DECEMBER 2008

From the CEO

Is the worst of the downturn
behind us?

“Financiers more discerning” was the sobering headline that followed the decision by GE and GMAC to withdraw from the Australian and New Zealand market. Since then some well known dealerships have closed their doors and hundreds of dealership staff are faced with the bleak prospect of Xmas without a job.

The gloomy headlines continue: “Battered Car Industry”, “Car Sales Slide”, “Crunch Hits Dealers”. We are indeed living in interesting times but despite the fact that profits are down, life goes on and the cycle of boom and gloom will ever define business life in this fortunate country.

Why the need for the Australian markets to so closely mirror the Dow? Unlike America we have four of the twenty top rated banks on the world stage, and a quarry in our back yard capable of meeting the manufacturing needs of our close neighbours, China and India, for many years to come.

In its latest update on the Chinese economy, the World Bank forecast a 2009 gross domestic product growth of 7.5 percent and whilst this would represent the first single digit growth rate for China in more than a decade, it’s hardly the end of the world for a country so admirably placed when it comes to supplying much of the raw materials needed to fuel this amazing rate of growth.

So in this writer’s opinion, we have plumbed the depths. The markets have already been in decline for twelve months, and confidence will begin to return well before the end of the financial year as interest rates continue to ease and consumer confidence is restored.

The Year That Was

Auto-I.T. is in the business of supplying retail Dealer Management Systems to two niche markets. These are the retail Automotive industry and the

retail Agricultural, Trucking, and Construction Equipment Industries. Our very existence depends on the continued referencability of our products and services by our clients and to obtain this we need to demonstrate our ability to deliver to their most demanding expectations. Auto-I.T. clients are entitled to expect us to remain innovative in our product offerings, to provide value for money, and to remain in financial health, as a substantial and long term supplier in all markets we choose to participate in.

In this regard I am pleased to affirm that Auto-I.T. has a strong balance sheet, we continually look for new initiatives to improve the products we offer to our clients, and the growth of new client licenses sold in Australia, New Zealand, and overseas over the past 12 months has been substantial.

In short, Auto-I.T. has been supplying products and services to its dealer clients now for twenty eight years, our customers have never been more supportive, and our future has never looked brighter.

Season’s Greetings

Once again it is nearly time to embark on the holiday season. I hope you share my optimism that 2009 will bring with it a return of consumer confidence, and a deeper understanding by our political and business leaders that there is no room in the future for the excesses of the past.

Once again I reaffirm that in lieu of sending Xmas cards to our valued clients and associates, Auto-I.T. continues to support underprivileged children through the World Vision program, Saley Mahamat, an eight year old boy from Chad and Kana Mondol, a little 7 year old girl from Bangladesh.

Please accept our good wishes for the Christmas season, Auto-I.T.’s thanks for your continued support and our wishes that 2009 will bring with it health and happiness to your families and loved ones.

Ken W Fife | Chief Executive Office | Auto-I.T. Australia Pty Ltd | kenfife@auto-it.com.au

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Auto-I.T. at the AADA Convention

Auto-I.T. recently attended the AADA convention on the Gold Coast where it showcased the latest enhancements to it's Dealer Management Systems. The highlight of Auto-I.T.'s exhibition was the latest technology Microsoft Windows Dealer Management System - UNITS™, showcasing prototypes utilising unwired devices & interfacing into Telstra's Sensis White Pages® database. The wireless devices provide the latest efficiencies in wireless mobility and the LIVE interface into Sensis White Pages® provides an "Industry First" tool to validate customer details and achieve an up-to-date client database.

One of the main themes at the convention was new ideas on customer relationship management and the importance, in these tough times, of marketing effectively to existing clients. If you are would like more information about any of these new technologies please speak to your account manager. Thank You to all of our clients who came to visit us at our stand!

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Tough Times Lead to Better Practices

 

We know that many dealerships are doing it tough and many want to get more from their marketing. We are here to help. Speak to your Account Manager and ask them how our marketing features can help your business.

For example, we have recently signed an ‘industry first’ agreement with Sensis to link our products to the Sensis White Pages^® database. If you are going to market to your database it may as well use accurate and up-to-date information. We can also show you how to more effectively use our text messaging and email marketing campaign functions and services.

