Nationwide

Background

Nationwide Autocentres Ltd aims to be the first choice for motor repair and service needs. It is expanding and is the leading independent player in the market. Each Nationwide Autocentre offers car servicing, MOT, fault diagnosis and repair through approximately 200 locations in the UK.

In 1993, Lex Service plc purchased Lucas Autocentres from Lucas Industries to form Lex Autocentres with ambitious plans for growth. Lex meanwhile bought the RAC and decided that the Autocentre activity was not core. In 2001 Nationwide acquired the Autocentres.

The Business Plan and Objectives

Autocentre Managers recognised that improved automation was critical to facilitate the planned expansion in sites whilst remaining effective and competitive. The goals for the Autocentre project were to:

install head office and Autocentre systems for an expanded operation
improve customer care and customer perception of the service received
know more about their customers to improve marketing activity
provide better administrative support for their Autocentre managers
improve motivation with more timely information
provide fast communications between the Autocentres and head office

The key to delivery of all of these important objectives was the installation of head office and Autocentre systems capable of expanded operation.

Entity’s Role

Entity’s role was to:

design the overall solution
build the applications for Autocentre and head office
integrate both applications with the IBM information exchange service
plan the roll-out to Autocentres throughout the UK
install the PC system in each Autocentre
support the end-users in the use of the system
support the network

The key to success in any large activity such as the Autocentres system development is competent and strong project management. This is an Entity trademark which came to the fore as the many people and resources dispersed over a wide area were choreographed and co-ordinated to reach a conclusion, on time, on budget and to specification.

Since the Autocentres system was rolled out, Entity has provided operational support on an ongoing basis. These responsibilities include:

support for all the applications
support for the communications network
additional developments, as new requirements are identified

The Technical Solution

A common PC system is installed at each site for the capture of customer vehicle and all financial transactions (invoices, local purchases…). This information is then transmitted nightly from each centre to the head office mailbox using the IBM store and forward Information Exchange (IE) service. The information is gathered from the mailbox each morning and loaded in the central AS/400 database.

Underpinning the PC system is an electronic price book used for the generation of invoices. The price book is a series of files (vehicle make, models, products, standard invoice narratives, manufacturer recommendations, supplier part details and prices) which are all maintained centrally and are distributed to the Autocentres.

The Benefits to Nationwide

The business benefits achieved by Nationwide were significant and impacted productivity, quality & timeliness, customer service, marketing potential and value for money:

Productivity

A reduction in the manual procedures at the head office and the Autocentres, allowing Autocentre managers more time for proactive work with staff and customers. The Autocentre manager’s close of day task was reduced from one and a half hours to a touch of a button.
Head office staff now spend more time reviewing sales and financial data rather than compiling it.

Quality and Timeliness

The reporting of performance data was significantly faster, allowing more timely actions at all levels of the organisation.
The system highlighted errors and inconsistencies in transaction data from the Autocentres identifying training issues and allowing corrections to be made. These data were then used to modify and improve the business process.

Customer Service

The customer facing documents were improved in presentation and layout providing greater clarity and explanation.
Autocentre managers were released from administration and freed to spend time with customers.

Marketing Potential

The system allows customer and related transaction data to be collected and used for targeted marketing.

Value for Money

The investment by Nationwide in the Autocentre systems has provided a very substantial return, with software and systems costs per Autocentre being significantly lower than the cost of running off the shelf dealer management software.

Relevance of the case study to potential clients

The relevance of the Nationwide case study is that it demonstrates to potential clients that Entity has:

managed a complex project from requirement through to delivery and proven commitment to a long term partnership relationship
designed and delivered a solution which involves transfer of daily transaction data to a head office, where it is loaded to a head office system for analysis
proven commitment to a long-term partnership relationship
delivered successful project management in a complex business scenario covering design of new systems and interfaces to existing systems
provided management of an ongoing operational service over a prolonged period
delivered a quality service and value for money

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