OneCommand`s Customer Retention Technology Drives Recession Success for Toyota Dealers

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Tue Jul 7, 2009 6:00am EDT

New Customizable Program Generates Double-Digit Increases in Appointments and
Double-Digit Decreases in Marketing Spend
CINCINNATI--(Business Wire)--
OneCommand (www.onecommand.com) today announced dramatic successes for Toyota
Dealers who have been utilizing new program features developed by the Company
specifically to meet the needs of dealers in the recession economy. With new car
sales plummeting, the length of time consumers hold onto their vehicles at
record highs1, and service departments now responsible for 81% of operating
profits2, bringing customers back for service and retaining them for
repurchasing is proving critical to dealership survival. By providing partner
dealers in the Toyota Best Practice program - such as 11-time Toyota President`s
Award winner, Gateway Toyota and New Jersey`s Toyota of Vineland - with a more
customizable program across the purchase and service life-cycle, OneCommand has
been able to generate significant increases in service appointment setting and
customer information collection at considerably lower marketing costs. 

According to Joe Cammarata, Service Director of Gateway Toyota, a Penske store:
"OneCommand`s new recession enhancements have driven a 12% increase in our daily
service appointments, a 20% reduction in our monthly advertising spend and the
collection of an unprecedented over 60% of customer email addresses in our
database - which is the most critical foundation to any marketing/retention
campaign." 

OneCommand`s Recession Retention enhancements include new sequential marketing
features; campaign customization based on regional, OEM or holiday/special
events; channel customization, so customers receive through preferred
communication such as email, voice, mobile or direct mail; and customized
segmentation which enables dealers to target the optimal customers for the
message and the optimal timing for its delivery. 

"There is nothing more critical to dealerships today than having cost-efficient
marketing and retention programs from point-of-sale to service retention and
eventually re-purchase," said Marvin Grimm Executive Vice President of
OneCommand. "After a careful analysis of what would provide dealers the most
benefit in the current economic climate - and what would reap the most immediate
and cost-effective results - we developed a dramatically more customized program
that puts the dealership in control of their marketing campaigns. We are very
pleased that our Toyota dealer partners are seeing such excellent results." 

Another Toyota dealer, Toyota of Vineland in New Jersey, is also having success
with OneCommand`s new program, especially its customized personalized outreach,
such as the Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary communications. General
Manager, Bob McCormick says, "Customers love receiving our Happy Birthday calls
and frequently call to thank me for remembering their special day. It`s simple
things like this that help us maintain long-time owner loyalty." 

According to Cap Gemini, two-thirds of car buyers report that personalized
repurchase offers via post and email would make them more likely to buy their
next vehicle from that same dealer or manufacturer, and over 80% report that two
factors that would `influence/greatly influence their repurchasing from the same
dealer include `awareness of my history with dealer,` and `awareness of my
history with the vehicle3, which are areas of particular focus for the
OneCommand program. 

"OneCommand provides a convenience for our dealership and customers that was
previously missing, enabling us to deliver personalized multi-channel campaigns
to thousands of customers within minutes. It allows our customers to view their
service history and recommended maintenance on their personal websites, as well
as to schedule service appointments in real-time online. OneCommand`s new
enhancements improve the customer experience and ensure they keep returning to
Gateway," concluded Cammarata. 

OneCommand is an industry-leader in FTC legislation and communication
compliance. The Company has been in accordance with the upcoming September 2009
FTC amendments for nearly one year. Additionally, OneCommand ensures compliance
with all legislation for all communication channels and takes compliance
responsibility off the dealer`s shoulders. 

1The median age for cars on U.S. roadways is now at record-high levels: 9.4
years for cars and 7.6 years for trucks. (R.L. Polk report cited in Forbes
3.09). The average age of vehicles traded in at dealerships in Feb. 2009 was 6.1
years-up from 5.6 years just one year earlier. (J.D. Power and Associates Press
Release 3.09) 40 percent want to keep their vehicles for 150,000 miles or more
(and nearly a quarter of them more than 200,000 miles), ExxonMobil Study
reported in AutoRemarketing 6/24/09.

2"The service department is ever-more critical to the survival of a dealership,
and is currently responsible for generating an extraordinary 81% of dealer
operating profits (even though it`s only 12% of total sales)-up from 77% in
2006." (NADA`s Chief Economist 1.09)

3Cap Gemini Cars Online 2008

About OneCommand (http://www.onecommand.com) 

OneCommand is a leading provider of integrated and automated, personalized
communications designed to stream line workflow, reduce marketing expense and
generate superior customer response. Focusing on the delivery of the right
message, at the right time, and through the right channel, OneCommand has
rapidly expanded its market penetration by helping its clients to realize
significant improvements in loyalty and retention, frequency of visit and
overall profitability. In 2008 the Company delivered over 150 million
personalized communications on behalf of over 4,000 clients throughout North
America. 

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OneCommand
Lindsay Leugers, 800-814-6820 or 513-673-5152 (Mobile)
lleugers@onecommand.com



Copyright Business Wire 2009

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