Although we are dedicating most of our time to rebuilding the Desktop Studio in HTML5 we have managed to squeeze in a few small improvements into this release.

Event No Shows
We have been receiving a lot of feedback from dealerships that they want to track how many customers don't make it to scheduled appointments.   To facilitate this request we've added a new option on Calendar Events called "No Show".  This option can be selected when the customer does not turn up for their appointment.  No Shows are tracked in the Morning Meeting, Overdue and Daily Health Check Reports.  In addition we've built an Appointment Conversion Report which is available via the Desktop Studio under Generate Reports.

Pending Leads Criteria
In 18.4 we've modified the criteria for a lead to appear in the Pending Leads screen.  Where previously if the lead was automatically allocated to any user the system would determine it wasn't "pending" and the lead would not appear in Pending Leads.  In the latest release we have modified the criteria so that the lead will display if it is Awaiting Action, has no Calendar Events, Emails, SMS or forms created by a User in AutoPlay.
(FYI in the HTML5 rebuild we have created a better way to handle this on the existing Lead Dashboard without the need for a dedicated screen for Pending Leads).

Improvements To Customer Search
We've improved how the iOS and Desktop apps search for customer records with two names in the first name field.  This will make identifying these customers in your database easier.  Records returned are now ordered by first name match first, then company followed by last name.

Drivers Licence Scanning Will Now Scan Address Details
If Address details are located on the front of a customers Drivers Licence the DL scan will now pick up these details and populate within the relevant address fields on your lead or Test Drive Form. 

Appraisal Valuation Details Removed From Email Appraisal
If you use the 'Email Appraisal' function on the Appraisal Form to email wholesalers we've now removed the Valuation and Customer sections from this information.  

New Setting To Restrict Lead & Customer Export To DMS Until Closed Won or Closed Lost
In the past it was possible to restrict exporting Customer and Lead exports to the DMS until the lead made it through certain Progress steps.  With the latest release we've expanded this functionality to include 'Closed Won' and 'Closed Lost'.  This will provide dealerships with an additional mechanism to restrict what is exported to the DMS.

In Market Leads Matching On Sold Listings
18.4 includes several fixes to the In Market Leads functionality.  We've made several tweaks to the engine behind this functionality which have helped make this function run faster.  In addition we have tidied up a small issue where In Market Leads were including listings that were already marked as sold.

Tidied Up User List In Standard Response Screen
We've cleaned up the 'User' drop down in the Standard Response screen to exclude users that are 'Deleted'.  This brings the drop down in line with other User drop downs throughout AutoPlay.

Improved Notifications When SMS Fail To Send
We've improved the error handling on SMS sending when the SMS fails to send due to an incorrectly formatted phone number.  AutoPlay will now trigger an email to the sender letting them know the SMS failed, as well as displaying a notification against the lead, and the Notifications panel on the Dashboard.

Storing Photos When Licence Scans Fail
In 18.4 we have added the option to store a photo of the customers Drivers Licence even if the scan fails to scan any customer details due to blurryness/poor lighting/movement etc.

New MotorWeb Appraisal Report Replacing the MotorWeb VIR
In the latest version of the Sales Pipeline, the MotorWeb VIR will be replaced with a brand-new Appraisal Report.  The new report allows salespeople to return vehicle details & easily view comparative model listings on Trade Me to help meet customers trade price expectations.  Check out the link here for more details.

Assorted Improvements

• Improved flagging of Undeliverable email addresses
• Converted americanised date fields in Email Campaign screens
• Fixed a time display error when checking FTP folders
• We've modified the message that displays when an update to the Desktop Studio is available
• Added Created Date to Export of Closed Lost Reason Report

We are aiming to have the HTML5 project in the hands of some customers for preview on March 31st depending on how much resource we can dedicate to this project.  More updates will follow in February 2019.  If you have any questions about this project please email matt@autoplay.co.nz

Once you have signed up to list on The Dealership Network they will contact AutoPlay to enable access to your listings.  The Dealership Network (TDN) have hooked up to AutoPlay’s listing API so the moment you load a listing, it will be live on www.thedealershipnetwork.co.nz – with no need to manually select listings for export.

