Whilst at Valtech, I worked closely with Toyota to improve their customer experience and digital car-buying process. One of our challenges was developing Toyota’s Connected Services and its associated ‘MyT’ App, and particularly its relationship with physical dealerships. 

 

“Connected services should positively contribute to the dealer sales process increasing perceived value in the eyes of the customer” “A digital experience should add value to the sales cycle in the eye of the dealer, sustaining customer interest and not adding complexity to the sale.

 

We delivered to Toyota an in-depth analysis of the current connected services landscape, the current state of Toyota’s offering, and a route to the future of dealerships. Whilst in the research stage we discovered that Toyota had in fact first invented the QR code. This then became a powerful cue for both the introduction of technology (AR) into the physical dealership, and as a means to introduce Toyota’s long history of technological innovation.  

 

Sometimes your role requires you do the unexpected in order to get results. An informal conversation with a senior member of the Toyota team indicated that the Connected Services team were overly focussed on technology to the detriment of user experience. Too much What and not enough Why. The solution required some editing time with Toyota’s ATL footage, a story, and just the right song. “It became iconic within Toyota Financial Services Europe, as the most viewed internal video clip on the direction of Toyota.”