Auriemma Consulting Group Expands Line of Automotive Finance Roundtables to Customer Loyalty and Retention

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2016 -- Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG) today announced a new information sharing and benchmarking group for auto finance executives who manage customer loyalty marketing – a critical function facing unprecedented regulatory scrutiny and digital disruption.

New market entrants, emerging technologies, and the growing presence of online resources have transformed how consumers purchase and finance vehicles. For the industry, this transformation has extended to fundamental aspects of the loyalty and retention function: how lenders design programs to promote long-term customer relationships and structure marketing outreach to engage a new and digitally-savvy generation of consumers. Meanwhile, escalating regulatory expectations require stronger oversight to mitigate compliance risks throughout the loan lifecycle.

The Auto Finance Loyalty Roundtable, designed for senior marketing executives, centers on how direct and indirect lenders are adapting their strategies to confront these challenges and balancing the interests of key stakeholders, including dealers, manufacturers, regulators, and end consumers.

"Customer loyalty remains mission-critical for auto finance companies, but the hallmarks of best-in-class programs have changed," said Jeff Tennenbaum, ACG's Director of Global Business Development. "The mandates of constant innovation and strict oversight are stronger than ever."

Participating companies will gain access to ACG's suite of roundtable resources, including in-person executive meetings, proprietary operational benchmarking, and custom peer group surveys. The initial meeting is scheduled for mid-August. Agenda topics for the group's introductory session mirror key industry challenges and include:

• Responding to opportunities, threats, and technological innovations in the current environment and preparing operations for economic volatility.
• Defining and measuring loyalty, and identifying actionable market analytics for retail and lease-end retention. 
• Developing a best-in-class customer experience strategy through seamless, multi-channel customer interactions and personalized marketing outreach.
• Enhancing data infrastructure and connectivity to identify "trigger" events throughout the customer lifecycle, and optimizing tools, systems, and analytics to foster efficient business operations. 
• Partnering with Compliance departments in managing data privacy and regulatory risks surrounding marketing and servicing communications. 
• Evaluating organizational and governance structures, process ownership, and resource allocation to guide decision making in an efficient, compliant manner and ensure adequate program oversight.

Membership in the Auto Loyalty Roundtable will include access to recurring operational benchmarking. The study, which charter members will have the opportunity to co-design, will differentiate between retail loans and leases for both mass market and luxury brands and offer segmentation by bank and non-bank participants.

"Disruption fueled by technology and regulatory change will be ongoing," Tennenbaum said. "Today's lenders have an opportunity to harness innovation and refine their strategies to meet these challenges head-on." 

About ACG Auto Finance Roundtables

ACG facilitates a series of information sharing and benchmarking groups for executives across the automotive finance value chain. More than 25 leading banks and captive lenders currently participate in roundtables covering originations, customer service, collections, compliance, and dealer financing.

About Auriemma Consulting Group

ACG is a boutique management consulting firm with specialized focus on the Payments and Lending space. We deliver actionable solutions and insights that add value to our clients' business activities across a broad set of industry topics and disciplines. Founded in 1984, ACG has grown from a one-man shop to a nearly 50-person firm with offices in New York and London. For more information about ACG's Industry Roundtables, please contact Tom LaMagna at 212-323-7000 or [email protected].

CONTACT: Kelly Bulluck 
         212-323-7000
         [email protected]