Using 1980s Functionality Today

In the second of our two part series on the transition to Dynamic Reporting, I want to shift the focus to functionality. One of the most common concerns with a transition to a new tool is that it will be hard to learn or will make you less efficient. If you’re still using technology from the 1980s, are you efficient now? Probably not. With the move to Dynamic Reporting, you can utilize a user-friendly reporting tool built to make your dealership more efficient.

Here’s why:

• If you build it, they will come. Even better than Field of Dreams, we’ve built 300 fields for uniform reporting across all Reynolds and Reynolds dealerships. Why does this matter? Every time we add a field, we add the field to all dealerships so you spend less time asking for something we’ve already included. Additionally, if you’re a part of a group buying other dealerships, their report fields will be the same ones you already access. Fields continue to be added based on dealership requests.

• Where we’re going, we don’t need roads. This isn’t Back to the Future and I bet you don’t drive a DeLorean, so why are you still modifying reports like it’s 1985? Does modifying reports sound something like this: Hit ‘M’ to modify, scroll to find the file name, hit enter to access the file name, scroll to find the report type, hit enter to access the report type, scroll to find the field you want to sort by, hit enter to select which fields to sort by, scroll to. . .should I keep going? What happens when you miss a field? You go back and start over. With Dynamic Reporting, in order to modify a report, you go to the Editor screen and select the ‘Criteria’ tab. From there, enter your fields and whether they should be included as And/Or. Hit enter and the system returns you to the next line to add a new field.

• I feel the need. . .the need for speed. Without Dynamic Reporting, your staff meeting may drag on forever with everyone scrambling to find information or shuffling through different reports for the right data. In the first article, we touched briefly on the ability for all management to view the same reports. With ERA-IGNITE release v.27.00, you have the ability to create a report, publish it, and push it out to different managers. This will save you time compiling reports for everyone and ensure everyone is reviewing the same information. Staff meetings are about to get a lot more productive.

Reynolds is committed to making your transition to Dynamic Reporting as smooth as possible. Visit my.reyrey.com for FAQ documents, training schedules, and more.

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