Joe,
I totally agree with you, the last two weeks has been terrible. As a HomeNet reseller it has been very very stressful. I’ve just finished another week of over 80 hours working inside WebIOL 2.0 to make sure my dealers’ inventory is correct. We basically had to do double the work because WebIOL wasn’t updating based on the information in the IOL2Go device. We had to correct vehicle photos out of order, photo overlays missing or on the wrong photos, and more. HomeNet should have done a million things differently and hopefully they’ve learn from their mistakes. They need to form a Dealer and Reseller Council to guide them on future features and upgrades. Their sister company VIN Solutions does a lot of the right things and HomeNet needs to attend the VIN Solutions seminars and learn valuable lessons on customer service. They should have Beta tested the hell out of the new platform before launching it and only launched it in select areas to measure the situation and make changes if needed.
This isn’t my first go around with a platform upgrade/change/rewrite and the problems created by it. A well known Data Collection company has changed their platform many times over the last ten years and none were too smooth, so these things happen. I’ve only had a relationship with HomeNet for 2 years and this is my first experience with HomeNet rewriting their website and migrating customers to it, but BELIEVE me it happens to all Data Collection Companies. In my ten years with another company, I’ve seen inventory go missing, miles broadcasted as the selling price, ACV broadcasted as the selling price, exports that didn’t run, DMS polling that didn’t run, features that worked in 1.0 but no longer available in 2.0, SLOWER than watching grass grow, and so on. So I can only look forward to what WebIOL 2.0 has to offer and I’ll extend that to over what it can offer other data collection companies.
1. Real-time updates to AutoTrader.com – speed is everyone’s goal from adding inventory to removing cars to changing sales prices to adding vehicle comments. This is HUGE!!!! To get real-time updates to ATC has been the goal for thousands of Dealership for over ten years and it might be a reality soon. This is worth all the “marbles”!
2. Forced Exports to website companies that are realized within 60 minutes or less.
Dealer.com – I added a vehicle to Dealer.com’s website within one hour of forcing the export, along with some vehicle comments and sale prices
First in Class Websites – I forced an export and it added fresh inventory to the website within 6 minutes
Clickmotive, JS Marketing, TK Carsites, and many other website companies that use HomeNet’s platform to source their inventory pages may get the same benefit
3. Chrome Data Options – today’s vehicles have Ford’s Sync Systems, Blind Spot Monitoring Systems, Panoramic Vista Roofs, Back-Lit Door Sills, Vision Packages, MyKey System, Power Rear Sunshade, “301B Rapid Spec Order Code –inc: Heated/Cooled perforated leather 10-way power front bucket seats w/driver seat memory and heated 60/40 split folding rear seats”, Rear View Camera with top view, Dual Screen Entertainment System, Performance Packages with brake upgrades and suspension upgrades, and more. A lot of Data Collection companies either use basic or cheap VIN decoders to decode their vehicles and you end up with basic options like these: Power Sunroof, Power Windows, Aluminum Wheels, Leather Seats, Heated Seat(s), Backup Sensor System, and more. Chrome Data uses almost one-2-one options descriptions. What are you trying to do online? I want to build value with enriched options and describe the vehicle like the manufacturer decided to describe the vehicle when it was brand new. I’m forced to make option updates based on the current options as it sits as a pre-owned car, but it hasn’t been a big deal to adjust the Chrome Options.
Example of Basic descriptions versus Enriched Descriptions:
Basic Option: Chrome Data Option:
Chrome wheels 19" chrome-clad aluminum wheels
Leather Interior Light Stone Perforated Leather Seat Trim
????? Vision Package Blind Spot Information System
(BLIS) w/cross-traffic alert, rain sensing wipers
Power Sunroof Panoramic Vista Roof
Navigation System Voice Activated Navigation System
Or
Navigation system w/8" full VGA high resolution color display memory voice recognition interface dial Zagat survey multi-view rear camera
Polished Aluminum Wheels 22” Polished Aluminum Wheels
????? MyKey system -inc: top speed limiter audio volume limiter early low fuel warning programmable speed alert chimes Beltminder w/audio mute
DVD Entertainment System DVD rear entertainment system -inc: 9" motorized color full VGA display, remote control
Here are real live examples of cars listed on AutoTrader.com:
Dominion Dealer Solutions (aka Dealer Specialties or DDS) data collected car:
Cars for Sale: 2010 Ford Taurus Limited in Xenia, OH 45385: Sedan Details - 320811542 - AutoTrader.com
Ford’s Window sticker for the DDS car:
http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=1FAHP2FW2AG143343
HomeNet Automotive data collected car on a similar vehicle:
Cars for Sale: 2010 Ford Taurus Limited in Cincinnati, OH 45245: Sedan Details - 319735987 - AutoTrader.com
Ford’s Window sticker for the HomeNet Taurus:
http://fordlabels.webview.biz/webviewhybrid/WindowSticker.aspx?vin=1FAHP2FW0AG161548
I’ve studied/researched many other data collection companies out there and most do the same basic vehicle option descriptions. Believe me it’s 100x easier to for a professional data collector to punch in a car with basic options; power windows, power locks, power mirrors, and so on; but that’s so 1990s. It’s 2012 and you should expect more from your data collection company.
In closing, HomeNet’s recent disaster will go down in history as the “Dark Days of HomeNet”, but some data collection companies have updated their backend 4 times or more times in 10 years and most were not for the better. If you release a new inventory management platform and within a year or two you need to replace it, I think you didn’t do it right the first time. HomeNet’s 1.0 was around for a long time and I’m guessing 2.0 will be too. If you’re one of those other data collection companies that have moved from platform 0.1 to 1.0 to 2.0 to 2.5 to 3.0 to 4.0, then you might be doing something very wrong that is forcing you to switch so much. HomeNet’s WebIOL isn’t flashy and it doesn’t have ten pie charts to help you monitor your inventory and it doesn’t have flashing little buttons, what it does have is straight forward inventory control that allows users to modify their inventory, control their inventory, control their exports, force a data export to get real-time updates to your website, and more. A lot of other data collection companies can’t touch that (unless you have a website build by your data collection company, which excludes most major website companies except for a few companies and one of those being owned by Cox/AutoTrader.com)
This is my two cents and 10 years of history in the data collection business with two companies, Dealer Specialties and now with HomeNet Automotive. And hopefully the challenges we currently face will go away quickly and we can get on with it.
