Affinitiv
By Affinitiv
Affinitiv typical implementation process:
Initial Consultation and Needs Assessment: Affinitiv begins by working closely with the dealership or automotive client to understand their business requirements, goals, and current workflows, ensuring the right solutions are selected and tailored for maximum impact.
Project Planning and Role Assignment: A dedicated onboarding consultant is assigned as the primary point of contact. Project management best practices are used to define timelines, assign roles, and coordinate internal and client teams for a smooth implementation process.
Software Configuration and Customization: The Affinitiv team gathers necessary settings and customizes the software to meet the client’s specific needs. This step may include integrating with existing systems, data migration, and configuring features to match dealership processes.
Training and Support: Comprehensive training is provided for dealership staff, including customized training plans, virtual sessions, and onsite training as needed. The onboarding consultant remains available for support during the initial adoption period to ensure users are comfortable and proficient.
Go-Live and Transition: After successful configuration and training, the software is launched for daily use. The onboarding consultant supports the dealership for a short transition period before handing the client off to their long-term account representative.
Affinitiv software solutions are designed with a high degree of customization to accommodate the unique needs of individual dealerships and dealer groups. Their platform offers a range of configurable tools and features that can be tailored to align with specific business objectives, operational workflows, and customer engagement strategies.
Custom-Tailored Tools and Modular Solutions: Affinitiv emphasizes that their solutions are not one-size-fits-all. They work collaboratively with dealerships to identify areas of opportunity and implement tools that address specific challenges in sales, service, and retention. This approach allows for both minor process adjustments and significant operational overhauls, ensuring that the implemented solutions are aligned with the dealership's goals.
DealerLens® Dashboard: The DealerLens® dashboard provides extensive oversight on a dealership and group's operations, displaying data via customizable widgets based on the information each dealer wants to receive. Dealers can view summaries of their business, benchmark dealerships within the group, and access views broken into key areas of the business with a customized heads-up display. The latest enhancements include new sales and service dashboards, over 50 unique KPIs, and the ability to integrate data from multiple third-party sources, allowing for a tailored and comprehensive view of operations.
XRM CRM Platform: Affinitiv's XRM platform offers over 140 integration points, enabling dealerships to build a CRM solution tailored to their unique needs. The platform allows for the customization of outreach methods (email, text, phone call) and appropriate time intervals, facilitating personalized customer engagement strategies. Additionally, XRM provides access to OEM incentives and factory program data, ensuring that dealerships can align their sales efforts with manufacturer offerings.
AutoLoop MPI: The AutoLoop MPI™ tool includes customizable features that enhance service lane operations. Users can personalize notification settings, assign color-coded alerts for inspection statuses, and configure inspection workflows to match dealership-specific processes. These customization options help improve efficiency and ensure that service operations are aligned with the dealership's standards.
Affinitiv provides training and support to ensure new users can effectively utilize their software solutions. Their approach encompasses structured onboarding, ongoing education, and dedicated support, tailored to meet the unique needs of each dealership.
Structured Onboarding and Training Resources:
Affinitiv offers a range of training resources designed to facilitate the onboarding process for new users. These include:
Webinar Training Resources: Affinitiv provides webinars that guide new Sales Professionals or BDC Representatives through fundamental features of their platforms, such as XRM. These sessions serve both as initial training and as refresher courses for existing staff.
User Guides and Training Videos: To support self-paced learning, Affinitiv offers user guides accompanied by training videos. These materials break down key features of their products, like the Quote enhancement tool, enabling users to master functionalities at their convenience.
Ongoing Support and Performance Management
Beyond initial training, Affinitiv emphasizes continuous support to maximize product utilization:
Dedicated Account Managers: Each dealership is assigned an account manager who maintains consistent contact, offering specialized guidance to ensure optimal usage and ongoing performance.
Multi-Tiered Support Team: Affinitiv's support structure includes a multi-tiered team available to assist with any issues or questions, ensuring that users have access to help when needed.
Customized Training for Specific Roles
Recognizing the diverse roles within a dealership, Affinitiv tailors training programs to address specific responsibilities
:
Service Technicians: Training programs cover both technical and customer service aspects, ensuring technicians are well-prepared to handle their duties effectively.
Affinitiv implements a array of security measures to safeguard customer data, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations. These measures encompass administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and other potential threats.
Administrative and Technical Safeguards: Affinitiv employs commercially reasonable procedures and technologies to prevent unauthorized access to customer information. This includes maintaining appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect data from destruction, loss, or unauthorized access or alteration. The company ensures that all data is handled in compliance with applicable laws and regulations related to privacy and security.
Data Handling and Compliance: Affinitiv data handling practices are aligned with legal requirements, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The company acts as a service provider under CCPA, committing not to retain, use, or disclose personal information for purposes beyond the scope of the services provided. Affinitiv also adheres to customer instructions regarding data treatment and complies with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations related to data privacy and security.
Affinitiv maintains clear policies regarding data ownership and portability to ensure that dealerships retain control over their proprietary information while enabling effective service delivery.
Data Ownership: Affinitiv explicitly acknowledges that dealerships own all customer and dealership data input into their Dealer Management Systems (DMS). This includes individual customer information and dealership-specific data. Affinitiv's role is to access and process this data solely to provide the agreed-upon services.
