Volkswagen of America and VW Credit, Inc. today announced the availability of remote digital signatures across the Volkswagen dealer network to offer customers and dealers flexibility during the pandemic.
Sign Anywhere is remote, digital signature tool powered by CDK Global that allows customers to remotely and securely digitally sign financial documents with their own computer or mobile device without stepping foot in a showroom – providing an online automotive buying experience. While digital signature technology has been in widespread use for some time, it has taken time to adopt this technology to meet the requirements found in the financial services space. Volkswagen is among the first to offer Sign Anywhere at its dealerships through its financial services arm VCI.
“Planning to implement this technology began two years ago but since this pandemic took hold, we’ve accelerated our plan to make this a permanent tool for our dealers,” said Anthony Bandmann, President and CEO of VW Credit, Inc. “Customers are asking for flexibility and looking for peace of mind especially during this time and Sign Anywhere helps provide that.”
Sign Anywhere allows for the execution of contracts to take place from the comfort of a personal device such as a tablet without physical interaction with a finance representative. The tool also uses two-factor authentication to transmit information and dealers can receive funding in hours following a vehicle purchase. Use of the digital signature tool will be limited to dealers in States where remote transactions comply with motor vehicle dealer laws and who participate with CDK Sign Anywhere. Dealers are responsible for knowing whether such transactions are legal in their State.
Sign Anywhere was initially made available to ten Volkswagen dealers as part of a pilot program in April 2020. Due to social distancing measures remaining in place and positive feedback about the use of the software tool from customers and dealers, Sign Anywhere has been expanded to approximately 420 Volkswagen dealerships across the country. Over 1,900 vehicle purchases or leases have been finalized using Sign Anywhere since the implementation of this tool.
SOURCE: Volkswagen of America
