And what does product management entail?
Over to James who tells all!
Author: Kate Shakesheff
What’s going on in Marketing at Coopers HQ?
Kate explains what the team is up to at the moment.
It’s been scientifically proven that bringing your dog to work reduces stress in the workplace
Jordan’s dog Poppy had a very calming effect on us all as she pottered happily around the office and the Coopers allotment.
Alan and Eve bring Harry to work
We loved having these gentle giants in the office with us.
Cooper Solutions working with local charity Evelyn’s Gift
Cooper Solutions is delighted to be working with local charity, Evelyn’s Gift. The Barford-based business chose Evelyn’s Gift as its charity for 2019 after inviting suggestions from its team.
The charity was formed in 2014 in recognition of Evelyn Mary Smith who passed away suddenly at just seven years old. Its aim is to train as many people in CPR and lifesaving skills, and to provide little acts of kindness to people in need.
The team at Cooper Solutions has a number of fundraising plans in place, which include monthly bake offs, a summer barbecue and sports day. All money raised helps the charity with its little acts of kindness, which most recently have been assisting families in need with items such as uniform or shoes, through school referrals.
Barry Cooper, Managing Director of Cooper Solutions, said: ‘We feel privileged to be working with Evelyn’s Gift. Little acts of kindness can make a big difference to people’s lives. In addition, in partnership with Warwickshire Hearts, our team has been trained in CPR for which we are very grateful.
’We have a project in the pipeline which we are working on with Evelyn’s Gift, and are very excited about this as it will benefit many families.’
Helen Smith from Evelyn’s Gift said: ‘We are very lucky to be working with Cooper Solutions. The enthusiasm of their team is inspiring and we know that together, we can make a big difference to the lives of people in our community. On a personal level, I am very grateful for the support for my work in memory of my daughter which enables me to continue her legacy.’
It’s not all about cake and chocolate here at Coopers HQ…
or is it?
Cutting the cost of going under the digital hammer
Cooper Solutions removes seller fees on FullAuction
Cooper Solutions has removed its seller fees in a move to further support dealers selling through its trade-only online auction site, FullAuction. Cooper Solutions is adding value to its trade remarketing solution by maximising profits for retailers, vital in the current competitive and challenging market.
FullAuction delivers similar or better results against CAP as physical auction houses and the large online players, but now allows dealers to sell their trade stock and keep 100% of the profits. Analysis has shown that many dealers sell their stock through FullAuction before a physical auction house would have even collected the vehicles.
Barry Cooper, Managing Director for Cooper Solutions, commented, “Making the decision to stop charging sellers will ensure further increases in dealer profits. Without the overheads of physical auction houses, FullAuction delivers a cost-effective remarketing solution, but now it is an even more profitable route to disposal of stock.”
Cooper Solutions carried out detailed research into the profitability of physical vehicle auctions. After reviewing more than 71,000 car sales, it was found that physical auction fees are typically larger than the profits retailers make on each sale, putting undue pressure on dealers’ margins. Not only does FullAuction reduce the cost of selling for dealers, it also reduces the time it takes to dispose of stock, meaning dealers get the money in the bank more quickly, boosting their bottom line.
Barry Cooper continued, “FullAuction boosts the average pounds per unit and CAP performance by optimising the mix of well described stock, a large pool of buyers and outstanding profits for sellers. We have an ongoing commitment to deliver the best in digital solutions for dealers, which includes continually reviewing and improving existing solutions. Even the most successful solutions can have the potential to serve the market even more effectively, and we are committed to investing in FullAuction to ensure it continues to provide valuable support to our dealer partners.”
FullForecast news! Most recent developments
We invest heavily in the development of our products. In this Sprint, we’ve turned our attention to FullForecast; a solution that provides users with real-time access to a dealer’s performance with access to both financial and operational data. Now when describing effective users of FullForecast, I tell people that they use the information to respond to shortfalls in revenue and manage increase in costs. Never has this been as relevant as it is today! I’m pleased to announce that the most recent development will help make this even easier.
The latest release includes a custom “KPI report” providing a different view of the P&L and/or balance sheet at a dealer and group level. The detail and calculations can be defined line by line to meet your requirements. We can even accommodate composite calcs if you post STATS journals to CDK.
This report is the foundation for upcoming development, which will see these department drivers represented visually making it quick and easy to discern trends.
The next phase of development will focus on department exceptions and ways in which you can improve performance by doing more of the good stuff and taking action much sooner on the bad stuff.
What does this mean?
No longer will we be a passive commentator on your business but highlighting the Act now points in sales, aftersales, working capital. Giving people from the bottom up, top down actionable data to drive performance and profitability.
In today’s vlog, Andrew explains how developments within FullForecast now include a custom KPI report
Now it’s even easier for users to respond to shortfalls in revenue and manage increases in costs.
Allen Ford utilises FullCover to streamline fleet management
Cooper Solutions brings improved customer experience and additional revenue
Allen Ford, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of Ford cars and vans to both businesses and private motorists, has streamlined its entire loan fleet management process through FullCover from Cooper Solutions. FullCover allows Allen Ford’s network of 30 locations across the south of England and the Midlands to efficiently manage current, future and historic appointments for all sales, aftersales and bodyshop loans.
Having used FullCover in previous roles with other dealerships, Allen Ford Group’s Southern Service Director, Bill Davies, introduced FullCover to the group last year. He commented: “FullCover takes away all the hassle of loan fleet management. It has been specifically and expertly developed so that all of the information is easy to see. We can now accurately monitor performance at user, dealer and group level. This is possible through the extraction of customer loan charges from CDK using an ODBC licence, allowing us to make the best decisions to improve efficiency and increase profitability.”
The integrated FullCover solution includes instant online licence checking and cost-effective daily rate insurance for drivers aged between 18 and 85 to ensure dealerships can easily fulfil their duty of care obligations and provide financial protection for Allen Ford in the event of an accident. Cooper Solutions data shows that 1 in every 50 service customers do not meet the criteria for courtesy loan insurance and should in fact not be driving. FullCover instantly identifies these drivers.
Bill Davies continued: “FullCover gives us the opportunity to generate revenue from the CDW offering, which pays for our insurance cost, whilst also providing a valuable additional service to our customers. Initially we were concerned that a higher level of cover might encourage drivers to perhaps act recklessly but we aren’t experiencing that at all. It’s a genuine win-win for both the driver and the dealership.”
Dean Pipitone, Director of Cooper Solutions added: “The other dealer groups in the Allen Motor Group, SMC Cars and Essex Auto Group, have used FullCover for many years. Now, with Allen Ford Group also utilising the solution, the entire Group is seeing the benefits, as are its customers. Arriving at the service desk, Allen Ford customers now find that their car has been booked in, in advance, making the courtesy car changeover slick and efficient. Their driving licence is checked quickly, enabling the customer to drive away within minutes. This improvement in customer experience is invaluable, even without the added benefits of improved efficiencies, lower cost and increased profitability.”