Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have a demo disk or CD? We are asked this question often. Unfortunately, we have not been able to make a good demo disk for even a small system, such as service tracking, but we are close to being able to do a complete demonstration live on the Internet. It is usually necessary to visit a site before installation, so we will be happy to visit, answer your questions and demo our products.
How do you support your customers? After the initial on-site training session(s), we can be reached on a toll free line (800-ACS-8187). Prompt 1, 2, or 3 will take you directly to a customer service representative for Accounting, Parts & Service, or Sales & Leasing respectively. Generally, the representative can answer your question directly. Sometimes it is necessary to connect to your system to answer the question. Additionally, we can train you on the host computer located near the server that we connect to. Lastly, when requested, we can provide on-site training for new employees.
How do you send monthly part updates, labor time guides and software updates? ACS will never send you any diskettes, tapes, etc. to be installed on your system. All data is uploaded to your system via modems and/or the Internet without requiring any customer intervention.
What data can you transfer from my existing computer system? As part of our standard system installation, whenever possible, we transfer all part data, including sales history. We have always been able to do this. For an extra charge, we can also transfer customer information and VIN information, as well as service history. Since other systems do not save all service history as ACS, we can only transfer what information they do retain. Among others, we have been successful in transferring data from Reynolds and Reynolds ERA® and VIMNET® systems, as well as several different ADP systems.
Will my manufacturers financial statements have all of the memo fields I need? ACS uses very few memo fields. We know exactly what information is requested on the financial and know where to find it. There is no extraordinary customer action required to properly complete the financial.
What are the charges for credit reports? ACS does not charge anything for pulling credit reports. You will be billed directly by the credit bureau(s) and only pay their nominal fee for each report selected. All of the necessary setup is done when we install the system. As a matter of fact, with ACS there are no hidden charges -- your monthly support fee will not vary except for an occasional F&I forms charge.
Do I have to buy my hardware from ACS? ACS sells name brand products at competitive prices with no shipping charges and no sales tax outside of Mobile County, Alabama. You do not, however, have to buy your equipment from ACS. Our early dealers and we have learned the hard way that, unless you already have the hardware and a network in place, it is far easier and more economical to let ACS do it all.
How long will my contract be? There is no contract. ACS will earn your business month to month. In the license agreement, ACS will agree not to raise your support fees for three years, as long as your system does not change substantially in scope. Although under a strict, long term contract, neither ADP nor RandR will generally guarantee support fees. Recently, RandR has told a very few customers their support fees would be fixed for three years. Unfortunately, the dealers had to sign a non-disclosure agreement along with the contract, so we cannot confirm the final arrangement.
What have you done about ASP? ACS ACCESS® is now available over the Internet as iACCESS™. The server may be located at ACS or a third party site. iACCESS is the ideal connection method for remote dealer locations not requiring or desiring their own server, with the server located at the primary dealership.
Where have you been hiding? ACS completed ACCESS in late 1997. Since that time we have concentrated primarily on customer acceptance and support and only began full marketing efforts in the second half of 2000.