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Dealers can now automate and manage all customer campaigns - telephone, e- mail, text messages and direct mail - from Reynolds Contact Management DAYTON, Ohio, July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Attracting new customers and keeping them for life requires more than just traditional advertising. It requires continuous, proactive communications. Customers today expect dealerships to be responsive and to communicate with them according to their preferences. To meet exacting customer expectations, many dealers are shifting funds away from traditional advertising and focusing on personalized marketing and communication activities. In fact, the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) reports that advertising outlays decreased by more than 6 percent since 2004. To help dealerships better reach customers while maximizing retention and profitability, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company (NYSE:REY) has launched Voice of the Dealer, Powered by CallCommand(R). The Voice of the Dealer service is available to dealers in the U.S. and Canada using Reynolds Contact Management solution. CallCommand, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a leading provider of voice communication solutions that help dealerships increase owner loyalty, frequency of purchase and dollars per purchase. A pioneer in voice marketing, CallCommand has delivered more than 50 million calls on behalf of auto dealers and is the preferred voice provider to DaimlerChrysler corporate and their franchise network. Matching communications to customer preferences The Voice of the Dealer is an optional communications service within Reynolds Contact Management, a comprehensive CRM application that enables dealerships to schedule ongoing customer lifecycle communications using personalized phone calls, text messages, mailings and e-mail. Using Contact Management, dealerships can schedule and automate telephone campaigns to selected customers via the Voice of the Dealer. The Voice of the Dealer service calls customers individually and delivers a personal message recorded in the dealer's voice -- letting the customer know how much his or her business is valued. For example, the dealership could create a "Lost Soul" campaign by identifying customers that haven't returned for service recently. By calling into the service, the dealership can record a telephone message that invites the inactive customers back to the dealership for service and offers them a free oil change. The message is recorded, checked for professionalism and then activated in Contact Management. The call is automatically scheduled to be sent to the consumer through Contact Management and the result of the call is captured in the consumer record for tracking purposes. Examples of other telephone campaigns could include: Internet prospect responses, purchase thank yous, service department welcomes, service appointment reminders, parts order arrivals, birthday and anniversary greetings, recall notifications and more. According to Jill Gehrhardt, CRM solutions executive, Reynolds and Reynolds, "The Voice of the Dealer service ends dealers' need to rely on disparate tools. Now with e-mail, text messaging, mail and phone capabilities, a dealership can select and schedule all of their follow-up campaigns from one place. "Consumers tell dealers how they want to communicate and now dealers can execute on those preferences. Plus, they can keep all contact information in one place, which allows for more effective customer management and results reporting." Spending advertising dollars more effectively For the dealership, the Voice of the Dealer service is efficient, effective and costs a fraction of traditional media advertising. Most importantly, it allows dealers to personally communicate to customers in the manner they want. "In today's over-messaged marketplace, consumers want to feel that personal connection especially when making major purchases," said Allan Cooper, co-founder and vice president, strategic marketing and planning at CallCommand. "With Voice of the Dealer, the dealer principal can reach out to prospects and customers and consistently and reliably deliver their preferred message adapted to the communication preference of the consumer. "Voice offers the most personal connection where tone is critical to the message, while text and e-mail are ideal for immediate notifications and appointment reminders. The ability to now target both the message and the medium is a true differentiator for Reynolds," he said. Gehrhardt said that Reynolds has been able to show that the Contact Management solution, on a year-over-year basis, drove a 4 percent average increase in units sold, a 3 percent increase in gross profit per unit sold, and a 10 percent increase in service revenue. Combined these gains represent an additional annual gross profit of nearly $300,000 for the average dealership." With Voice of the Dealer, Reynolds is adding yet another tool to help dealers drive profitability and satisfaction. Cooper said that 95 percent of CallCommand customers have reported an increase in sales with the use of voice technology, while 77 percent also reported an increase in customer satisfaction. Contact Management is offered as part of the REYNOLDSYSTEM(TM), a comprehensive, dealer-driven approach to bringing the right set of experienced people, proven practices and comprehensive solutions to dealers. About CallCommand: CallCommand, founded by Automotive Professionals in 2002, is a leading provider of communication solutions helping companies revolutionize the way they communicate with customers and prospects. Serving over 4,000 users spanning seven industries including automotive, home improvement, schools, municipalities, independent services, telecom, churches and financial services, CallCommand's patent pending technology decreases marketing and communication costs while simultaneously improving customer responsiveness. All solutions are fully web-based eliminating the need for hardware, software or telephony equipment. For additional information, visit CallCommand's web site at http://www.callcommand.com/ . About Reynolds Reynolds and Reynolds (http://www.reyrey.com/) helps automobile dealers sell cars and take care of customers. Serving dealers since 1927, it is a leading provider of dealer management systems in the U.S. and Canada. The company's award-winning product, service and training solutions include a full range of retail Web and Customer Relationship Management solutions, e-learning and consulting services, documents, data management and integration, networking and support and leasing services. Reynolds serves automotive retailers and OEMs globally through its incadea solution and a worldwide partner network, as well as through its consulting practice. DATASOURCE: The Reynolds and Reynolds Company CONTACT: Michelle Zendah of Reynolds and Reynolds, +1-937-485-8499, or ; or Sarah Woellert of CallCommand, +1-877-862-6662, ext. 617, or Web site: http://www.reyrey.com/ http://www.callcommand.com/

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