused segments on every dealership department; special 'innovation' reports on emerging solutions, as well as regular webcasts and programs broadcast from DrivingSales' Utah-based television studios. DSTV will also integrate social media content into its format and, like DrivingSales.com, will be interactive and vendor-neutral.

Hamilton, who produced the landmark best practices video documentary "The Masters Series, Automotive eCommerce," which chronicled how dealers adapted to the new Internet-driven economic landscape, will serve as managing producer of the new web channel.  

"DrivingSalesTV combines two powerful media platforms – video and social media - with powerful profit-building information," continued Hamilton. "With DSTV, dealers will be able to easily keep tabs on their industry, see best practices in action, and have a more personal view into peer success stories, in a format that is lively, interesting, interactive - even, at times, provocative - but always with a focus on business innovation and improvement."

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is the auto industry's fastest-growing, most influential trade media property focused on delivering actionable profit-building information to auto retailers and industry professionals.  DrivingSales' media network includes flagship property DrivingSales.com (www.drivingsales.com), the world's largest car dealer social network where thousands of dealership professionals collaborate and share best practices in a 20-group style setting; DrivingSalesTV (www.drivingsalestv.com), an interactive web channel which helps car dealers and auto professionals keep tabs on their industry and emerging technologies 24/7; DrivingSales University, an on-demand training platform where dealerships learn the latest web strategies from top e-commerce experts; DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) the industry's leading conference where progressive dealers collaborate and learn from world renowned experts, and DrivingSales Dealership Innovation Guide, a quarterly free publication featuring case studies of the industry's most innovative dealerships, solutions and best practices. 

DrivingSales encourages innovation and excellence in the industry with its annual Dealer Satisfaction and Innovation Cup Awards, whose winners are determined solely by the dealer community. Founded by Jared Hamilton, a third generation car dealer, DrivingSales was named one of ten social media gambits for 2009 by Automotive News and one of the Top 10 Companies to Watch by Auto Success Magazine. 

Media Contact

Melanie Webber, (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 424-603-4340

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Houston, Texas, January 26, 2011– CAR-Research XRM, a single-source CRM solution uniquely branded as; “XRM, Exceeding CRM”, today announced a major enhancement to its CRM system with the addition of a new Inventory Management System. It is built right into the CAR-Research CRM solution and is designed to assist auto dealers in the digital management of their on-line inventory.  The new system will be demonstrated at booth 4285N at the 2011 NADA Convention and Exhibition in San Francisco, CA, February 5-7.

Key features and benefits of the new Inventory Management System include:

·         Complete dealership On-Line Inventory Management System

·         Intuitive, single-point management process for vehicle image uploads and exports

·         Enables sending of multiple vehicle images to customers in response to vehicle information requests

·         It can receive vehicle feeds from any source and manage inventory pricing

·         Unlimited export feeds to third party providers such as AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, HomeNet and more

·         Dealers can create, manage, edit, and send ad listings to Craigslist, eBay and more

·         Dealers can easily print Window Stickers and Buyers Guides in PDF format

·         Dealers can manage and customize options and features by dragging and dropping

·         Comprehensive search results including vehicle pictures

·         Robust VIN Decoders provide detailed vehicle information

“Our new Inventory Management System completes the CAR product line up,” commented Kurt Kubicki, VP of Marketing for CAR-Research XRM.   “We offer a total CRM and Marketing solution for dealers that are looking for a single provider to eliminate numerous vendors. Or we can facilitate single-point integration to 3rd Party Vendors with our bundled modular applications, eliminating double entry of data, and saving valuable time during the deal process.”

 CAR-Research has developed a proven singular solution that helps an auto dealership run more effectively and proficiently. It is a web-based, comprehensive CRM solution that helps increase revenue from sales and service, improve customer satisfaction index (CSI) and service satisfaction index (SSI), and boost the dealership’s gross profit. A dealership can consolidate all its departments into a manageable solution that delivers value through proven processes at every stage of the customer life cycle.

CAR-Research offers total Dealership CRM capability, Websites, Research Call Center (with Live Agent Calling), Inventory Management, ATM (Automated Targeted Marketing with email and Texting), Telephony Ad Tracking, Direct Mail, On-Line Service Scheduling, Multi-Point Inspection Program, Service Drive Control Manager© (which gives a dealer total visibility of all service activity with real time delivery of DMS and RO data), and a complete Service BDC capability.

 “We have the best suite of tools in the industry and it is all built in-house, on one single technology platform with seamless integration of all modules,” said Kubicki.

For more information contact Kurt Kubicki at 888-583-0956 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting email KKubicki@CAR-Research.com or visit www.CARResearchXRM.com

About CAR-Research XRM:

Additional information is available at www.CARResearchXRM.com