Posts by Catherine Dawson
Real-time Visibility and Building Loyalty: the Key to Successful Dealer-Funder Relationships
Today we interview Adrian Walsh, CEO and founder of CheckVentory. In this short Q&A, Adrian explains his background and how he came to start CheckVentory. He discusses the challenges he faced with manual inventory audits and how CheckVentory began as a way to address those issues, the importance of dealer-funder relationships, and the advice he…
Read MoreThe Power of Hindsight: Lessons from the 2008 Financial Crisis and How to Improve Funder-Dealer Communication
For those in the automotive funding industry, the lessons from the 2008 financial crisis serve as a reminder of the importance of being prepared for any eventualities in the economy. The recession highlighted the need for better communication and collaboration between funders and dealers in order to navigate an uncertain financial landscape. In this article,…
Read MoreHow to Deploy a Dealer Self-auditing Program: Best Practice for Funders
Funders wishing to deploy a dealer self-auditing program should do so with the knowledge that there are substantial benefits to be gained by their dealer group partners, as well as by their own organisations. However, change will always bring objections, no matter how unfounded or trivial, and it is incumbent on the funder to overcome…
Read MoreCheckVentory Gains Key ISO Certifications
For any company in the business of helping clients to improve their processes and performance, ensuring that their own practices are efficient and robust is essential. While this has been a key focus for CheckVentory from its creation, the leadership team recognised that an external, in-depth assessment of the organisation’s processes would add another level…
Read MoreDigitisation of the Vehicle Audit Process
We conclude this short series (you can read the previous articles here and here) with a detailed examination of how one particular aspect of dealer businesses, vehicle inventory management, is being transformed through digitisation and the use of artificial intelligence. Traditionally, inventory audits have been carried out manually, often by trained auto finance provider staff,…
Read MoreBoosting Growth Through Digitisation
Dealers are acutely aware of the challenges that these market movements bring and are, on the whole, ready and willing to invest in digitisation to ensure their businesses have ongoing relevance. For funders, some of which will have seen significant digitisation in other sectors within their portfolios, there exists an excellent opportunity to deepen relationships…
Read MoreGrowth Through Digitisation of the Auto Finance Sector
Consumers, newly comfortable with the notion of researching and making significant purchase decisions online, have been at the forefront of driving digitisation in dealerships, but this isn’t the only pressure being brought to bear to accelerate the rate of digital change. Forward-looking dealer businesses are also identifying the significant opportunities to enhance the efficiency of…
Read MoreModern Dealer Audit Technology: the Evolution of Dealer Self Audits
The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the adoption of technology-enabled audits by funders, with travel restrictions limiting the ability for auditors to visit dealership sites. However, for some time before then, funders increasingly recognised that traditional, paper-based manual audits are no longer enough, with many floor plan funders exploring new technologies to support the audit…
Read MoreStock Control as a Strategic Issue: A Need for Agility
The industry has discovered its Achilles heel – vehicles so heavily reliant on processing power that they are literally immobilised by the scarcity of semi-conductor chips, causing a huge impact on the new vehicle supply chain. At the same time, increasing consumer confidence and unexpected access to cash from savings during lockdowns have combined with…
Read MoreFinding Lost Revenue for Car Dealers
Results of 1000 Dealer Audits Cash is King, so the saying goes. In the automotive industry, this is especially true as cash flow management is one of the key challenges for dealers with literally millions tied up in vehicle inventory. The automotive industry is a very competitive and fast-paced environment. With tight profit margins, it’s…
Read More