Warranty First has announced the appointment of Darren Laughton as director of technology delivery.
Laughton is said to bring to the role more than 25 years of technology leadership experience, including in the automotive industry, with previous employers including CarShop (later Sytner Select), Carzam, Halfords, and most recently Anglian Water.
In his new role, he will be responsible for technology and IT across Warranty First, with an initial focus on understanding how teams, dealer partners and customers currently work, identifying opportunities to remove friction and helping to create a more connected experience from the first dealer conversation through to claims and renewal.
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Laughton said: “The goal is a more connected process from the dealer through to the customer and the claim. There are opportunities across the business and I’m looking forward to using technology and good data to make a visible difference.”
Data improvement targeted
A central part of Laughton’s work will be improving how Warranty First captures, connects and uses data.
He said: “If you don’t capture the right data, you can’t report on it and you can’t make good decisions from it.
“Good data helps you understand what is really happening, where the opportunity sits and what action will make the biggest difference.
“That applies at every level of a business. Senior leaders need a clear view of overall performance, while individual teams need information that helps them improve the way they work day to day.”
Laughton said his approach was built around understanding business problems first rather than starting with a particular system or piece of technology.
He said: “Technology should never be introduced for its own sake. You need to understand what people are trying to achieve, why it matters and where the current process is creating frustration.
“The people doing the job are the experts in what they do. My role is to listen, understand and then look at how technology can make their lives easier and improve the experience for everyone involved.”
Warranty First’s aim is to provide its dealer partners with simpler, quicker and more connected processes.
Laughton said: “The best technology is often the technology people don’t have to think about because it simply works. Dealers should be able to spend less time navigating systems and managing administration and more time focusing on their customers and growing their businesses.
“If we can remove friction, improve visibility and help dealers protect profitability, then we are creating real value.”
Appointment ‘an important step’ for Warranty First
Leo Nelson, director at Warranty First, said: “Darren’s appointment is an important step in the next stage of Warranty First’s development.
“He brings a strong combination of automotive retail experience, technology leadership and practical delivery expertise. Just as importantly, he understands that technology only creates value when it makes things simpler for the people using it.
“As we continue to invest in our systems, data and dealer experience, Darren will play a key role in helping us build a more connected, efficient and commercially useful proposition for our dealer partners, customers and colleagues.”