As you would expect, the simple answer is “it depends”.
There are a few main variables :-
Each element is discussed below :-
Users
The first and main item is the number of “users” you licence.
This is not the number of staff you have that will use the system but the maximum number that you can login at the same time.
The core software is licenced on a per-user basis. Once you install the system, the monthly licence is simply the per-licence fee multiplied by the number of users licenced.
This licence fee will reduce on a per-user basis as the number of licences increase.
Up Front Investment
It is possible to reduce the initial licence investment and increase the monthly subscriptions, but over the long term it works out cheaper to pay a reasonable initial licence fee.
The higher the initial investment, the lower the monthly licence and the higher the long term benefit of your investment.
Navigator is priced like a car loan, the higher the deposit, the lower the repayments. However, unlike a car loan, the repayments stay low forever, so the long term savings of paying more upfront continue to accumulate
Navigator Version
We offer Navigator in 3 versions, priced based on your dealership type
The Lite Version is aimed for the single site independent which operates only Sales or Service and no Accounting Requirements. It has a lower price point than our other other systems.
Our Solus offering is aimed at single or dual site independents, Used Car Supermarkets, Single Franchised or Caravan/Motorhome dealerships.
Our Group offering adds multi-site, multi-company and multi-franchise capability.
See what each version offers here
Franchises
Navigator supports most franchises "out-of-the-box", but there are some more complex franchises where there is a supplement to deliver the higher value integration.
Add-ons
Navigator is supplied as a full package, so the core software contains pretty much everything most dealer's will want. As you use more of the system, the number of user licences you will need will increase and so will your investment!
However the are a handful of updates which aren't used by all dealers, so are priced individually in order that you only invest in the packages you need.
For example, this may include :-
A Navigator licence ranges from £0- £1000 initial licence investment (at the dealer's choice) and then from from £35-85 per month per licence thereafter. It can be thought of as a car finance deal, the more you put in up-front the less your monthly payments are.
Unlike a car finance proposal, the term for Navigator is unlimited - so the savings by making a large up-front investment will continue in years 4 onwards.
A typical Franchised dealership with the Navigator Solus system will probably sit in the middle range for both of these.
An independent Sales or Service dealership using Navigator Lite will likely invest 15% less both in initial licence and subsequent licence.
Multi-site operations using the Navigator Group System will pay a little more, for the extra features they require, but this will be offset by price reductions as the number of licences required increases.
Navigator is competitively priced against systems with similar features.
Navigator functionality is on-par with the top systems in the marketplace whereas the investment required by the dealer is more mid-range. Kind of like buying a Volkswagen - it is reliable, high functioning but mid-range in terms of pricing.
Particularly over the long term as Navigator has permanent price increases tied to the Retail Price Index and we will never charge you for an upgrade – ever! This is unusual in the industry.
We often find that our prospects and customers are surprised that migrating to Navigator can actually have a lower total cost of ownership than staying with their existing system! .
Navigator Solus doesn't have too many options to reduce the price, bar increasing the contract term and the up front payment.
The main factor is to reduce the number of user licences and restrict add ons to only those that you need. We recommend calculating the minimum you will need when you initially licence. With Navigator, you can increase (and reduce –to a minimum of 5) the number of licences you use and are charged for at anytime.
It may be that if you use more of the system than you expected, that you may then need an extra licence or two – but that would be ok as you are getting extra benefit.
It may be that you wish to lower the initial payment – you can do that, though of course the monthly payments will rise. This may work for some.
In short NO
When a dealer signs up with Navigator, the price per licence is frozen in real terms at that point
So, what that means, is best served by example.
If a 5 user system is contracted at £1500 initial payment and £250 per month, then each user had an initial subscription of £300 with a per month subscription of £50.
If you wanted to add an extra user, you would pay an additional one off of £300 and then pay £300 per month thereon (i.e 50 x 6)
We cannot vary this price, except in line with Inflation - we tie our pricing to the Retail Price Index.
However, even here, you will not receive an increase until you have had Navigator for at least 12 months.
At Navigator, we like to keep it simple!
As you would expect, the simple answer is “it depends”. But depends on what ?
Will I get any shocks with price rises in future?
Read the full article....
