by drapp » Tue Oct 09, 2007 9:47 am
Mr. Parsons, thank you for your response. I was hoping you would participate in this thread.
I realize GM is gifting the server to the dealers, however, I wonder what type of gift it really is. By gifting the server GM doesn't have to pay anyone to visit each dealership and physically remove the hardware. Also by leaving it alone the dealer becomes responsible for proper disposal of an old server. Is it usable, maybe, is it pratical to do so, if you have someone on staff with the knowledge...
This is one case where potentially the giver is also the receiver.
I realize ADP is investing in the I-server group and that group would need to expand in order to accomodate the additional traffic added by these applications. However, when we first purchased "get-wired" we paid addditional fees for this infrastructure. We paid additional - pass thru - fees to ADP when RIM started. Now we need to more than triple our current fees for this. Keeping in mind this time doesn't end it and we have to revisit this in less than nine months.
Why doesn't someone within the DMS community tell GM wait a second, what is the COMPLETE plan? Where are you going with this? Where do you plan to be in 1,3 or 5 years? With this information the DMS companies could provide a longer term solution at a reasonable and stable pricing structure. What we have today is out of control costs. It seems the only one saving money here is GM. Then GM get consulted on what the DMS can charge the dealers. Gotta love this system.
As far as your inside sales team handling this transition goes, they desperately need additional information and training on what they are selling. When they tell me they don't know and they will email all the documents they have, it doesn't give the purchaser (us) that nice warm feeling. That said I spoke to our assigned sales representative last Friday, he is to get information and call me back. This is only Tuesday so it will take a few more days to hear from him.
I realize this post sound incredibly negative and I suppose it is. However, I generally like the ADP system and support. The sales side of ADP needs something, I don't know what, but something to make the dealer feel wanted - not abused.