Data and Innovation in the Private Sector
JLR is an internationally recognised premium brand in the automotive sector. As such, it must control the complete brand experience for all stakeholders, spanning customers, prospective customers, suppliers and dealers.
JLR’s network of retailer premises (dealerships) is one of the most tangible representations of the brand; it is vital that every touchpoint matches expectations of what the brand stands for. To assure this quality, JLR operates a global retailer compliance programme where physical site visits are conducted to verify compliance with its standards. The programme is indispensable but highly manual, and very complex to manage.
JLR was, therefore, keen to explore new technology-enabled methods with which it could conduct the programme; a drive towards automation to increase operational efficiencies and be more cost-effective. What’s more, JLR wanted a platform that would offer real-time insights into the results, so it could identify issues or trends and take swift remedial action.
With experience in trust-related services, assurance and technology innovation, PwC was a good fit to partner with JLR to explore the full digitisation of retailer compliance. PwC’s objectives were to implement a cloud-based compliance platform to realise economic and efficiency improvements across the global network, with an aspiration to conduct all of JLR’s compliance assessments digitally in 2021.
The envisaged solution was based on self-assessments by retailers against recognised and agreed compliance standards, alongside what PwC believed is unique among large-scale digitisation projects. The system would need to:
- work across multiple devices, to enable a seamless experience on or off site;
- include native applications for iOS and Android that could interact with the online platform but facilitate offline use;
- work across 14 languages;
- allow for easy uploads of documents, photos and videos;
- simplify and rationalise management, supervisory and sign-off steps; and
- provide sophisticated data analytics and dashboards, to deliver real-time insights into the programme.
PwC’s team included project management, business and technical specialists, complemented by JLR’s internal expertise and on-the-ground experience. The key attribute across both teams was a shared desire for innovation and excellence, which ensured they pushed every aspect of the project to its full potential.
The digitisation of the JLR retailer compliance programme is a standout solution that has created the blueprint for how other compliance programmes should work, and sets the tone for how JLR can maximise the benefits to assure brand quality and excellence in other areas of its business.
The integration of the solution with other JLR systems, together with the use of data analytics, has helped fuel intelligent automation, such as smart scheduling of assessments, and pre-assessing aspects of the assessment workplan.
The platform was successfully launched and adopted across JLR’s global network, facilitating digital assessments for over 2,000 global retailers. By implementing a purely digital process, the compliance programme will save 50% of external spend on the previous year.
PwC and JLR continue to work together, piloting new ideas and innovations to push the business ever closer to extensive automation in key areas of its operations beyond manufacturing.
View the PwC profile in the MCA Members Directory.