5 November 2009

BMW Belgium fine tuned its reporting processes with Jet Reports.

We’ve developed several important reports using Jet Reports, increasing business insights tremendously

Eric Annot, BMW Belgium German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company BMW was founded in 1916 and today is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. In 2008, it reported revenues of Ä53,197 million, selling cars through hundreds of its dealerships around the world.

In Belgium, keeping up with ever-changing data across the BMW dealerships is a demanding task, and when Eric Annot, a BMW business consultant at BMW Belgium, found that reports critical to dealers and management were taking too long to turn around – with some reporting needs going unmet – he turned to Jet Reports to provide a solution.

“Reporting in general was difficult and time-consuming,” Annot explains. “We need reports from multiple companies and sometimes multiple databases, with collected data from up to 20 different tables. It was nearly impossible to consolidate data across dealerships because they each had their own systems, and comparisons didn’t match up. And once a report was completed, it was problematic to alter or update.”

With Jet Reports, BMW and Annot found a reporting tool that has revolutionised data analysis and distribution for dealers. Annot says: “We’ve developed several important reports using Jet Reports, increasing business insights tremendously.”

One of the reports that the dealerships now benefit from is a complete cash position/analysis of all income and outgoings for the upcoming eight weeks. Prior to using Jet Reports, BMW had an existing report that provided the data, but, Annot explains: “Each sheet was a different piece of the overall puzzle.” The report was created manually and took two to three days per week. Data was also often entered incorrectly. With Jet Reports, this same report now takes less than an hour to run, with a much higher degree of accuracy. It can be refreshed at any point, based on the dealership’s schedule and needs. “Jet Reports paid for itself just in that one report,” Annot says.

Another area where Jet Reports is putting BMW dealers in the driver’s seat is in monthly sales analysis. Now used in all dealerships across Belgium, this Microsoft Excel-based report shows margins and sales figures based on car sales by sales representative. The report includes the number of cars sold in a given period, revenue earned, and what margins and average margins were paid to what customer type, allowing management to assess and compare sales staff performance. With approximately 60 graphs on 20 sheets, this report is now generated on a monthly basis. Before using Jet Reports, BMW wanted to have such a report but found that it was too time consuming to generate the information.

One of the most valuable impacts Jet Reports has had is with the dealers themselves. “Dealers need to evaluate figures, but if it takes too much time or work, they won’t make the effort,” says Annot. “Since we’ve started using Jet Reports, the perception of reporting has improved significantly among dealers. It’s quick and easy to use – change two or three filters and a report can be generated in minutes. That means they’ll use it to run their business, which means they’ll be making smarter decisions.”

In short, Jet Reports has provided BMW Belgium with a consolidated database and company analyses with access to the data its dealers need, when they need it and accurate reporting across all businesses and dealerships, enabling valid assessment and comparison.

“We’re already looking ahead to using Jet Reports in other countries and divisions,” says Annot. “We talk about the long relationships between customers and their BMWs. I’m looking forward to a long relationship between BMW and Jet Reports.”

This article first appeared in the Autumn 2009 edition of Prime.

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