BMW SA has implemented the Kerridge Dealer Management system nationwide. This forms part of an international move to consolidate from the 42 systems in 14 countries, to utilising only Kerridge software.
The Kerridge Dealer Management System has been through rigorous evaluation in France for the last two years and a decision was made by BMW AG in November 2000 that Kerridge should be implemented in 14 markets, including SA.
Prior to that, 42 systems were in use in the 14 countries, which the auto manufacturer says led to difficulty in maintenance and costing.
BMW SA have given the dealers the opportunity to choose between Autoline Prima - equipped with simple icons, and best suited for small to medium dealerships, or the more complex Autoline Rev8 - the Dealer Management System used by most of the larger dealers or groups.
Kerridge management says extensive planning has gone in to the design and layout of the system with numerous interfaces written for the local market. The system will interface to BMW South Africa`s Motorplan service and maintenance programme. Kerridge says five other countries will adopt the tweaked system.
Interfaces include a new warranty system to ensure speedy processing of claims, an Electronic Parts Catalogue interface to assist the parts and service departments, and the Focus Interface, which is BMW`s car configuration system.
Kerridge believes this strategy will lead to numerous long-term benefits, including lower running costs, due in part to Kerridge`s adoption of AG`s recommended IT software, strong integration to BMW e-Com initiatives and the ability to leverage customer relationship management as the customer data resides in one database.
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