The leasing and financing of cars is a significant part of
BMW's dealership business, with over half of all new purchases under lease or
finance. BMW has approximately 450 sales people in Switzerland, all of whom
spend considerable time with potential customers helping them to determine their
BMW purchasing power.
The Challenge
Sales personnel are under considerable pressure to act as brokers and
deliver on-the-spot financial calculations, which will ultimately lead to a
sale. BMW Group Financial Services was in need of a solution that not only
relieved the tedium of computing payment details on paper, but also provided
salespeople with the tools to devise quotes instantly and accurately, allowing
them to help the customer make an informed buying decision, on the forecourt.
Solutions in A Nutshell |
Sector
Solution Highlights
IT Architecture
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The Solution
BMW Financial Services Ltd (Switzerland) partnered with Palm to devise a
flexible, mobile and efficient solution for its 100-strong dealer network. This
combined Palmâ„¢ m105, m125, m500 and m505 handheld computers with a preloaded
custom software application called "BMW Finance 1.0 for Palm", which
was created and developed by BMW Financial Services Ltd (Switzerland). This
solution equipped BMW sales personnel with the tools to provide accurate
financing details. A key function of BMW Finance 1.0 is to customise monthly
installments to the specific needs of customers. The application calculates the
price of a car that fits their budget by also performing backward calculations
based on what monthly payments the customer can afford. The dealer then very
simply presents the range of cars that they know a customer can afford.
Calculations are exported to the memo pad function in the
handheld for easy reference at a later date.
Competitive Advantage
"We have a vast network of dealers across Switzerland who we rely on to
act as brokers and provide our customers with precise and comprehensive
financial services information, all in simple and easy to comprehend
format," said Patrick Cupelin, Palm project manager at BMW Financial
Services Ltd (Switzerland). "When a customer shows interest in purchasing a
vehicle, it is paramount to the sale that leasing and finance information is
available as soon as possible to help facilitate the purchase decision. The Palmâ„¢
handheld accomplishes this by providing a way for dealers to make complex
calculations on-the-spot." BMW dealers have used Palm handheld preloaded
with BMW Finance1.0 since January 2002. Approximately 400 Palmâ„¢handhelds are
being used by the dealer network and the company itself. Requirements for
version 2.0 of the application are now under evaluation." Dealers now feel
more confident about on-the-spot calculations and the accuracy of the lease and
credit rates they offer to customers," concluded Cupelin.
The case study is sourced from www.mobileenterprise.org
The Mobile Enterprise Alliance (MEA), a global advocacy group promoting the
business benefits of workforce mobility to enterprise end users and decision
makers