Volkswagen UK says it sold nearly 200 cars on the first day of adopting SalesMaster’s stock management tool, Stockbook.

The vehicle manufacturer recently implemented the application, combining the sales team with “up-to-the-minute” information on available vehicles, while helping dealer leadership to manage the capital tied-up in vehicle stocks.

Volkswagen Group UK’s operations controller Emma Williamson said: “It is excellent to see the instant impact Stockbook has had on our sales.

"Having all of our available stock on one, easy-to-navigate platform has helped with efficiency and allowed us to offer customers available alternative vehicles, rather than wait for factory orders.”

SalesMaster’s managing director Chris Stott has said that the group would have found it “impossible” to produce the same growth while using the “outdated spreadsheet stock system many dealer groups still use today”.

“Sales teams can only sell what they’re aware of and often customers think they’re limited to showroom or factory orders,” said Stott.

“Stockbook provides sales teams with instant access to current group-wide stock data, increasing total stock visibility and improving customer service.”

The platform also allows promotions and stock movement to be tailored for supply to meet day to day and campaign demands.

The system can also collect and collate data, enabling senior management teams to understand sales performance; analyses purchasing trends and efficiently manage capital tied-up in stock.

Stott said: “Our research shows that most buyers will compromise on specification instead of waiting for a factory order. They can also be upsold to a higher specification model if it is already in-stock.

"The key, as Volkswagen UK demonstrated from day one, is putting accurate, comprehensive, real-time stock information in the hands of every sales person.”