Customers’ have multiple relationships with the industry, even if they only own one vehicle: Retailer, Manufacturer, Insurer, Roadside Assistance, Finance Company, Owner Clubs and potentially others. These are often different organisations with there own data needs and motivations for using it.
Multi-brand organisations are common, sometimes operating closely together but often competing for the same customers and data. Manufacturers have multiple brands, General Motors has Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, OnStar, AC Delco and others. Many retailer groups sell vehicles from multiple manufacturers, usually from different premises.
Many manufacturers offer portals for customers to use to update their own personal information and to receive important information about their vehicles. Dealing with multiple manufacturers at one time and over time mean entering the same data multiple times and multiple log-ins to check details on owned vehicles.
It is difficult for manufacturers and retailers to accurately predict next purchase dates and details of the customer’s likely requirements. Wrongly timed communication often results in‘ unsubscribes’ and result in lost opportunities to be considered at the next purchase.
Much of the information provided by customers is critically important to the provision of the service being provided: Information provided to Insurers and Finance companies must be consistent and up-to-date. Inaccurate data provided to Roadside Assistance or‘ Connected Vehicle’ apps can cause delays and distress.
Customers can manage their data relationships with multiple brands and organisations from one single application. They can have different data sharing terms with each one, can share different information with each one, but all from the same secure application.
Manufacturers can provide detailed product information to their customers using the same channel and application. This can be updated periodically or in real time and could include specification information, service reminders, recalls and connected vehicle information.
Personal information can be updated to multiple connections in a single action. Address, phone number and all other data can be changed by the individual and instantly communicated to all of the connections they choose. These updates can then be interfaced to the organisations’ CRM systems or accessed via the DataPal maintenance utility.
Customers and prospects can communicate their future purchase intentions directly to relevant providers. This is a clear ‘I am in the market’ message and allows the user to specify what they want and to time-limit their in-market period. Providers can then respond with their offering via DataPal or communicated directly, subject to the terms of their data sharing agreement.
Both customers and providers have a clear and unarguable record of what data is provided or changed, and when. This prevents disputes about the data to which providers had access at a point in time. It also prevents customers from claiming that important data had not been provided to them from a retailer or manufacturer.