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Speeding
ahead of the competition with Sage Enterprise |
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Client profile
Established publisher, Auto Trader Systems Ltd was quick off the
mark in seizing the opportunities offered by the Internet revolution.
In February 1996, Auto Trader launched the UK’s first online motoring
buying and selling publication, Top Marques. A second online publication
Bike Trader, aimed at the motorcycle community, rapidly followed.
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“Sage Enterprise, Oracle, NT – live in three months.
It doesn’t get much better than that!”
Alan Kinson
Commercial Manager
Auto Trader Systems Ltd |
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Launched to media acclaim, these online publications broke new ground
for the industry and hit the mark immediately with the target audience.
Capitalising on its first mover advantage, Auto Trader is now the
top motoring website in Europe, and has the largest used car inventory
on the Internet, with 1.5 million listings update daily.
Every month in the UK alone, more than 3 million vehicle searches
are processed and over 17 million pages viewed.
The challenge
Auto Trader soon found that over 13,000 invoices were being generated
each month. However, the value could be as little as £20 to £30. For
the company to benefit from these transactions and capitalise on its
success, it had to pare administration costs down to the minimum and
eradicate the possibility of human error within the process.
Auto Trader identified the requirement for an automated end-to-end
transaction solution that had to be integrated with its existing NT
Oracle database.
To keep its market lead, speed was essential, with the company requiring
a maximum three-month timeframe for implementation.
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| Solution
summary |
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| Sage software: |
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Sage Enterprise – Finance/Distribution modules |
| Operating system: |
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Windows NT® |
| Database: |
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NT Oracle |
| Hardware: |
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Built on existing hardware (Dell 4000 server) |
| No. of users: |
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8 user licences/30 connections |
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The solution
As a satisfied user of Sage Line 100, Auto Trader selected the Sage
Enterprise product as its natural next step.
Sage Enterprise software was installed and integrated to automate
and manage the dealer page advertising on autotrader.co.uk, and to
control the accounting functions, including payroll and BACS.
Originally purchasing 30 connections to the system and 8 user licences,
Auto Trader can access the Sage Enterprise system across all sites
via their network.
Auto Trader’s users were introduced to the software through workshops
and training sessions specifically designed to help them use the product
effectively in their jobs.
The benefits
Auto Trader has received clear, measurable benefits from its Sage
Enterprise system. Not only have site management costs been reduced,
but the system has also been streamlined to allow future expansion
to other dealer sites.
Other benefits include lower cost of administration for each accounts
transaction, a particular advantage given the low value of individual
transactions; efficient and accurate transaction reporting processes;
and simple access to management information, in real time, to support
effective, timely decision making.
“The overall quality of the solution in terms of processes, people
and products was extremely high,” comments Alan Kinson, Commercial
Manager at Auto Trader.
The future
Auto Trader has been very impressed with its Sage Enterprise solution
and the system is expected to grow with the business.
As Alan Kinson explains, “We will automate all manual processes, so
that from sales order to reconciled cash receipt there is no manual
intervention required.”
For more details on the solution provided for Auto Trader, please
contact Sage Enterprise Solutions on 0845 600 5999 (UK only) or +44
(0) 118 927 0100.
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