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The Price is Right

PFW IntelliDealer Used Equipment Evaluation

PFW Password - Winter 2007Trade-in values on used equipment can not only be the deciding factor in whether or not a sale on new equipment is made – they will also determine the overall profitability of a transaction for your dealership. That’s why having a reliable, easy-to-use system for determining fair, consistent pricing on used equipment is such a vital part of managing a successful dealership.

PFW IntelliDealer’s Used Equipment Evaluation module was designed to allow sales, service and management staff to collaborate and work together to provide accurate used equipment evaluations by following a step-by-step guide that is recorded in IntelliDealer. By keeping each completed evaluation saved securely in IntelliDealer, the Used Equipment Evaluation module ensures that there is a fair comparison point for future trade-ins on similar equipment.

Traditionally, dealerships in the equipment distribution industry were single stores with a small sales staff that knew exactly what used equipment would be coming up for sale in the area and even what a potential customer might be willing to pay for the equipment once it was traded in.

Trade-in values were predominantly based on general knowledge and the inventories never grew too large. Obviously, times have changed. Modern dealerships are often just one branch of a larger company serving a huge geographic area and thousands of customers. Profit margins are often razor thin and competition is fierce. Customers have easy access to online pricing information and have several options when it comes to choosing where to buy their equipment. To put it simply, IntelliDealer’s Used Equipment Evaluation module was made for today’s marketplace.

How it all Works
While it does handle a complex process, the Used Equipment Evaluation module was designed to be logical and simple to use for staff from all the departments involved in the process. Specifically, five different levels of staff can be assigned to handle the different aspects of a trade-in. Depending on the size and practices of the dealership, those levels can include Sales Representative, Used Equipment Manager, Service Representative, Branch Manager and National Sales Representative.

As each staff member completes their portion of the evaluation process, they are given a chance to add comments to make sure no detail is overlooked.

After the key staff members are assigned, the first step of creating an evaluation is to choose between starting a simple inspection or a prospective deal, which includes much more detail. From that starting point, the Used Equipment Evaluation module guides each user through the entire process, always identifying which department is currently in charge of the process.

When the evaluation makes it back to the Used Equipment Manager or Branch Manager, they will see in-depth ratings, information and personalized comments from both the sales and service departments, allowing them to make an informed decision on the trade-in price. Sales representatives are able to view the evaluation at any time to stay in the loop and give their customers a better idea of where the process stands.

Details, details, details…
The more detail you can add to an evaluation, the better. The Used Equipment Evaluation module is completely customizable in both evaluation criteria and what type of scale is used to rate each item, giving you the flexibility to mimic existing forms within IntelliDealer. Whether you want simple radio buttons with a scale of 1 to 10 or a drop-down menu with ratings from Unacceptable to Excellent, PFW has you covered. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, the Used Equipment Evaluation module also incorporates PFW’s Multimedia tab, so you can share pictures of the equipment to help ensure even greater accuracy and understanding among departments.