Case Study

Stabilization to Innovation

A look into Tusk Software's emergency stabilization, product enhancements and ongoing partnership over the years with Reahard & Assocates' flagship offering - F&I Insight.

The Company

Reahard & Associates
Founded: 2001
Website: https://go-reahard.com

Reahard & Associates Inc is a leading Finance & Insurance training company in the automotive industry. Reahard & Associates provides F&I Certification Classes, custom tailored in-dealership F&I training, online F&I training, and real-world solutions that dramatically increase F&I income and delight customers. Reahard utilizes a custom software solution with these services, F&I Insight, which is designed to record transactions and allow for online analysis, review and training opportunities.
The Tusk deliverables have always met or exceeded our expectations. Tusk is communicative, tracks and completes each sprint on schedule and has always been willing to dive into whatever challenge we have thrown their way. - Janet Crabtree, Reahard & Associates

The Challenge

Reahard & Associates's software, F&I Insight, which is designed to record audio & video of customer interactions to facilitate online analysis, review and training opportunities, and ensure regulatory compliance was originally designed and developed by an offshore company in 2019-2020. After the initial build they were no longer providing the maintenance, support, and upgrades needed to maintain the software. As the software was integral to Reahard & Associates's service offerings, enabling the recording of automobile transactions and online reviews, the potential loss of this tool posed a significant risk to the company's operations and revenue. R&A needed a reliable partner to take over the management and enhancement of this critical software.

The Solution

Reahard & Associates selected Tusk Software to address their pressing need for ongoing support and development of the F&I Insight program. Since taking on the maintenance originally in 2020, Tusk has worked on Reahard's software to troubleshoot emergent issues as well as assisting IT in deploying the software with automotive dealerships. Tusk Software's scope of work included:
  • Stabllizing the Product: Addressing ongoing software issues that impacted the functionality and reliability of the F&I Insight program. This included both user impacting bugs and critical performance issues.
  • Live Field Support: Assisting Client IT teams in automotive dealerships with deployment-specific issues and system setup challenges. This support included finding resolutions to client specific system set up issues that were threatening key client deployments.
  • Software Maintenance and Enhancements: Diving into and regularly working with a broad range of technologies including Ruby on Rails, React components, Heroku for infrastructure, .NET Framework, and C#. Additionally, Tusk Software took ownership of and enhanced all AWS services, including S3, Lambda functions, and SQS, to enhance the system's capabilities.

The Result

Reahard & Associates' experience with Tusk Software highlights the importance of selecting a software partner that is not only technically proficient but also flexible and responsive to the evolving needs of a project. Tusk’s stewardship of the originally unsupported software has enabled Reahard to grow this service offering and extend the product to new levels.
  • Key Engagement Outcomes: Continued Service Offering: Tusk Software's involvement allowed Reahard & Associates to continue offering the F&I Insight program to their clients, avoiding the potential termination of this critical service. This not only maintained customer satisfaction but also preserved an important revenue stream for the company.
  • Adaptability and Responsiveness: Tusk Software demonstrated exceptional project management capabilities, completing each sprint on schedule and responding promptly to last-minute troubleshooting requests. Their willingness to take on new challenges, including learning and working with unfamiliar technology, has been a significant advantage for Reahard & Associates.

Notes From Client

"With Tusk's support we have been able to continue offering this software when we were considering having to terminate this service to our clients. This has been a tremendous benefit for both our clients and our ability to generate revenue. The Tusk deliverables have always met or exceeded our expectations.

Tusk is communicative, tracks and completes each sprint on schedule and has always been willing to dive into whatever challenge we have thrown their way. This includes changes in the SOW, changes in deadlines, last minute troubleshooting when a dealership's IT needs assistance. Their entire team is available and willing to assist as needed. They have taken on learning new technology to work with us and that has been a huge plus!"

-Janet Crabtree
COO, Reahard & Associates

About Tusk Software

Tusk Software is a custom development shop specializing in ASP.NET web applications. We solve complex problems that drive business forward.

To learn how Tusk Software may be able to help you with your next project, email info@tusksoft.com.