At the end of the day, if business isn't walking in the door and general advertising is not picking up new customers, then targeting clients that have already used your services and products is probably the way to go.

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New Factory Interfaces
 

Auto-IT has and will continue to write all available Factory Interfaces. Many of these interfaces can assist in making your business more efficient and effective. Don't miss out on giving your business a competitive edge! To find out more about how these interfaces can benefit your business and how to set these interfaces up please speak to your Account Manager or Aaran Newman on anewman@autoit.com.au or 0418 253 368.
 

Holden	Status
GMH Electronic Parts Catalogue interface	Available
GMH Financial Reporting interface (GMH-DBI)	Coming
GMH Axway EBXML communications system (coming)	Coming
Nissan
Parts Customer Sales extract	Available
Service History	Coming
Warranty Claim	Coming
Parts Stock Locator	Coming
Parts Stock Order	Coming
Pre-Retail advice record	Coming
Hummer / SAAB
Electronic Parts Interface	Available
Toyota
Showroom Direct Interface	Available
MIS Update	Available
Subaru
Super Service Menus	Available
Honda
Contact Tracker (Vital Software)	Available
BMW
Vehicle Chassis Enquiry	Coming
VW
e-Goodmanners	Available
Mercedes
Mercedes Recall Campaign Import	Available
Mazda
Mazda Vehicle Receipt Import	Available

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White Pages^® Customer Check

In these tough times its more important than ever to market effectively to your existing clients within your database! But what if your database is invalid or out of date? Did you know that approximately 17% of the population or 4 million people in Australia change address on a yearly basis? Checking the validity of your database is impossible without using an external list source and what better source is there other than Sensis White Pages^®?
 

Otherwise a good direct marketing idea might turn out to be costly with little return and with material not reaching its anticipated destination or going to non-existent clients.

Auto-I.T., in conjunction with Telstra's subsidiary Sensis White Pages^®, have built a ‘Dealer Industry First’ LIVE Link into the Sensis White Pages^® database for accurate entry of client details as well as a "BATCH" matching system to help cleanse your existing database!

BEFORE you start your marketing campaign get your database in order. Click on to the link below and speak to your Account Manager today for more information.

Download CustomerCheck Brochure

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CRM - Top 5 Tips for UNITS^™ Users
 

Michael Cross, International Man of Mystery & Business Development Manager at Auto-I.T., lists the top four Customer Relationship Management (CRM) ideas he has recently encountered.


Idea 1 - Support Your Most Loyal Customers

Identify your most loyal customers, those that have purchased a car and returned to the dealership over a three year period. Look to thank them formally in some way. Also look at their current finance arrangement i.e. what is the estimated payout value compared to the market value? Perhaps you can finance them into a new vehicle for similar repayments?

UNITS™ supports this style of marketing activity.
 

Idea 2 - Try a Different Medium
 

Why not perform a video walk-around presentation of a used car and email it to an interested customer? The marketplace is changing, customers are more savvy and using technology such as the internet to research and purchase goods – including cars. By preparing a personalised video walk-around vehicle presentation for a customer and then emailing it to them, we are communicating in a format that they prefer to use. It could be personalised by using the customers name and pointing out features that the

customer has mentioned as important to them.

Dealerships can also take generic videos and attach them to used vehicle stock numbers. Sending a customer a video presentation can save them time coming into the dealership, particularly if they live a long way away. It is also less threatening and has a point of difference.

Idea 3 - Monitor Business Communications

All communications inbound and outbound should go through a business communication centre so all incoming enquiries can be analysed to determine things such as advertising effectiveness, where the leads are coming from, what customers are interested in etc. Car dealers are among the biggest advertising spenders so we need a process to measure effectiveness.

UNITS™ has inbuilt functionality to support this initiative.

Idea 4 - Measure Lost Sales

Most dealerships capture information about customers who have purchased a vehicle. Few actually capture lost sale information to enable follow-up to find out why they missed an opportunity or what we could have done better. Customers will usually tell you. This information may be used to coach staff or improve processes to avoid missing the opportunity in the future. The information could also be useful for manufacturers to understand why customers are bypassing their products.

