Jan Dibden, Finance Director at Penton Motor Group discusses how Pinewood DMS has positively impacted their business, enhancing process efficiencies within the group. Penton is a multi-brand dealer group which represents Citroën, DS Automobiles, Peugeot and Vauxhall. Read more below:
“We have been working with Pinewood since 2010. All parts of Pinewood DMS are beneficial to us, especially CRM and the Aftersales Diary. It’s very important that the DMS supports integration with our manufacturers, in particular, the Vauxhall warranty integration is very good. All departments can see information instantly and see when amendments are actioned. Staff engage and learn quickly with the system, it’s menu driven and each step is easy to follow. Pinewood DMS has helped shape our processes in each department, it controls the work flow, ensuring each step is followed to arrive at a sale. One system, linking all departments, holding all vehicle and customer data, with regular system enhancements and system usage reviews…it suits our business needs for a fully integrated DMS, it’s an excellent system with good support, continuing development and integration with manufacturers.”
Pinewood Release Online Payments for Service Work
Pinewood have introduced a new online payment feature in the workshop, enabling customers to pay for their service work before collecting their car.
Recent events have made it clear how important it is to have a system that adapts to changing circumstances and embraces the digital era. Always looking to make sure that their customers have all the tools they need, Pinewood noticed a big difference between dealerships and the rest of the retail sector.
“If you think of common bookings you might make – for example, plane, train and cinema tickets – you can just book and pay online and you’re done. Automotive retail shouldn’t be any different or any more difficult. Our new online payment solution helps to provide a hassle-free and modern customer experience.” Neville Briggs, Managing Director at Pinewood.
Using a proven and secure online payment solution, dealers can now offer their customers the ability to pay their service invoices online before collection. The Barclays EPDQ solution is fully integrated with Pinewood DMS, once the customer pays on the portal, the money is directed straight to the dealer’s bank account and appears in the DMS Accounts module. Barclays EPDQ accepts all major debit and credit cards, including PayPal, to make it even easier for dealers to receive payments.
Alongside the suite of mobile apps, online booking and digital documents, online payments in the workshop completes the no-contact collect and deliver cycle. Gone are the days of multiple customers waiting in the dealership for their vehicles. The customer can book their service in on the website, the vehicle is picked up by a member of staff and the job progress tracker tells the customer exactly what stage the vehicle is at while it’s in the workshop.
“It’s a challenging time for our industry and dealers are looking for ways to keep their staff and customers safe alongside making a profit. Adding online payments to our already digital and paperless system, gives our customers the edge that will set them apart from the rest.” says Briggs.
