Katie Woodard is Senior Client Services Agent for Automotive Transformation Group and has been with the organisation for over 7 years. She’s responsible for ensuring her clients get the most out of the Group’s services which have rapidly evolved over the last two years since they merged four industry-leading automotive suppliers.
Hi Katie. Wow, I’m impressed. 2 years into the merger of GForces, Autofutura, Chrysalis and SalesMaster. What does that mean in practice?
The launch of Automotive Transformation Group means our products have evolved dramatically over the last two years and the support functions have mirrored this transition. In May 2023 we launched our all-new Fusion suite, which connects a wide range of acquisition, conversion and retention tools to make buying cars easy.
As a Senior Client Services Agent, my main role is to mentor a team of skilled individuals mainly focusing on Dealers across the UK using our products as well as Financiers utilising our residual value risk forecasting tool to ensure we exceed client expectations.
My top priority is to make sure all team members are fully updated on the products so they can solve whatever industry challenges they face. And, quite often, feed new customer questions and experiences back to the relevant teams so they can get new insight into innovations that will support them.
How is our technology benefiting your customers?
Most of our customers’ marketing and social media queries are managed by an internal team of specialists. But both our business support functions and sales and marketing divisions, not least me personally, have been quite involved with Phyron’s automated video solution.
It’s a dynamic tool that really helps to increase productivity and efficiency and we’re already receiving great feedback from more than a hundred dealers who have recently employed the solution. I think the product is fantastic and hits the sweet spot between automation and giving consumers a personalised experience. And of course, it’s a pleasure working with Graeme, Rui and the team at Phyron in Stockholm.
We love working with Automotive Transformation Group. In your opinion what do you guys do that sets you apart from the competition?
Our extensive technology range means we can support customers at every stage of the purchasing experience, right the way through to retention. Seamlessly connecting each of these stages through proprietary and partner integrations means we can offer an uninterrupted consumer experience. One that really does set us apart in terms of delivering them that omnichannel journey.
Of course, it also means we can heavily reduce the number of systems a salesperson needs to access in order to complete a sale, which I understand is a universal pain point for a lot of Retailers right now.
ATG are always at the forefront of innovation – how do you keep up-to-date with industry trends?
Though my main role is onboarding and supporting customers to ensure they have a seamless experience, as a team, one of our highest priorities is keeping up to date with industry trends. The main way we do this is through client engagement. Our flexible solutions mean we’re always collaborating with our customers to understand the industry challenges they face. We can then work with them to develop solutions that best meet their requirements and adapt to further evolution.
Before i let go of you … You are living and working in Kent, working “hybrid” from home. You are always deeply engaged in technology and automotive but what do you do when you don’t work?
It’s still a lot about cars. Especially fast ones. My favourite sport is Formula 1, I recently attended the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and I have been to the British Grand Prix several times. I love travelling, I recently visited New York and watched the New York Knicks at Madison Garden. Apart from that, I’m pretty normal I guess. Enjoying a sunny afternoon walking my dog, and spending time with family and friends. And maybe a glass of wine…