While Affinitiv may use de-identified or aggregated data to enhance its services, such usage is limited to specific purposes like service improvement and does not infringe upon the dealership's ownership rights.
Data Portability: Affinitiv's terms and conditions do not explicitly detail procedures for data portability. However, given that dealerships retain ownership of their data, they can request data exports or transfers as needed. Affinitiv is committed to complying with all applicable laws and customer instructions regarding data handling, which would encompass facilitating data portability requests.
Affinitiv provides flexible terms to accommodate the evolving needs of dealerships, allowing for scaling of services up or down. However, certain contractual provisions and fees may apply depending on the nature and timing of these changes.
Scaling Up Services: Dealerships can enhance their service offerings by adding new products or features. Such additions are typically formalized through updated quotations or order forms. It's important to note that any alterations to product or package selections may incur change fees. Additionally, integration costs associated with new services are due upon activation, regardless of when the dealership begins using the integration. Affinitiv may also adjust monthly data acquisition fees and associated transaction fees at any time, with changes communicated via invoice.
Scaling Down Services:
Reducing services or terminating specific offerings requires careful consideration of contract terms:
Early Termination: If a dealership opts to terminate a service before the end of its initial or renewal term, it is obligated to pay the remaining fees for the contracted term, regardless of service usage.
Non-Renewal: To prevent automatic renewal of services, dealerships must provide written notice of their intent not to renew at least thirty (30) days before the expiration of the current term. Absent such notice, services will automatically renew for successive thirty-day periods at Affinitiv's then-current standard rates.
DMS Integration Considerations
Changes to a dealership's Dealer Management System (DMS) can impact service functionality:
Integration Loss: If Affinitiv's software loses integration with a dealership's DMS due to changes by the DMS provider, Affinitiv has thirty (30) days to restore integration. Failure to do so allows the dealership to terminate the affected services by providing notice.
Affinitiv terms and conditions for contract renewal and cancellation are designed to provide clarity and structure for dealerships engaging with their software and service offerings. Below is a detailed overview of these terms:
Contract Renewal Terms
Initial Term: Each Software or Service Offering from Affinitiv typically begins with an initial term of twelve (12) months, unless specified otherwise in the Quotation or Order Form.
Automatic Renewal: After the initial term, the agreement automatically renews for successive thirty (30) day periods. This auto-renewal continues unless the customer provides written notice of intent not to renew at least thirty (30) days before the expiration of the current term.
Renewal Rates: Renewals are subject to Affinitiv's then-current standard rates. Customers should be aware that these rates may differ from those in the initial term.
Contract Cancellation Terms
Early Termination by Customer: If a customer chooses to terminate the agreement before the end of the initial or any renewal term, they are obligated to pay the remaining fees for the contracted term, regardless of whether the services were utilized.
Termination for Cause by Affinitiv: Affinitiv reserves the right to terminate the agreement immediately upon certain conditions, including:
Any breach of the agreement by the customer that continues for thirty (30) days after notice.
Breaches related to confidentiality, privacy, or specific sections outlined in the Master Terms.
Violations of law or Affinitiv's intellectual property rights.
Customer's sale or transfer of assets related to the agreement without prior written consent.
Customer's bankruptcy, dissolution, or liquidation.
Termination for Convenience by Affinitiv: Affinitiv may terminate the agreement for its convenience by providing thirty (30) days' notice to the customer. In such cases, Affinitiv will refund any unused balance of fees paid in advance for services beyond the termination date.
Additional Considerations
Payment Obligations: Upon termination, any outstanding fees, including those for the remainder of the term in cases of early termination by the customer, become immediately due and payable.
Service Suspension: If fees remain unpaid fifteen (15) days after the due date, Affinitiv may suspend services after providing written notice and a ten (10) day period to cure the overdue payment. A reconnection fee of $500, along with all outstanding balances and late fees, must be paid to resume services.
Affinitiv software and services are designed to comply with a range of legal and regulatory standards, particularly those related to data privacy, security, and marketing communications. While the company does not publicly list specific certifications such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2, its contractual commitments and privacy policies indicate adherence to several key compliance frameworks.
Data Privacy and Security:Affinitiv commits to using commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard the privacy and security of all customer data. This includes implementing appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, loss, or alteration of data. The company also agrees to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations relating to the privacy and security of customer data as possessed or processed by Affinitiv.
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): Under the CCPA, Affinitiv acts as a "Service Provider," which entails specific obligations regarding the handling of personal information. Affinitiv is prohibited from retaining, using, or disclosing California resident personal information for any purpose other than performing the business purposes outlined in its service agreements. This includes refraining from using such information for commercial purposes beyond the scope of the services provided.
Marketing Compliance: Affinitiv marketing practices are designed to comply with federal regulations such as the CAN-SPAM Act and the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) "Do Not Call" rules. The company maintains "Do Not Call," "Do Not Mail," and "Do Not Email" lists specific to each customer and uses commercially reasonable efforts to check against these lists before initiating any communication. Affinitiv also agrees to comply with all customer instructions regarding compliance with applicable laws, rules, or regulations in its marketing efforts.
