Have you recently upgraded your browser to Internet Explorer (IE) 9? Have you noticed that some web pages look differently since your upgrade? This may be caused by a compatibility issue with your browser. Some websites that were designed for an earlier version of Internet Explorer may look differently in IE9.
Turning on the ‘Compatibility View’ may help correct these pages. If you have experienced issues with misplaced or condensed tabs, try using the Compatibility View, which will display the website you are viewing as if you were using a version of IE prior to IE9. To turn on Compatibility View, click the small blue ‘broken page’ icon in the navigation toolbar:
If a webpage does not open or appear to load correctly check for pop-ups interfering with the page. You may also want try to close and reopen the browser.
If you have not already downloaded IE9 you can by visiting www.microsoft.com/IE9 .
You may also try viewing the webpage in another browser, like Safari, or Chrome
RouteOne currently supports several browser and browser versions. If you find you are having browser issues with RouteOne, call the Help Desk at 866.768.8301.
Download IE9 here: www.microsoft.com/IE9.
Phishing
Phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing attacks use email to solicit personal information by appearing to come from a trustworthy company or organization. For example, an attacker may send an email that appears to be from a major credit card company, financial institution, or someone you know. The email will often ask the user for personal information such as user ID and password or provide a link to a bogus website (which appears to be a valid website) asking for the same information. Phishing attacks may appear to come from other entities that take advantages of the following:
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Natural disasters (e.g., Hurricane Katrina, Indonesian tsunami)
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Epidemics and health scares such as H1N1
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Economic concerns, IRS scams or bank failures
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Major political elections
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Holidays
Precautions to take
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NEVER provide anyone your user-ID and password, for any reason; RouteOne will never ask for this information, updates to the RouteOne website are accomplished through our software releases.
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Do not give out employee or other information from unsolicited phone calls or emails. Verify where the caller is from and, ask for a name and phone number. Research the company and validate the person's employers. Valudate the phone number.
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Never provide personal information or information regarding the company’s network unless you are certain that the person should have the information.
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Never provide personal or financial information in an email or by clicking on a link.
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Never click on a link in an email. Pay close attention to the URL; most will use a variation in spelling or a different domain (e.g., .com vs .net or .co vs .com).
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Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters to reduce some of the phishing emails.
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Never leave confidential information in view of the general public. If you leave your desk, put papers in a locked cabinet and lock your computer.
If you think that you might have revealed sensitive information about the organization or the employees, report it to the appropriate person within your organization. Immediately change all passwords for each logon account. Consider reporting the event to the police and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/).
Social engineering
Social engineering is generally a hacker’s clever manipulation of the natural human tendency to trust. The hacker’s goal is to obtain information that will allow him/her to gain unauthorized access to a valued system and the information that resides on that system. It is also used to gain access to a physical area where confidential information is kept in paper form.
Security is all about trust. Trust in protection and authenticity. Social engineering preys upon the natural human willingness to trust and accept someone at his or her word; this leaves many of us vulnerable to attack and is generally agreed upon as the weakest link in the security chain.
If you think that you might have revealed sensitive information about the organization or the employees, report it to the appropriate person within your organization. Immediately change all passwords for each logon account. Consider reporting the event to the police and file a report with the Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/).
Spyware
Spyware refers to a category of software that when installed on your computer may send multiple popup windows, redirect your browser, or monitor the websites that you visit. There are invasive versions of spyware that may record your keystrokes (called key loggers) and will capture your sign-in credentials for sites that you have access to.
The following symptoms may indicate that you have downloaded spyware and it is installed on your computer:
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You are getting endless pop-up windows
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You type in a web address and get re-directed to a different website
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New unexpected tool bars are in installed on your browser, or new icons appear in the task tray on the bottom of your screen
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The search engine you use opens a different browser or page than what was intended
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Certain keys do not work in the browser (e.g., tab key doesn’t work moving field to field)
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Random windows error message, begin to appear
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Your computer suddenly seems very slow when trying to open documents or programs
Preventive Measures for Spyware
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Don’t click on any links within a pop-up window. To close such a pop-up window click the X on the title bar instead of “click here to close.”
