Many Provider Exchange Network customers have dealer-access “portal” sites. These sites support electronic rating, contracting, and a variety of other functions. Providers tell us they’re happy with this approach, and what they really want is DMS integration. We end up referring these customers to 3PA and RCI. Along the way, we try to make the case for PEN.
As I wrote recently in P&A Magazine, the purpose of PEN is to transfer data directly between the DMS and the provider’s administrative system, bypassing any intermediate systems. While we do support a menu system, we connect “behind” it, on the provider side.
Farsighted providers, like Safe-Guard, recognize that their portal is just one tool the dealer might use to sell F&I products. Indeed, some providers use a web-service approach to support a portal in parallel with multiple menu systems. Our pitch with PEN is that going direct to the DMS results in a more streamlined process for the dealer.
Virag Consulting 