DAYTON, Ohio, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company (NYSE: REY) today continued its leadership in the transformation of automotive retailing with the introduction of ERA3 featuring ConsumerReach, the most enhanced, integrated set of retail management capabilities the industry has seen to date. ERA3 is immediately available to retailers across the United States. The Canadian version will be released in February 2001. Building upon the successful solutions and services of Reynolds' existing retail management systems, ERA3 is the core of Reynolds' broad suite of auto retailing services, which include dealership training, Internet buying services, customer relationship management solutions, and networking services. ERA3 provides retailers with the tools they need to increase profit and customer satisfaction by truly taking advantage of the Internet. With the new ConsumerReach capability, ERA3 provides everyone within a dealership - including both sales and service - the opportunity to communicate directly with their customers from any workstation or terminal in the dealership via e-mail. ERA3's text-based e-mail is available on any ERAÆ terminal, including existing "green-screen" terminals. It is the only system available that provides this flexibility. ConsumerReach functions with any existing ERA terminal anywhere in the dealership, thus it does not require retailers to make additional investments in new terminals and PCs. And because it is integrated as part of the ERA3 platform, retailers can quickly familiarize their sales and service personnel on how to use e-mail communication without requiring them to totally change their existing processes, spend a great deal of time on training, or understand new systems. According to Kurt Lieberman, general manager, Retail Management Solutions, "ERA3 ConsumerReach addresses big issues for auto retailers. They need new tools to easily establish consumer preferences on how to be contacted. The retailer also needs new tools to communicate when, where and how the consumer prefers. ConsumerReach is that tool, providing a system-driven process for gathering all customer contact information at the point of reception - regardless of whether the customer enters through the door, the service bay, or the keyboard." In addition to ConsumerReach, ERA3 provides auto retailers with these capabilities: Hand Held PCs: These provide dealership employees with full mobility when serving customers with complete access to all ERA3 and customer information. Available in every area of the dealership, Hand Held PCs allow retailers to meet and greet their customers at their vehicles, providing faster service, improving the customer experience and increasing production. Thin Client: This is a graphical workstation that offers a smaller "footprint" at a more affordable price than the traditional ERA3 color terminal. The Thin Client provides an alternative upgrade path for customers at a lower cost than a PC. Software Value Packages: These applications enable retailers to take greater advantage of ERA3 functionality at more affordable pricing. They build upon the base services offered in ERA3 today, enabling retailers to better control costs and improve customer satisfaction across their business. Reynolds' first in a series of Value Package offerings includes: Payroll Plus: Designed for the advanced payroll user who requires the ability to take greater advantage of today's trends, Payroll Plus enables direct deposit, employee wage reports and custom targeted reports. Service Plus: This is ideal for service departments interested in gaining greater technician productivity through the use of Electronic Service Integration and Service Scheduling. Dashboard: This is an easy to use Windows-based PC tool that allows the dealer to better understand dealership performance, enabling tighter control of operations across the dealership. "What's causing the most excitement with retailers is ERA3's green-screen functionality. But its integration with the other ERA3 capabilities is what really makes it sing," continued Lieberman. "It's easy, it's automated, it's system-driven and it best positions our customers for the future. These words are like gold to automotive retailers."