CLEARWATER, Fla., and CAREFREE, Ariz. — CIQ/Voisys and AFS Software recently announced their collaboration on a new customer relationship management solution — CustomerIQ — created specifically for the needs of the CIQ/Voisys dealership base.

The new CRM program can provide stores with lead management, showroom control and business development center capabilities, executives explained.

The collaboration between the companies was designed to leverage AFS' proprietary CRM processes created over the last two decades with CIQ/Voisys market presence in more than 2,000 dealerships throughout the country, officials said.

Offering more details on the new CRM solution, executives said it was created to integrate all lead management and CRM needs into a single database. Moreover, it can import leads from CIQ/Voisys and other Internet providers, the dealership DMS, call tracking systems, manufacturer leads and even leads from other CRMs.

CustomerIQ offers a full array of contact abilities, allowing a dealer to schedule mail and e-mail communications for the next several years. Officials pointed out that "daisy-chains" can also be created from the process.

"In the event that a chain is broken, the balance of the process continues as scheduled," executives highlighted.

Officials went on to point out that access to the system is supervised in order to ensure compliance with the security provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.

Every type of communication the CRM system offers — from e-mail to snail mail to timing to individual reports and the interface each user sees on their dashboard — can be customized for each store, executives said.

Furthermore, CustomerIQ's internal word processing and reporting features provide more than 600 merge fields, including customer data, statistical, goal-based, graphical, customer photographs and more.

"A good percentage of our clients have no CRM product in place to receive their Internet leads," explained Michael Snider, national sales manager for CIQ/Voisys. "Couple this with the fact that according to industry statistics, the majority of dealerships feel that their CRM solution is underperforming, and it points to a real need for a new solution.

"CustomerIQ is a proven best-practices methodology for our customers to get the most from their Internet lead investment," he continued.

Byron Short, president of AFS, added, "AFS has utilized a full-service approach to dealership CRM for the last 22 years, which has allowed consistent results for our dealership clients, but at the expense of slower growth for AFS.

"By partnering with CIQ, we expect to reach more markets, much sooner than we could otherwise," he went on to highlight. "The time is right, since recent advances in support technologies allow us to leverage our service-based approach to the industry in a flexible platform where the client dealership can utilize as much or as little of our services as necessary to get optimum results."

CIQ/Voisys Names Corporate Business Development Manager

CIQ/Voisys recently appointed William Lee as its corporate business development manager. Officials said Lee will be responsible for creating and executing a sales strategy to assist in developing new vertical markets for the company.

Moreover, executives said he will focus on further developing lead generation programs for banks and other finance companies. Officials would also like him to leverage the company's database throughout other markets, including home improvement, insurance, warranty and credit repair.

Lee has more than 13 years of business development experience in payment processing and telecommunications. During his career, he served in national sales, marketing and operational positions at Fortune 500 companies and startup organizations. Officials noted that Lee even established his own consulting company.

"William's outstanding track record as a manager and leader in both the payment processing and telecommunications industries make him ideal for the position of corporate business manager," said Paul Snider, president and chief executive officer.

"We feel strongly that he will find additional channels for our loan-by-phone, direct mail and Internet programs that will increase both top and bottom lines in 2007 and 2008," he continued.

Discussing his new position, Lee said, "I am excited about capitalizing on the reputation and suite of products that CIQ has developed. I look forward to leveraging their current market position and penetrating other industries by duplicating their success."

CIQ/Voisys Joins Detroit Trading Exchange

In other recent news, CIQ/Voisys announced it joined the Detroit Trading Exchange. The company will now use the marketplace as one of its sources for auto finance leads, executives said.

"Not only is the exchange a source of more leads, it's a change in the industry structure," Paul Snider pointed out. "It allows us to buy additional leads, better control costs and offer a higher level of quality to our clients. We're proud to be one of the pioneer companies in this venture."

Don Campbell, president of Detroit Trading Co., which is the parent organization of the exchange, added, "The Detroit Trading Exchange has brought to the lead generation industry an exchange for making the selling of Internet generated leads as efficient as the N.Y. Stock Exchange is for exchanging stocks.

"We are delighted to have CIQ/Voisys, an industry leader, join us in this endeavor," he concluded.

For more information on the companies, visit www.voisys.com, www.afsinc.com and www.detroittrading.com.