LINE helps pilot iPhone and iPod App for Ford
LINE Communications, one of Europe’s leading providers of learning and communications, is helping Ford of Britain to pilot an innovative application for iPhones and iPods designed to help sales executives explain some of the features on the C-MAX and Grand C-MAX.
The application contains a series of high quality 3D movies that explain how new technologies, such as Blind Spot Information System and Speed Limiter, work. The application also ensures that a wealth of technical and sales data is available at the salesperson’s fingertips – there’s no need for them to leave the showroom floor or keep the customer waiting while they retrieve information.
Gill Palmer, Product Manager, Ford of Britain, says the application has two functions: "On the one hand we are keen to see whether applications on mobile phones and other devices can be used as training tools; it’s important that we use channels that are convenient to ensure salespeople take advantage of the training on offer. We also thought this was a great opportunity to develop an application which could be used as a sales aid on the showroom floor. Many of our new technologies are quite complex and video clips make them easier to demonstrate."
Gartner, a world leading information technology research and advisory company, predicted earlier this year that mobile devices, like iPhones, will overtake desktop PCs as the most common form of web access by 2013. The current application is for Apple devices, but LINE and Ford are exploring the possibility of developing applications for future deployment on the Android operating system that is used on smartphones.
A French and German version of the application has already been developed for testing as Ford look to release it in all European languages and markets in the near future.
Simon Kerrell, Dealer Training and Launch Events Manager, Ford of Europe, says: “Ford prides itself on pioneering new technologies and setting standards within the automotive industry; we have identified the use of mobile technologies as an important communication channel for the 21st century.”
Steve Ash, Director of Sales and Marketing at LINE says: “LINE has an enviable track record in designing mobile technologies into strategic blended learning solutions for our clients. This latest application is an exciting development in our work with Ford as it blends material designed for training into a tool that salespeople can use on the job to help improve customer understanding.”