The Dealership Network introduces a completely new concept to help users find their next vehicle. With their Feature Finder they provide an alternative to the standard make, model, year search criteria, allowing their users to search by, feature, function, technology and other criteria to find all the makes and models from around the country that suit what they want from their next vehicle all from one simple search enquiry.
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The Dealership Network is proud to only work with dealership listings, to give their users the trust and confidence when looking at any listing on their website. By integrating with AutoPlay they enable their users to "Book a test drive" or "Request a call back" that feeds straight into your lead API, connecting their users with your dealership and stock. The Feature finder search function incorporates the needs based selling approach onto an online platform. Allowing users to search from a combination of requirements and being able to recommend the specific makes and models that suit their needs. The refinement feature then makes it even easier to narrow these results for the user to find exactly what they are looking for

AutoPlay are at the forefront of delivering innovative digital tools that are designed to enhance our customers day-to-day activities - whether it be through helping our Dealers become more efficient or by assisting them to drive a higher level of sales performance chances are we’ve got a solution that works for your Dealership.

We’ve been working closely with the team at MotorWeb - Trademe’s vehicle data business to develop a more tailored solution to support the vehicle appraisal process. Recognising not all vehicles are subsequently traded Sales Consultants and Managers have asked for a more targeted report to help them carry out appraisals.
 
Both AutoPlay and MotorWeb are committed to promoting best practice within the automotive industry. Our workflows are designed to protect both Dealers and their customers. MotorWeb’s reports help you meet both your legal obligations and financial compliance checks, leaving nothing to chance.
 
The new Appraisal Report will provide your sales team valuable insights at the very start of the process, upfront when you need to engage in great customer conversations.

How’s the Appraisal Report integrated within AutoPlay? ​

If you are currently using the MotorWeb VIR service in NZ via AutoPlay you will notice it change over automatically on 5/12/18.  If you do not currently use this service within AutoPlay you can sign up via support@motorweb.co.nz.  There is no additional charge from AutoPlay to use this function within the Sales Pipeline. 

What’s the next step if we decide to purchase the Vehicle?
 
The MotorWeb Vehicle Information Report (VIR) will always be required to comprehensively check the vehicle before making any payment, as it checks a whole range of financial conditions including legal ownership, registered finance securities and will soon form part of your obligations under The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (AML/CFT). The VIR is only available through the MotorWeb Dashboard or if we’re integrated within your Dealer Management System (DMS).
 
To find out more about this service or sign up, please contact the MotorWeb Dealer Support team on 0800 668 679 or email support@motorweb.co.nz
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​​​To ensure your website changes or email campaigns are completed before the end of the year you need to ensure you submit all your requests by the following deadline;

AutoPlay will officially shut down for the year on Friday 21st December at 3pm.  The office will be reopening at 8am on Monday 7th January, 2019.  Over the official shutdown period you will be able to email support@autoplay.co.nz for any emergencies.  

After a down month in September, October 2018 saw a slight bounce back in Sales throughout dealers using AutoPlay for pre-sales lead management – with Sales increasing by 1.0% from September 2018 to October 2018. 
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However, October was a strong month for Leads and Test Drives which increased by 5.6% and 5.5% respectively – giving hope for a successful November.

Test Drives attributed to dealer websites rebounded from a drop in September to increase by 14.1% from September to October. 
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After becoming the second most popular source of Test Drives in September, ‘Direct’ firmed even further as the second most important source of Test Drives by increasing by 12.7% - proving that in this age of electronic and telephony leads that walk in Test Drives still account for a reasonable portion of the dealers Test Drives.  The third most popular source of Test Drives is still ‘Brand’ with a slight increase of 1.5%.

Make sure to check in next month to find out the top sources of Leads, Test Drives and Sales for dealerships in November 2018.  Lead Source reports are just one of the reports available to dealerships and OEM’s who use AutoPlay Sales Pipeline.  To find out more about the range of reports available via AutoPlay contact us on sales@autoplay.co.nz or +64 9 361 1505.
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