Carmakers turn to Guidepoint for GPS tracking

Today, we're announcing that Guidepoint has been selected to supply our GPS-based vehicle tracking and recovery solution to Nissan® dealerships nationwide.

It's a factory-branded accessory, which means it will be sold as a Nissan-branded part, but it's "powered by Guidepoint" -- in other words, we designed, engineered and built the unit, and will provide all the services. The new Nissan VTRS, as it's called, also utilizes wireless connectivity by T-Mobile USA to ensure maximum nationwide coverage for vehicle tracking and recovery services.

This is actually the second factory-branded accessory program we've launched in the last month or so. A few weeks ago, Chrysler announced its new Electronic Vehicle Tracking System to the press. Guidepoint is also the exclusive supplier of technology and services for that program.

Reporter Rachel Smith notes in a story for U.S. News and World Report: "Technology is revolutionizing the way we drive. There’s the voice-activated Ford SYNC system, On-Star and navigation systems -- among others -- that make driving easier. Mopar adds another system to the list: the Electronic Vehicle Tracking System (EVTS), which helps locate stolen vehicles and features a nationwide tracking system. EVTS is available with Chrysler models."

For some of us at Guidepoint, this is starting to feel a little bit like deja vu all over again. Back in the old days when we worked at Code-Alarm, we saw some of our innovations (e.g., key fobs, remote starters) move from aftermarket niche products to dealer accessories parts and, eventually, factory-installed equipment.

Likewise, we've seen GPS tracking move from a very niche-oriented product 10 years ago to a desirable solution that the consumer market has embraced. As the car companies roll out GPS tracking out as a factory-branded part, it will expose the category to even more consumers; at some point, the penetration will reach a point where the car makers want to put one on virtually every vehicle. It's a story that's happened a hundred times - from intermittent windshield wipers to air-conditioning to FM radios.

The difference with GPS tracking, of course, is that we're not just selling "parts." Let's face it, creating a black box with a GPS receiver and wireless modem is easy; providing the back-end software and delivering the service to consumers is the hard part. When someone has their car stolen or is lost in the middle of the night, they don't want to talk to a tech; they want to talk to someone who can solve their problem. Our decade of experience in handling stolen vehicle recoveries and delivering services like driving directions, towing help, or emergency dispatch are what make us different from virtually everyone else in the industry except for OnStar.

Here's what Rand had to say about today's announcement: “Location-based services using the pinpoint accuracy of GPS are gaining in popularity, and we’re excited to be working with Nissan to offer this very unique safety, security and convenience accessory,” said Rand Mueller, founder and chief executive officer of Guidepoint. “We’ve developed a comprehensive system that’s easy to sell, easy to install and easy to use. We’re confident that Nissan dealerships will recognize the significant value they can provide their customers with this accessory product.”

Transforming a cost center into a profit center

We're announcing something today that's pretty exciting for the company because we think it's kind of a "game changer" in one of the channels we serve. It's a new solution for the buy-here pay-here (BHPH) market that we call Recover It.

For the uninitiated, BHPH dealers sell cars to credit challenged customers and, in many cases, will put a device like ours on the car to make sure the customer pays the loan. If the car owner misses payments, our device can be used to send a payment reminder -- in the form of an annoying buzzer everytime they turn on the car -- or to interrupt the starter. In the worst cases, the dealer can use the GPS to track the vehicle and recover it.

We've been in the BHPH market for several years now, but haven't had an amazing amount of success primarily because we sell on value rather than price. Our device works very well and provides a number of functions that other devices don't. Still, lots of BHPH dealers think we're "too expensive" because we cost a a couple bucks more and devices like ours are a necessary evil they don't want to spend money on.

That's why we're psyched today because we've got a new solution that turns this "cost center" into a potential profit center for BHPH dealers. Recover It is a new GPS-based solution that provides payment assurance technology, but also allows a dealer to sell highly valued stolen vehicle recovery services to credit challenged customers.

Werner Scherz, who runs our finance and BHPH channels, puts it this way: “There’s no shortage of companies that can make a low-priced black box with GPS capabilities and $0 in monthly fees. By adding highly valued services into the mix, we've created a total solution that can be a profit center for dealers rather than a cost center. Most importantly, the customer gets some great benefits, including Guidepoint’s award-winning stolen vehicle recovery service and, in many cases, a discount on auto insurance. This is truly a win-win for both dealer and customer.”

The cool thing is that we're one of a handful of companies that can actually do this. Since we launched in 2002, we've been doing stolen vehicle recovery. We're really good at it. The company has a 98 percent recovery rate, with most vehicles recovered in less than two hours.

“Working with law enforcement to provide safe, effective stolen vehicle recovery service is something that takes years to develop,” said Rand Mueller, founder and chief executive officer. “Guidepoint has invested in fully staffed 24/7/365 response centers in Dallas, Detroit and Mexico that work with law enforcement every day to safely recover stolen vehicles across the country and in Central America.”

