ADP Receives Highest Quality Service Rating in Latest Survey.

Business Editors

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.--(AutomotiveWire)--Oct. 5, 2000

Focus on Tools, Training and Availability results in a 30% increase

The Dealer Services Group of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE:AUD) ADP(R) Dealer Services received its highest quality service ratings in its 20-plus year history, showing improvement in all categories. ADP can now boast a 90 percent immediate availability rating with hold times less than 30 seconds. ADP's newly established routing system enables their customers to connect to knowledgeable product specialists quickly to resolve client inquiries.

C.J. Olson Research, an independent firm based in Minneapolis, specializing in the automotive industry, surveyed 8,000 customers asking them to assess ADP's client support service in four key areas: availability, knowledge/skill, updates and an overall rating. This independent survey showed ADP had a 30 percent increase in the areas of availability and access to a knowledgeable support representative.

"We invested $4.5 million over the past 18 months to better meet the needs of our clients. The survey results clearly indicate that our investments have paid off," said Bill Heffern, vice president of client relations. "When an automotive retailer calls ADP for support, they receive a quicker response with a direct connection to an ADP support representative whose expertise is best suited to resolve their problem."

"It's all about providing ADP Dealers with more choices, more flexibility and solutions," says Tom Kelter, national director of client relations. ADP's local service centers are now connected to form a National Support Network. Using a new skills-based telephone routing infrastructure, clients have access to ADP's entire North American base of support associates, 700 strong.

"Our clients value the local knowledge we can provide. Our staff understands the issues dealers face in their respective geographies," added Heffern. "Instead of having our support in one centralized location, ADP realizes the value of the 14 local support centers. ADP associates can continue to respond to any local client issues immediately if the need arises. We wouldn't have that flexibility if all of our client support was based in a single location," added Heffern.

Providing more choices for automotive retailers is a top priority for ADP. If a dealer has an established relationship with a local representative, they can choose to connect to that representative via ADP's local support center. For other issues that don't require local knowledge, retailers can access the ADP National Support Network.

ADP customers have also recognized the company's investment in technical training and associate expertise. "The ADP Support Network is terrific. I've been getting support services with dealerships for 18 years and this is the best thing I've ever seen," said Julie Braud with Barker Mitsubishi.

Whether talking directly with support staff or using the Internet, ADP leads the industry in providing customers choices for support. Accessed through ADP's DealerSuite.com (www.dealersuite.com) retailers can report problems, receive real-time status updates, access current on-line documentation, and review historical data from a secured connection via the public Internet. ADP customers who have chosen to take advantage of the Internet-support option have seen immediate benefits by reduced system administration time. "The ability to access information for all our stores (40 plus) via the Internet has allowed us to track open issues from anywhere, anytime. The availability of all case information has made an outstanding addition to the ADP support model," said Krya Drennan, vice president information service--Lithia Automotive Group.

"Customer responses to our improvements have been extremely positive," added Heffern. "We are committed to continuing our investments over the next several months to further enhance our support services and provide our customers with additional choices."

"Client support has always been a top priority for ADP. We are pleased that our investments are making a difference for our clients. As a market leader in the automotive retailing industry, we will continue to deliver superior value and world-class products and services designed to meet the unique needs of our customers," said Mike Martone, president of ADP Dealer Services.

About ADP Dealer Services

ADP Dealer Services Group provides integrated computing solutions to more than 18,000 automotive and truck dealers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. ADP Dealer Services Group is the third largest business unit of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE:AUD). ADP, with more than $6 billion in revenues and more than 500,000 clients, is one of the largest independent computing services firms in the world. More information on ADP and ADP Dealer Services group is available via the Internet at www.adp.com and www.dealersuite.com.

ADP is a registered trademark of ADP of North America, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are properties of their respective companies.