CIMA Systems Poised to Introduce Customer Communications Tools in New Verticals

By Nicole Zaro Stahl, Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Suppose you bring your car into the dealership for service. A few hours later you find out it needs a new water pump. How can you be sure a replacement is justified?

Given the Bay Area's penchant for technology solutions, what better way to obtain the answer than by having instant access to a digital photo of the bad part, taken minutes before by the technician working on your vehicle? You can also view a diagram of the part explaining its function and location and why it is important to get the issue resolved.

If the dealership is a customer of Hacienda-based CIMA Systems, this automated process is already at your fingertips. Technicians snap a picture of the problem and then upload it via SMART phone to CIMA Systems. The photo and explanation can be viewed on the dealership's website under the customer's repair order number, or they can be emailed or sent in a text message in real time.

That is just one aspect of the application. The CIMA system automatically tells the dealership when vehicles are due for which type of service and provides customers with a video explanation so they know what to expect. With the simple click of a mouse, the system greets customers by name and informs them of the next available service opening, sets appointments, and automatically sends out reminders. It also displays the dealership's current coupons and posts special offers, such as a "$9.95 oil change today only," on the dealership's social media sites and to sites like Thrupon. It even allows auto owners to share the specials with their social media connections in one click.

"Our software mines customer data from the client's in-house system and uses that data to communicate automatically through the desired medium-email, phone, mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc.," explains CIMA Systems President and CEO Gary Nixon. "The messages go to the right person at the right time in the right format. It is an unbelievable marketing machine."

In fact, Dealer Magazine referred to CIMA Systems as "life-long customer communications on steroids," and Lee Iacocca, the former Chrysler CEO, called the software "the greatest tool I have ever seen hit the automotive industry," Nixon points out.

Now that it has established a solid track record in the auto industry, CIMA is poised to roll out its software to new vertical markets. Nixon mentions an array of possibilities, from medical offices to florists and spas, noting the selection will target sectors "where we can hit the ground running."

"It is imperative to communicate to your customers in the way they want to be communicated with and in a timely fashion applicable to their needs, rather than continually 'blasting' out promotions to them to see what sticks," Nixon comments. "We have the tools necessary to accomplish these tasks. The bottom line is that we are probably one of the most advanced technology companies within the auto industry. Now, after many years of fine-tuning, we are beginning to take this technology into other verticals."

Visit www.cimasystems.net for more information.

Photo: CIMA Systems staff proudly displays some of their industry awards.

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