The NAT eGateway™, which NAT, Inc. calls "the first automotive aftermarket products and insurance digital hub," was introduced today at the 2004 Automotive News World Congress by NAT, Inc., a provider of workflow solutions for auto retailers and their aftermarket providers, including insurance companies and third-party administrators (TPA).

This digital hub connects auto retailers with their aftermarket providers in real time to help dealerships present and sell aftermarket products such as service contracts, GAP coverage, theft deterrent devices, credit life insurance and others faster, easier and more profitably through a seamless online process that enables regulatory compliance, according to NAT.

"Just as online financing portals dramatically altered how dealership F&I offices source and present finance options, the NAT eGateway is the first electronic link between automobile dealers and their aftermarket providers," the company said in a prepared statement.

An ASP model requiring only a PC and high-speed Internet connectivity, the NAT eGateway was developed by NAT under the leadership of CEO Peter Leger, formerly the CEO of CMSI-Credit Connection™ before its merger with online financing portal DealerTrack™. As president of ADP Dealer Services, Leger pioneered development of one of the industry’s first online car-shopping portals, ADP AutoConnect, which later evolved as AutoTrader.com under Cox Enterprises™.

National Auto Care Corp. recently signed on as a premier client of NAT's automotive aftermarket products and insurance eGateway. National Auto Care will announce its offering of NAT’s eMenu to its automotive dealer customers at the National Automobile Dealers Association annual convention, in Las Vegas Jan. 31-Feb. 4.

“After extensive industry research, we decided that NAT’s technology and menu selling solutions were better than other similar solutions in the marketplace,” said Peter Biscardi, president of National Auto Care. “But the real deciding factor was that NAT’s eGateway will allow us to offer innovative new services to our clients, like eMenu Selling with real-time, online rating and integration directly with the dealer’s management system.”

The NAT eGateway is composed of these following components to improve F&I management processes, sales and IT administration:

• NAT eMenu™: A sales menu of aftermarket products and insurance, "ensuring accurate rates and deal information, deal customization and regulatory compliance, while reducing administrative and processing costs," according to NAT.

  
  

  
  

  
  

• NAT eRating™: Automatically populates the system with real-time wholesale rates directly from participating aftermarket providers, including insurance companies and TPAs. Rates from non-participating providers can be entered into the eRating engine from dealer-provided sources.

  
  

  
  

  
  

• NAT eIntegration™: Permits data exchange between the DMS and the NAT eGateway, eliminates multiple data entry and ensures data accuracy, including post-back into the DMS for aftermarket product deal finalization.

  
  

  
  

  
  

• NAT eContracting™: Reducing administration costs through automation, eContracting is the electronic submission of booked aftermarket contracts/applications directly to aftermarket providers’ back office systems.

  
  

  
  

  
  

• NAT eData Services™: Securely extracts multiple data types from the DMS to facilitate business interactions with dealer-authorized business partners like insurance companies, OEMS, auto portals and TPAs, etc. These data services are available to any dealer-authorized business partner who requires regular, efficient access to normalized and highly consistent DMS data.

  
  

  
  

  "We are extremely pleased to be partnering with National Auto Care, a leading third-party administrator,” Leger said. “Our NAT solutions will enable National Auto Care to increase market penetration of its aftermarket products while reducing administration costs and driving up customer satisfaction. The resulting increase in sales and decrease in administrative work creates a powerful win-win scenario for our clients that’s not to be found elsewhere in the market place today.”

  
  

  For dealers, NAT Inc. says the NAT eGateway:

  
  

  
  

• Creates a faster sales presentation by generating accurate, appropriate menus for customers in seconds without additional time-consuming manual data entry, and it creates an effective and consistent product presentation that increases product penetration and average backend gross

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Improves proposal, presentation and transaction accuracy, thus reducing administrative errors, ultimately reducing charge backs that cost dealers profit or risk their CSI when customers have to be called back

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Increases aftermarket product sales by ensuring that all the products the dealer wants to sell are presented to every customer every time so a consistent sales process occurs

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Creates customer-signed disclosure forms that decrease regulatory violations

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Increases customer satisfaction by making the presentation of aftermarket products a faster yet more complete process

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Offers predefined or ala carte menus, easily customized by the dealer

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Integrates with most major DMS systems

  
  

  
  

  For aftermarket providers, including insurance companies, TPAs and their agents, NAT Inc. says the NAT eGateway:

  
  

  
  

• Increases contract accuracy, which decreases the need to manually recontact dealerships about contracts that are incomplete, inaccurate or mis-rated

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Increases product penetration into dealerships by empowering dealers with NAT’s eMenu to present and sell more products

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Decreases processing costs by increasing contract accuracy, and submits data directly to the backend system to reduce costs associated with contract approval and data entry

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Enhances dealer satisfaction by reducing transactional friction, so good relationships with dealers can be strengthened

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Improves competitiveness by providing a cutting-edge solution that offers a significant differentiation in the marketplace

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Integrates seamlessly with most major DMS systems used at the auto retail location

  
  

  
  

  Attendees to the Automotive News World Congress can request an online demonstration of the NAT eGateway and components by contacting James Maguire, VP, Marketing, NAT, Inc., at jmaguire@NATinc.com or (847) 384-2200 ext. 3080.

  
  

  Attendees to the upcoming National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention in Las Vegas, Jan. 31-Feb. 3, also can experience a demonstration of the NAT eGateway and components at booth #4172.

  
  

  For a copy of the important White Paper, "6 REASONS WHY THE DIGITAL HUB WILL IMPROVE F&I AFTERMARKET PRODUCT SALES AND PROFITS," contact jmaguire@NATinc.com.

  
  

  About NAT

  
  

  Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., NAT, Inc. (www.natinc.com) provides front and backend technology solutions designed to improve workflow processes for aftermarket providers, including insurance companies, third-party administrators (TPA) and auto retailers who underwrite, price, administer, manage and sell service contracts, GAP coverage, theft deterrent devices, credit life insurance and other aftermarket products.

  
  

  NAT’s front end solutions are powered by the NAT eGateway and feature eMenu and eData Services. NAT’s back office solutions include its SCS Automotive Platform that streamline and automate the traditional fragmented, time-consuming and error-prone manual processes required to administer, insure, price and market new aftermarket products, manufacturer warranties, extended service contracts and their related claims processing.

  
  

  About National Auto Care

  
  

  National Auto Care (www.natlauto.com) provides automotive aftermarket products and services. It was founded in 1984.