Leading Inspection Management Firm Enhances Public Relations in the Automotive Industry
The Challenge
At any given time, the organization has hundreds of vehicles available for allocation to various journalists and events. Accurate data about vehicle commitments is crucial for their operations.
Before collaborating with JRD, they relied on an ad hoc system to track these commitments. New requests were processed via phone, email, or fax, with no real-time visibility into whether these requests could be fulfilled promptly. With fourteen office locations nationwide, coordinating resources and information became a major challenge. Overbooking and underbooking of resources occurred frequently, and reliance on decentralized data hindered the efficient use of their vehicle fleet. As a result, they lost two major automotive clients due to the inadequacies of their system.
The Solution
Role Based Access
With this new system, employees can create accounts for journalists needing access to fleet data. They can easily add and remove vehicles and generate detailed reports on fleet utilization. In addition to preset reports, a framework for custom report creation was provided, enhancing overall access for journalists looking to test drive vehicles.
Journalists logging into the system can access all necessary information, including historical data on vehicles they’ve driven and a graphical calendar showing future availability. Additional resources include local airport information, instructions for vehicle pickup and drop-off, and a contact storage feature for employee interactions. A resource section provides links to manufacturer’s websites, press associations, and relevant government organizations, all modifiable by staff as needed.
The client’s automotive clients can also log in to view vehicles associated with their products and read journalist’s reviews upon submission. They can search for active and terminated vehicles and access various reports regarding their inventory and vehicle activity. Clients are similarly provided with links to helpful information, including media outlet contacts and consumer group resources.
To ensure the continuous availability of this vital resource, our team maintains the hosting infrastructure is at a dedicated data center, with technical support readily available.
The Benefits
The most significant advantage gained from this solution is the ability to accurately and reliably bill clients for services rendered. The days of managing numerous emails and faxes are over. Fleet activity is now centralized, offering transparency for journalists and clients alike.
Before implementation, employees spent approximately four hours per location each day generating vehicle usage reports. With the new solution, reports can now be produced online in less than five seconds. Scheduling vehicles, which previously took about 30 minutes to determine availability, now takes around two seconds. This time savings allows managers to focus on enhancing customer relationships.
As one executive noted, “The new system is everything we had hoped for sleek, smooth, and intuitive. Users appreciate the speed of information retrieval, making it a hit with both internal staff and external journalists, saving everyone valuable time. Our entire operation relies on this system, and it has proven remarkably reliable.”