The Challenges
There were a number of challenges the dealer group faced that we had to consider, the first of which being overnight forecourt theft and vehicles being driven off while on test drives.
In one case, the dealership’s perimeter fencing was cut during the day. The thieves then returned at night, smashed one of the targeted car’s windows, disabled the alarm and, in less than 2 minutes, were driving away having successfully stolen the most expensive vehicle on the forecourt.
In nearly all cases, the thieves also ripped the antennas off the stolen vehicles, disconnecting any OEM GPS in the process and leaving the vehicle with no comms – and to add insult to injury, 9 times out of 10 the price of the stolen vehicle was below their annual business excess.
The second challenge they faced was through their Service Department. Customers being unreliable with the return of their complementary vehicles, often at the expense of other customers, proved to be a reoccurring problem. Clients who had booked a courtesy car were left waiting on the forecourt after another customer was late to return the vehicle. Efforts to then contact drivers or pinpoint their location to provide updates proved fruitless.
The final challenge the dealer group faced was the protection of staff when accompanying customers on test drives. Unfortunately, there were a number of cases in which staff had reported discomfort or fear for their own safety. The dealerships therefore wanted an extra level of security so the location of employees was known at all times. This would act as a safeguarding feature to deter a potential client from driving the member of staff away from the agreed upon route, and if such an event did occur, they would know exactly how to track the employee and vehicle.
The Solution
The solution to forecourt and drive-off theft came in the form of our MagTrack device, a magnetic, battery-powered stolen asset tracker linked to our national Finder Network. MagTrack devices were hidden on the highest-risk vehicles at each of the group’s dealerships, providing immediate theft protection.
Geofences were then set up to provide automated alerts if a vehicle moves outside of the predefined radius of each dealership. Once a car is reported stolen via the app, MagTrack transmits pinpoint data back to the dealer giving them peace of mind that all of their MagTrack-equipped stolen vehicles can be tracked and recovered.
Nano Trackers
In addition to our MagTrack device, we also implemented telematics devices from the Matrix iQ range to help combat the issues the Service Department were facing. Using the location tracking data from our Nano self-installed, all-in-one vehicle tracker, the dealerships can proactively contact customers who are in the possession of a courtesy car and remind them to return the vehicle if they are not nearby.
LoneWorker Cubes
Finally, to reassure employees they are protected while on test drives, we provided the national car dealer with our LoneWorker Cubes. The LoneWorker device is carried on the employee’s person and ensures that monitoring their safety is a simple and stress-free experience with frequent position updates and non-response alerts.
To find out more about our MagTrack, Nano and LoneWorker units just follow the links, or get a quote by clicking below!