EasyCare Acquires CoVideo to Help Automobile Dealers Reach Customers in a Personalized Way

Norcross, GA (PRWEB) December 16, 2010

In today’s technical world, automobile dealerships must balance leveraging new technology to increase sales with maintaining a personal connection to their customers. Video e-mail has proven to be an effective way to help dealerships successfully capture and maintain shoppers’ attention and interest.

EasyCare has recently acquired CoVideo, a technology company founded in the Purdue Research Park. CoVideo provides a unique proprietary format for streaming video e-mail that is as easy to use as regular e-mail to facilitate personalized, effective communications between automobile dealers and their current customers, their prospective customers and their employees.

CoVideo utilizes video technology that leapfrogs existing video e-mail programs in ease of use, for both the sender and recipient. “We are always looking for opportunities to help our dealers reach their current and potential customers in personal, meaningful ways,” says Jennifer Silverberg, vice president of marketing and customer experience for EasyCare. “When customers are sent a video e-mail message, it makes an impression because of the face-to-face interaction and emotion conveyed by a ’real’ person. This helps strengthen the bond between the sales or service person at the dealership and the customer even before they ever walk into the dealership, because the customer feels they have already ‘met’. This process has proven especially effective on getting results on internet leads.”

Larry Dorfman, chairman/CEO of EasyCare, said “CoVideo has developed an application that takes interpersonal communication with the customer to a new level. Whether it is communicating with customers in the dealer’s current database, responding to an internet request, campaigning for new opportunities in service or sales, or giving the dealer or managers the ability to personally communicate with each other internally, the CoVideo process 'touches' the consumer differently and creates a bond that is stronger than any other we have seen. Also, it has created a much better way for us to communicate within our almost 600-person organization and the nearly 2,000 dealers we support with EasyCare benefits and services.”

“Over our six years in business we have worked with several dealerships and groups and gotten very strong results. We are excited to extend our reach significantly deeper into the automotive category as a part of EasyCare,” says Ed Mugg, CEO of CoVideo. “Dealers tell us that they count on EasyCare to bring them innovative solutions that differentiate their dealership and drive customer interest and loyalty, and we’re excited to add CoVideo to the EasyCare package of benefits.”

About EasyCare, an Automobile Protection Corporation – APCO Brand

Founded in 1984, Automobile Protection Corporation – APCO is the leading independent provider of automotive benefits specifically created to enhance a consumer’s vehicle buying and ownership experience in ways that create long-term bonds between the consumer and their dealership. APCO’s benefits are provided under the EasyCare brand as well as on behalf of some of the most preeminent manufacturers in the automotive industry, including Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda and Volvo. EasyCare benefits include vehicle service contracts, dent removal coverage, GAP insurance, key replacement coverage and personal concierge service.

EasyCare is also the only vehicle service contract provider to have been designated both a “MOTOR TREND Recommended Best Buy” and to maintain a Better Business Bureau rating of A+. With over 2.8 million contracts currently in force, APCO has paid over $2 Billion in claims, approximately $180 Million of which were in the last 12 months. EasyCare is the exclusive provider of the MOTOR TREND Certified Advantage program, “a better way to buy a better car,” that allows franchise dealers to provide a highly valued certification program for their non-franchise pre-owned vehicles. Please visit http://www.easycare.com.

About CoVideo, LLC

CoVideo was founded on the Purdue Research Park campus in 2004 by Ed Mugg, CEO and Jason Price, president. The company’s technology includes unique and proprietary methods of delivering customized video messages via e-mail without embedding the video within the actual e-mail and without requiring a “download” of the video to the receivers’ computer or PDA. The video e-mails also play seamlessly on virtually all smart phones and computers, including iPads and iPhones. Additionally, the company has proprietary software that provides active/live videoconferencing in virtual classrooms for schools and in virtual conference rooms for businesses with multiple locations. This technology is also used in CoVideo’s “Seniors in Touch” program, which was built to help elderly people communicate more frequently with families and friends in a simple, effective and personal manner. Please visit http://www.covideo.com.

Media Contact for both companies: Jennifer Silverberg, vice president, marketing and customer experience
678-225-1000 x2172; jsilverberg(at)easycare(dot)com

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