Can you run your company out of your pocket? Perhaps not entirely, but there are many business
functions today that can be performed using an iPhone, iPad, or Android mobile handheld device. The
smartphone has been called the “Swiss Army knife of the digital age.” A flick of the finger turns it into
a web browser, a telephone, a camera, a music or video player, an e-mail and messaging machine, and,
increasingly, a gateway into corporate systems. New software applications for document sharing,
collaboration, sales, order processing, inventory management, and production monitoring make these
devices even more versatile business tools. Mobile pocket offices that fit into a purse or coat pocket
are helping to run companies large and small.
Sonic Automotive is one of the largest automotive retailers in the United States with more than 100
dealerships in 14 states. Every year Sonic sells 250,000 new and used cars from approximately 25
different automotive brands, and it also sells auto parts and maintenance, warranty, collision, and
vehicle financing services. Sonic Automotive managers and employees do much of their work on the
iPhone and iPad. Sonic developed several custom iPhone and iPad applications to speed up sales and
service. Virtual Lot, a dealer inventory app, lets sales associates quickly search for vehicles held in
inventory by all Sonic dealerships. They have immediate access to vehicle information, pricing, tradein values, interest rates, special promotions, financing, and what competitors are charging for identical
vehicles. The associates can quickly find the best selection for each customer and often offer far more
choices than the competition. Dealers are not limited to selling only their own inventory.
A mobile app called the Sonic Inventory Management System (SIMS) has speeded up and simplified
trade-in appraisals and pricing. Sonic staff use their iPhones or iPads to take photos of a car, input the
vehicle identification number (VIN) and mileage, and note any issues. The data are transmitted to
corporate headquarters, which can quickly appraise the car. A Service Pad app simplifies the steps in
repair and warranty work. In the past, customers with cars requiring repairs had to go inside the
dealership and sit at a desk with a Sonic staff member who wrote up the repair order by hand. Now the
Sonic staff members go outside to the customer's vehicle and enter the repair order on an iPad on the
spot.
Source: Laudon, K.C. & Laudon, J.P. (2018), Management Information Systems Managing the Digital Firm, p37.
Questions:
- What are the main benefits of the mobile handheld devices?
- What are the main apps developed and used by Sonic?
- To what extent these apps were useful for Sonic?
Sample Solution