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Choose no or close the pop-up if an unexpected dialog (pop-up) box appears asking if you want to run a particular program or perform another type of task. Always close the dialog box by clicking the X on the title bar; if that is not available, answer no or cancel.
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Be wary of free software downloads. Many sites offer customized toolbars or other features. Never download software from a site you do not trust; you may be exposing yourself and your computer to spyware by downloading free software.
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Don’t follow email links claiming to offer anti-spyware software – like email viruses, this may service the opposite purpose and will install spyware on your computer.
Removing Spyware
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Run a full scan on your computer using the anti-virus software that you or your network engineer has installed on your machine.
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Keep your anti-virus software current by downloading updates from their site (e.g., Norton or Symantec)
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Run a legitimate product designed to detect and remove spyware.
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Make sure your anti-virus and anti-spyware software is compatible with each other.
For more information on Social Engineer, Phishing, Spyware and other security threats please visit the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team at http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/
Many finance departments maintain a Finance and Insurance (F&I) Log. The F&I Log can serve as a high-level ‘score card’ for finance managers, as it stores important information about each vehicle transaction. The most common categories in an F&I Log can include:
- Sales Gross per unit
- Finance Reserve per unit
- Life Insurance
- Disability Insurance
- GAP
- Service Contract
- Other Aftermarket Products
- New/Used
- Cash
- Lender
Maintaining an accurate F&I log is helpful when auditing pay plans, reviewing lender performance, and reviewing performance with F&I trainers.
Preferences for storage of these logs vary – some are kept on paper, in an Excel worksheet, within a web-based system or within the dealership’s DMS. If your dealership utilizes RouteOne and the DMS integration we offer, you can enjoy automated data population of your F&I Log, as the system will populate this report directly from accounting on all finalized deals. The automated F&I Log and Performance Report provides insight into a dealership’s profit (average profit per contract and profit per vehicle retailed) and penetration for each F&I Department, F&I product, F&I Manager, and/or salesperson. Dealers may compare segment performance between new/used/car/truck or retail/lease/balloon/payment call.
A free manual utility is provided for those dealers not utilizing DMS integration. Try using the F&I log within RouteOne to keep score of your Finance Department.
RouteOne will host two informative and educational webinars in December. Please join us December 6, 2011 for the first in this webinar series, focusing on bank fraud. Dealers and Finance Sources welcome.
The Realities of Bank Fraud: What a Dealer Needs to Know presented by Gil VanOver of gvo3 and RouteOne
Bank fraud at automotive dealerships has become a serious issue. From straw purchases to power booking, falsifying down payments to falsifying information on credit applications, these forbidden practices can jeopardize the health of your dealership.
Please join RouteOne and Gil Van Over, President and Founder of gvo3 & Associates, as we discuss the implications of bank fraud in the auto industry. Gvo3 & Associates specializes in developing and implementing compliance strategies within the F&I and Sales departments of automotive dealerships.
Gil will explain the four types of dealership bank fraud and its impact on a dealership. He will also share real-life examples of dealerships around the country that have experienced bank fraud firsthand. Finally, Gil will share best practices you can implement to help prevent bank fraud from occurring in your dealership.
After Gil’s presentation, RouteOne will offer a short presentation on security features and tools that may be used to help prevent fraud and theft within the dealership. We look forward to your attendance. Don’t miss out on this valuable session – register today
The internet has revolutionized the way we conduct business. While the evolution of technology has provided us with immeasurable value, it also comes at great risk. As an industry-leading online provider of credit application and other supporting F&I tools, we share your deep commitment to security, and to safeguarding the critical customer information with which we have been entrusted. As such, we’ve taken great care to build a secure system to provide you the peace of mind you need to conduct your business.
Here are a few of our recommendations for simple steps you may take NOW to help secure your customer information:
1 - Run anti-virus / anti-malware software to protect your dealership systems, and update these protections regularly on applicable networks and machines (including desktops, laptops, tablets, and servers.)
2 - Only utilize ‘trusted’ equipment. Do not login from home or any location where malware protection is not being utilized.
3 - Never share your password or user accounts with others, and avoid writing your password down or placing it where others can see it.
4 - Keep confidential customer and employee data inside locked metal cabinets that are not easily accessible by the public.
