No matter what state the economy is in, service-oriented organizations are looking for ways to increase sales, streamline operations to gain efficiencies and cut costs – all while improving the quality of service for their businesses and service customers. 

 

And at an auto dealership, things are no different. But keeping customer’s attention and shortening the time they have to wait to test-drive their vehicle of choice could make or break a sale.

 

Since Arnold Clark Automobiles upgraded to a WiFi (News - Alert)-and-RFID-based system via the Cisco Unified Wireless Network this summer, cars have become so much easier to track that the European independent auto dealer has already saved 125 hours a month, which means two service workers can focus on other areas.

 

Before implementing the Cisco (News - Alert) Unified Wireless Network, “the dealership -- which has 145 locations and 8,000 employees across the United Kingdom – would sometimes find it challenging to track down the right car for the right customer quickly,” said Chris Kozup (News - Alert), senior manager of mobility solutions for networking giant Cisco.

 

The flagship dealership, located in Stafford, maintains an inventory of 1,000 cars for sale at any given time on a 12-acre lot and 74,000 square-foot showroom.

 

But when a customer arrives to the sales lot, associates typically have less than 10 minutes to engage the customer and find the right car or they could lose the sales opportunity.

 

With the new Cisco-based system in place, a sales associate can pinpoint the exact location of a desired car within minutes. First, the sales person goes to a terminal with Arnold Clark’s inventory management software that is connected to the AeroScout Vehicle Tracking Solution application. They select the parameters – for example, “customer wants a 2007 blue four-door” -- and plug in that information. The tracking system scans the inventory to see the cars that match the criteria, and then, “pings into” the Cisco “Mobility Services Engine” to determine where the car is located. Because cars wear active Radio Frequency Identification (or RFID) tags that send out signals to the tracking system, their location on a floor plan or lot is exact, Kozup said.

 

“What the Cisco Mobility Services Engine does is allows us to take that location information and put it into the AeroScout Vehicle tracking solution,” Kozup said. “And the combination of that information with the tracking solution helps the car sales associate know where a car is located on a floor or lot plan.”

 

The Arnold Clark Automobiles deployment began in January and took about eight months to finish, Kozup said. It’s representative of the company’s “Cisco Motion” strategy, which ties in wired, wireless, RFID and other networks into one platform to deliver tailored “solutions” that drive value.  

 

“Because the servicing associate can locate cars more effectively and increase service at any period of time,” Kozup said. “It’s a great example of how an organization can deploy a wireless network, integrate RFID technologies within the wireless network, and add tangible value to the organization above and beyond the just using wireless for data access.”