Werner is out in Las Vegas at a conference for BHPH dealers today and tomorrow to introduce Recover It. Should be an interesting couple of days for him.

Analyst report touts Guidepoint

Here's an interesting post by an analyst at a company called Strategy Analytics.   He really seems to "get" where our industry is going, and he's pretty much right on target about how we're trying to compete against Lojack.

We've never made it a secret that we compete with Lojack.   While they've been around for more than a quarter century -- compared to about a decade for us -- we believed that we've "built a better mousetrap" with Guidepoint.  Our technology is better (in our humble opinion) and we have spent a lot of time and energy developing our service by working with law enforcement around the country.   Take a quick read of the report...it's pretty insightful.

GPS helping car dealers locate new profit centers

Over the past decade, Guidepoint has established itself as a leader in consumer services for vehicle owners, including stolen vehicle recovery, tracking and convenience services. We've won awards from global firms that track the industry and have gotten plenty of media write-ups about recovering stolen cars and helping out our customers.

While recognition from analysts and reporters is nice, we know that the opinions that matter most are those of our customers and, to be perfectly frank, the car dealers who sell our products. Since our launch in 2002, we've worked with thousands of car dealerships across the country to sell, install and service Guidepoint units in customer vehicles around the U.S. They make a fair profit and are never shy about giving us feedback on the product and our services. In fact, many of them end up using Guidepoint on their dealership vehicles (e.g., parts trucks, loaner cars, etc.)

That's what's lead us to expand the range of services we can offer from "consumer" to "business-to-business" services. Today, Guidepoint offers a complete suite of services to assist car dealership and automotive finance companies enhance their profitability, including payment assurance devices, lot protection, loaner car protection and more. Dealers and finance companies can learn more at www.gpsdealersolutions.com or by calling 1-877-477-3463 for more information.

Sales team expands with NY, NJ rep

We're announcing another addition to the team today: Ralph V. Castronuovo, who's joining the company as sales manager for the New York and New Jersey markets.

Ralph has been around the car biz for a number of years, working both in the aftermarket parts business and the auto loan industry. At Guidepint, he's going to be responsible for developing our business among new vehicle dealerships as well as dealerships and finance companies specializing in pre-owned vehicles.

Prior to joining Guidepoint, Castronuovo was Eastern Regional Account Manager for El-Segundo, Calif.-based National Payment Network, Inc. He brings considerable sales experience in both aftermarket products and automotive financial services, including work with several top-tier dealer groups in New England and the Mid-Atlantic states. Previously, he was a senior account executive at Union, N.J.-based Auto Action Group, Inc.

Rich Zeichner, our veep of sales, had this to say: “We’re very pleased to have Ralph join the Guidepoint team. His background in automotive financial services and aftermarket products is a perfect combination for helping dealerships understand the solutions Guidepoint offers, including stolen vehicle, tracking, payment assurance and fleet management. As dealerships look for ways to increase their profitability, Guidepoint offers them a unique solution that is easy to sell, easy to install and easy to administer.”

Welcome aboard, Ralph!

Growth = opportunity

One of the great rewards of working at an emerging growth company is watching people develop - and being able to give them new opportunities. Today's blog is about one such opportunity because we're getting ready for a growth spurt at Guidepoint.

The next few months ought to be pretty interesting at our primary call center in Fort Worth, Texas. The addition of new products and services for two new automotive OEMs is going to cause a significant uptick in activation, tech service and service calls for Guidepoint.

Fortunately, the guy in charge of our services, Clyde Landis, is way ahead of the curve in terms of planning, hiring and execution. He's in the process of hiring more activation specialists to handle increased volume that we should see throughout the summer and fall months. In order to properly hire, train and manage a larger team, he's promoted Pam Bilbrey to the post of Inside Sales Manager, effective June 14. Pam's been with the company for a couple of years and has proven herself in a variety of roles.

Here's what Clyde says about his new inside sales manager: "Pam brings a wealth of sales experience to the table; we all have seen that. But, she also has great judgment and a unique ability to train and develop talent regardless of skill set. Take a few minutes to congratulate her now while she can appreciate it; as of June 14, she won’t have the time."

Congrats Pam!

Global research firm honors Guidepoint

Later today, the global research firm Frost & Sullivan will be announcing that Guidepoint has been given the 2010 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Customer Value Enhancement. The award recognizes our work to establish Guidepoint as a preferred vehicle tracking solutions supplier to both OEMs and the aftermarket in North America.

We're pretty stoked to receive this honor, especially when we were selected from others in the industry -- including some much larger and much older competitors, as well as the plethora of small companies that sell black boxes and pings.

“While there are some aftermarket suppliers for vehicle tracking systems, they are either too small to offer comparable benefits to those offered by GuidePoint or are geographically limited,” says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Ratika Garg. “Besides end users, GuidePoint offers benefits to distributors and installers as well since the system is easy to install and can be reconfigured quickly and cost-effectively based on customer demand.”