5 - Eliminate unauthorized access to confidential data by conducting an ‘exit checklist’ for departing employees, including terminating access to RouteOne and all other dealership systems.
We hope that you’re able to implement some or all of these best practices to better protect your dealership.
At RouteOne, we understand the importance of a fully operational computer. Every dealership knows the importance of having their customers return for routine maintenance on their vehicles in order to achieve maximum road performance. The same principles apply to your computer. RouteOne offers several regular computer maintenance tips that can increase the speed of your computer, protect your personal data, and optimize your RouteOne experience. To maximize the use of your computer not only for general tasks but usage of the RouteOne platform, we suggest the following steps:
Clean up disk errors. Utilizing your computers 'clean up disk' programs on a regular basis helps identify disk errors caused by crashes and power outages. Running clean up disk programs also promotes speedy performance.
Practice regular removal of temporary internet files. Temporary internet files attach themselves to your web pages as you surf, slowing your navigation speed.
Defrag your hard drive. This consolidates your computer files, making your computer faster. As you use your computer, certain files are constantly being used and broken down to speed up performance, but over time this process can slow your computer down. Think of your computer files as library books that are constantly being placed out of order, making them harder to find when you're looking for them. "Defragging" your computer places those files back in their proper order, making your computer more efficient when looking for files. It is recommended that users run the defragmentation program at least once a week.
Limit the history within your internet browser to one or two days. Also, avoid saving encrypted web pages. Encrypted web pages remember your user name and password upon your next visit. Configure your settings so that your browser does not save your personal log-in information.
Remove spyware and protect your computer from viruses. Surfing the web can cause unwanted spyware and malware programs to collect your personal information, resulting in potential compromises of your data. Removing viruses and other malware can help keep your computer free of threats and also help it run more efficiently.
Free up disk space. Removing and deleting larger unnecessary programs will help make your computer run smoothly.
Upgrading your Web Browser is also very important. Web browser upgrading is discussed at greater length in a separate video titled "Tips for increasing your web browser speed."
Following these tips will help make your computer faster and more efficient, not only in your day to day activities but also when using the RouteOne platform.
Additional information on cleaning up your computer is readily available and can be found on-line using a general search inquiry on any search engine. For internal networking questions please contact your internal IT administrator.
Thank you for your business!
Why RouteOne? We are a management tool that will help you to navigate the challenges you face. How can you optimize your business to be the most profitable? Take advantage of these eight easy steps:
- The core RouteOne system is FREE to your dealership. More than 22,000 dealerships have chosen to use RouteOne as their credit application platform. We’re contracted with more than 550 lenders – 98% of them non-captive, including prime and subprime lenders and banks. So it’s highly likely that the finance sources you currently conduct business with are connected to RouteOne.
- Credit reports. RouteOne will allow you to run credit bureau requests and view reports and scores directly within the system. Why is this significant? Because it makes for a quicker process. Running bureaus directly within RouteOne pre-populates the credit application, saving you data entry time.
- We’re available on just about every mobile device, including the iPhone, Android, and iPad. So you can manage your deals anywhere, in the dealership or out to lunch!
- We employ a talented team of business development managers nationwide whose job it is to serve YOU and your dealership. Additionally, our in-house customer support teams are on call, ready to answer questions and assist you with training. We have hired only the best business development managers to support you. They have been able to help dealers find ways to save money and grow profits.
- We provide a robust suite of subscription-based and FREE compliance products and services that are designed to help you meet regulatory requirements and stay within the law. These include credit score disclosure notices, adverse action notices, identify verification and electronic storage services, and user reports that help you keep an eye on activity within the dealership.
- We integrate with more than 60 dealer service providers. Our integration to these systems can help you reduce this data entry time tremendously!
- We offer some other tools to help build your brand and strengthen loyalty to the manufacturer. We provide exclusive access to several Credit Cards with special RouteOne programs.
- We issue no long-term contracts. You can cancel subscriptions at any time with no harsh penalties or fees!
This is the time to take action! Learn more by contacting our customer support center at 866.933.0663 or email customersupport@routeone.com. Thank you for allowing us to serve your dealership!