The issue
The client, a consortium of automotive aftermarket specialty suppliers, was planning to launch a business which would procure, distribute, and install vehicle accessories through a nationwide network of automotive dealerships.
PricewaterhouseCoopers was engaged to assist the client in the development of its strategic and tactical operating plan. As a first step, PricewaterhouseCoopers was asked to help with a “proof of concept” pilot program in the Southeast US, the success of which was critical to future funding for the business. A critical element of this process was to accurately inventory the technology infrastructure, current accessory programs, service and installation infrastructure, lateral support, and technician skill levels among several dealership businesses and assess this data relative to the pilot mobilization. Data had to be collected within a two-week period in order to meet critical path requirements.
Our approach
Utilizing PricewaterhouseCoopers’s proprietary Dealership Capabilities Model (DCM) ™ methodology, an assessment was designed for service and technology capability. Custom questions were developed to collect necessary infrastructure data. Dealers were sent an email addressed from our client with a link to the assessment. Over 70 percent of assessments were completed within 3 days and all within 10 days.
The outcome
Assessments were completed by Dealer principals and dealership management in sales, service and parts. No onsite visits were required and only two dealers had queries concerning the assessment requirements. Within two weeks, data was collected, tabulated, and summarized as a deliverable report and recommendation thereby enabling the client to move onto the next phase of the project.
