BMW Accelerates Away from Other Car Makers in CRM

BMW has put the pedal to the metal in CRM with an innovative system that puts owners in touch with all the details of their ongoing relationship with the company.

The new “Owners’ Circle” system lets BMW owners track their car’s financing, maintenance and more. Cotelligent, a consulting firm focused on doing business over the Web, built the Owners’ Circle system using eCRM software from Marketdrive Interactive, which specializes in ‘Net-based CRM for car and truck manufacturers and retailers, including Subaru, cars.com, and others.’

Dan Jackson, Cotelligent’s president and chief operating officer, calls it “…a solution designed to enhance and strengthen the postpurchase relationship between vehicle owner and manufacturer through tailored, one-to-one, Web-enabled communications.”

Owners of new or used BMWs are now able to register their vehicles online using only their vehicle identification numbers. They then select their preferences for what amounts to a personalized Website. By visiting “their” site, owners can check almost everything of interest – the status of their new car order, an older vehicle’s maintenance history, reminders of upcoming service milestones or detailed information on their particular model.

The Owners’ Circle system also provides owner-to-owner online chat, a BMW dealer locator and priority email services.

In addition, the system is hooked into BMW Financial Services providing customers access to their current leasing or loan information. Owners can review their present financial obligations, request automobile inspections and compute mileage and lease-end payments. There are also “how-to” guides for various ways of ending a lease or trading in for a new car.

Jackson claims the system “…puts BMW well ahead of the curve in delivering personalized, Internet-based, around-the-clock customer care.”

More information on the capabilities of the system and how it was implemented is available by contacting Cotelligent. You can also take a “guest tour” of the new BMW Owners’ Circle site by pointing your browser to: www.bmwusa.com.