Kia Italy Improves Network Planning and Performance Management with New Solution

Since KIT was looking for a Sales Performance as well as a Network Management solution, the architecture of combining the two into one system immediately set NOVA apart from the competitors. Most of the other functions required by KIT were there out of the box and any change requests were included in the set-up fee.

NOVA was not only flexible, but also cost effective as Optimum has a policy that any change request, within reason, is covered by the ongoing monthly maintenance fee. With a constantly changing market and NSC’s having to respond, this was and is a valuable feature for KIT.

Stand out benefits of NOVA include:

According to Giuseppe F., Dealer Network Development Manager for Kia Italia, In this phase where the automotive market is changing a lot and brands are restructuring the network, the other focus was the network planning where we can do simulations and create scenarios to present to our top management. So, our expectation was to have both areas [performance reporting and network planning] in one portal.

During the set-up phase, KIT was presented with a highly knowledgeable implementation team for project planning and solving the small and big questions that inevitably come up at this point.

During the weekly meetings, KIT was kept up-to date on the implementation progress, and Optimum steered the implementation by weighing in when it came to prioritizing topics. During these meetings KIT also benefited from Optimum’s pro-active approach suggesting viable solutions to their challenges.

The most visible sign of the successful set-up was the launch of the system on-time. Optimum provided trainings to dealers and Kia staff alike, which ensured a smooth transition from the old to the new system.

After implementation, KIT received positive reactions from dealers and the internal NSC team alike.

Especially in the beginning of the year, KIT staff had to prepare a lot of analysis, evaluations, and scenarios to present to top management. The KIT-team were a lot more efficient using the NOVA system, which was very important for the NSC.

In a recent dealer survey KIT found that despite dealers having established resources available, they are choosing to use NOVA as well.

Something KIT did not expect to be a real benefit was the dealer dashboard. The KPIs were not new but having them all in one place without needing to search for each one turned out to be useful.

Another great way to put NOVA to work, which KIT didn’t foresee, occurred when it became clear that Kia wanted to meet all dealers during 2022. KIT, together with Optimum, drafted and implemented a detailed dealer report that is now used by the NSC to prepare for each individual dealer visit. This saves a lot of time, as there is no other report that gives a clear picture of the dealer to understand the local situation.

A field force version for that report is up next, and the request pipeline is well filled, Fabrizio P. from the Optimum client team confirmed.