Frost & Sullivan found a number of noteworthy features in Guidepoint's technology, including the fact that it's easily programmable, our new Smartphone apps and our power management. The report on the research award note: "The GuidePoint device is easily programmable and new features can easily be rolled out to existing customers by making changes to the software through wireless downloads to the unit. The configuration is such that functionalities and services can be adapted to customer needs, making the system highly customizable.

The company offers applications for users of smartphones such as the Droid®, iPhone®, and the Blackberry®. An innovative element of the GuidePoint system is that all antennas are embedded within the device, which makes the installation process robust and simple. Another innovative element is power management. The GuidePoint device draws minimal power from the vehicle, resulting in a highly energy efficient product. Further, focus on quality remains strong. The GuidePoint system is EMC-tested and is expected to last virtually the entire life of a vehicle. GuidePoint installers are trained directly by the company and accredited. Master technicians are brought into GuidePoint, trained and given certifications, ensuring a consistency in service delivery."

Our CTO, Tom Gafford will be receiving the actual award, but we all know that the trophy is just really a symbol of the hard work by our research, product development, marketing and customer services teams.  To everyone on the Guidepoint team, take a bow.

Pushing for Money, Not Just Metal

Here's a nice Q&A from Auto Remarketing News with Werner Scherz, who runs our finance and buy-here pay-here (BHPH) channel for Guidepoint. He makes some great points in here relative to using GPS systems for credit challenged customers.

The reality is that lots of dealers sell black boxes to BHPH dealers and finance companies with the pitch of: "We're cheap, and if the customer skips, you can use our system to get the car back."

Our approach is different. Our SurePay solution is based on the notion that dealers don't really want the car back from the customer. What they want is for the customer to pay their loan every time a payment is due. Our system offers a multi-step approach to changing behavior and getting customers to pay, including payment reminder and starter-interrupt functions as well as a regimen that's proven to work. Take a read.

Tech support team gets MECP certified

Many of us at Guidepoint have been around the mobile electronics business for several decades, and we know there is one thing you can always count on: technology doesn't always work.

There are lots of reasons why a product fails to deliver the expected performance, whether it be user error, installer error, product defect or my personal favorite: gremlins. When things don't work, we try to take an immediate and practical path: "Fault is irrelelvant. What's relevant is fixing the problem."

Enter our tech support team. Lead by James Wood (or "Woody" as he's known to everyone), Guidepoint's tech support team is really a customer-service unit in disguise. When stuff isn't working, they diagnose, advise and help fix the problem as quickly as possible. To that end, Woody has put his team through the paces of becoming MECP certified under the Mobile Electronics Certified Professionals program. Each of them has spent time in the classroom and under the dash to learn all the "what can go wrongs" in an installation and help create "Best Practices" for installers around the country. Currently, we have six MECP certified techs on staff that work 'round the clock.

"If a consumer has a problem in the middle of the night, we need to be able to assist," Woody explains. "Our products and services are evolving constantly as GPS and wireless technology advances, and vehicles are becoming more and more computerized. MECP certification provides an installer the necessary knowledge to integrate aftermarket accessories into today’s complex vehicles. This also proves to employers and customers that you have a professional commitment to expanding your knowledge of the job."

Tech support members include, Stephen Escamilla, Cesar Salas, Blake Mize, James Woody. There are also two employees on the graveyard shift (11 p.m. - 7 a.m.) that took part in the MECP training: Bryan Martinez, Chris Okon.

Another smartphone app - for Google's Android

Today, we're announcing the launch of another service-based app for smartphones, specifically the ones that run on Google's Android® operating system. The best-known of these smartphones is Motorola's Droid®, but the new Guidepoint App works on any of the other smartphones that run on the operating system.

Like the app we created for the iPhone, this new one is a service-based app that can be downloaded for free and allows users to control their vehicle or gain access to a variety of location-based services including stolen vehicle recovery, driving directions, emergency help and other assistance.

Guidepoint’s app uses a smartphone’s built-in GPS technology and its wireless connectivity to deliver the phone’s exact location to Guidepoint. Once the app is activated, users can set up an online account with Guidepoint and access services with just a few touches of their Droid screen.

Our CTO, Tom Gafford, said this: “We’ve designed our Android app so that users can quickly and easily access our 24/7365 response centers. The integration of our services with the available technology on the Droid and other smartphones that run on the Android operating system lets us quickly deliver whatever the customer needs to his or her exact location.”

Rand, our CEO added this: “The new Android app extends the availability of our award-winning services, which we’ve developed over the past decade. It’s another great example of why we focus on being a service company rather than a technology company. As manufacturers of unique technologies such as the smartphones continue to develop new technology, we want to partner with them to deliver innovative, highly valued services to consumers and business owners.”

Bottom line, we're beginning to leverage our capabilities as a service provider with smartphone apps, as well as some other projects we're working on with radio-nav suppliers, GPS companies and other technology makers who want to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Things are going to get interesting here in the coming months.