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New Clients

We would like to welcome the following dealerships as Auto-I.T. clients.
 

John Oxley Motors	Surf City Holden (part of the AP Eagers group)
Mornington Toyota	Wickham Flower
Harris Freer Toyota	O'Hallaran Motors
Gunnings Toyota	Stuart and Harrison
Baker Motors	Spencer Motors
Carlisle Motors	Daihatsu Malaysia
John Page	Bousteads Brunei
McRae White	Bairnsdale Mazda

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Tech Tips

For users accessing UNITS™ via Terminal Services you may sometimes come across an error message saying that you cannot connect to the remote computer due to an error in the licensing protocol.

Unfortunately this is a Microsoft bug which they have still not fixed after all these years. The solution, however, is rather quick and easy. Simply click on the “Start” menu and select “Run”. Type in “reg delete HKLM\SOFTWARE\MICROSOFT\MSLICENSING /F” and click OK. You should now be able to connect to the Terminal Server as per usual.

Stuart James - Technical Services

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FAQs - UNITS^™

Trade Debtors Reconciliation

Question:

What do I need to do if the Debtor’s Subsidiary Ledger is out of balance with the General Ledger balance, when I print the GL Reconciliation Report?



Answer:
Run the ‘Restore Debtor Master’ from the Transaction program for all debtors, to update the outstanding balances. This will keep the balances in line with the transactions posted to the debtor’s accounts.



If the balance is still out, run the ‘Rebuild GL Master’ from the Transaction File program, for the trade debtors General Ledger account. This will keep the balances in line with the transactions posted to the debtors General Ledger account.



If the balance continues to be out, produce the reports ‘Aged Debtor’ and ‘General Ledger Account Scheduling’ for the trade debtors control, General Ledger account. Compare the balance of each debtor account number to the same reference number value in the General Ledger. Once you have identified which side requires adjustment, contact Support at Auto-I.T.

Trade Creditors Reconciliation

Question:

What do I need to do if the Creditor’s Subsidiary Ledger is out of balance with the General Ledger balance, when I print the GL Reconciliation Report?
 

Answer:

Run the ‘Rebuild GL Master’ from the Transaction File program for the trade creditors General Ledger account. This will keep the balances in line with the transactions posted to the creditors General Ledger account.

If the balance continues to be out, produce the ‘Creditors Aging Detail Report’ and ‘General Ledger Account Scheduling’ for the Trade Creditors control, General Ledger account. Compare the balance of each creditor account number to the same reference number value in the General Ledger. Once you have identified which side requires adjustment, contact Support at Auto-I.T.

Closing Accounting Periods

Question:

How do I close the accounting period to prevent accounting transactions from being posted to previous periods in error?

Answer:

To prevent accounting transactions from being posted to a previous period in error, it is advisable to enter a Closed Year End Date and Period Number. By doing this, you ensure no-one can enter transactions dated within the defined Closed Period.
To close the account period, you first need to select the Company Maintenance Program as follows:
 

Then from the following screen, simply enter the Closed Year End Date and select the period number you need to close. Then "Save and Close".
 

Contributed by Kelvin Gilbert – Auto IT Support Team Member

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FAQs - PACE2000

Printable reports appear as dates

Printable reports may appear as dates in the PACE reports screen if the PC has been upgraded to a later Windows version. (Usually Windows NT, or XP etc.)

To rectify this the Batch file that starts PACE will need to have the following line inserted.
“SET DIRCMD=/-N”
This is usually inserted after the line SET DFPRINTER line and the DFRUNCON line.

Example:-
SET DFPATH=.
SET DFPROG=.
SET DFPRINTER=LPT1
SET DIRCMD=/-N
DFRUNCON MENU “username”

Care must be taken that this batch file is not shared by other terminals with an earlier version of Windows as they may be affected.

If it is a shared batch file, make a copy and modify the copy and attach to the properties of the new terminal.

Contributed by Max Sita - Support Consultant, Melbourne

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Auto-I.T. Australia Pty Ltd 
ABN: 57 091 383 854
Suite 2 / Level 1, 333 Drummond St, Carlton VIC 3053, Australia
Ph: (03) 9349 3062 :: Fax: (03) 9349 3067  www.auto-it.com.au