Xtime, which sells CRM products to service operations, announced that the Ferman Automotive Group of Tampa, Fla., has committed to a group-wide rollout of Xtime's flagship software product, ServiceCRM.

Xtime's ServiceCRM software combines consumer Web scheduling, service BDC automation, shop control and service marketing into one product for automotive service departments. The product's selling point is to help "schedule and manage more service appointments per day."

Over the past five years, dealership service operations have experienced increased challenges. With decreased warranty claims, lower profits on new car sales and customers that demand higher levels of service, dealers are scrambling to find new ways to increase revenue.

Xtime recently announced a ten-fold increase in billings and collections in the period December 2005 to December 2006.

In the same period, monthly appointments booked went from 40,000 to 120,000 per month and cumulative appointments booked exceeded one million. The company also announced that it now has over 700 customers under contract.

In a separate announcement, the company released version 4.2, a major upgrade to its ServiceCRM solution in January.

"Our rapid growth has been fueled by the adoption of our ServiceCRM product by major dealership groups," said Neal East, chief executive officer of Xtime.

In the past five years, dealership service operations have experienced increased challenges in several areas. Decreased warranty claims, lower profits on new car sales and customers that demand higher levels of customer service have left dealers scrambling to find new ways to increase revenue.

In February Xtime announced that the Conant Auto Retail Group of Newport Beach, Calif. has committed to a group-wide rollout of Xtime's flagship software product, ServiceCRM. Conant dealers include Norm Reeves Honda Superstore in Cerritos, the nation's 14-time Honda sales leader since 1991.

Xtime's ServiceCRM software combines consumer Web scheduling, service BDC automation, shop control and service marketing into one product for automotive service departments.