AutoTech Outlook: Specials Magazine

Gold Standard Automotive Network reengineers vehicle protection into a powerful loyalty engine for dealerships and lenders while delivering consistent, everyday value to customers. Each vehicle service contract (VSC) is built as a high-utility service program, embedding practical benefits like maintenance, service incentives and customer retention tools directly into the agreement. Instead of one-and-done coverage, this model creates a continuous value loop, keeping customers engaged and giving dealerships meaningful opportunities to reconnect throughout the ownership journey. This shift was necessary. For years, VSCs functioned mainly as a safety net, providing financial protection only during unexpected repairs or major breakdowns. However, this model had a clear drawback. Many customers purchased a VSC for peace of mind, but completed the coverage period without ever needing a repair, leaving them feeling like they paid for protection they never used. “Our transformation began with a fresh perspective and a simple question: Will this truly benefit the customer?” says Anthony Timpson, chief sales officer. Guided by CEO Brent Timpson’s clear vision to ‘give more back to the customer,’ Gold Standard rejected industry norms and prioritized member value over margins. It overhauled the VSC to include practical, benefit-driven offerings that customers genuinely rely on, like oil changes, brake replacements, battery coverage, coolant service, alignments and tire rotations. This model delivers ongoing, visible value throughout the ownership experience, turning the contract into a practical investment that improves vehicle upkeep and deepens the customer’s sense of value. Every interaction becomes a touchpoint for service and trust, making the VSC more rewarding for drivers and more effective for dealers focused on retention. Its customer-first model also brings measurable advantages to the broader automotive ecosystem. Franchise dealers, independent dealers and lenders benefit from contracts that drive repeated visits and strengthen service lane engagement. Lenders, in particular, gain added confidence knowing the vehicles they finance are supported by programs that encourage regular maintenance and help preserve long-term asset value. Beyond protection, Gold Standard invests in infrastructure that reinforces trust and ensures regulatory alignment. Its partnership with F&I Sentinel helps dealers navigate evolving requirements, while its close collaboration with credit unions reflects a mutual focus on delivering reliable service and lasting customer relationships. Together, these efforts define a modern approach to vehicle protection, grounded in everyday utility and built to strengthen loyalty at every level.

Complexity has a way of multiplying, especially in the auto finance industry. Lenders and dealers alike juggle dozens of systems, contend with fragmented data, and serve customers who expect instant answers. In this environment, where decisions must be made faster than ever and every misstep can erode margins, making sense of origination pipelines, profitability metrics, and risk signals in real time has become the competitive edge between lenders that lead and those that lag. Jericho Information Technology has built its reputation on untangling that complexity. For 18 years, the privately held company has focused solely on the automotive finance space, serving clients that range from regional startups to some of North America’s largest captive finance companies. The company operates across the U.S. and Canada, supporting organizations that range from billion-dollar enterprises to single-state lenders and adapting its models to meet a wide variety of operational and compliance needs. This singular focus shapes everything it does, from product design to reinvestment priorities. “Being privately held shields us from external financial pressures, allowing us to stay focused on client needs,” says Dave McCune, president of Jericho Information Technology. “More than half of our profits go straight back into the platform to help us exceed our clients’ expectations.” Where many technology providers spread themselves across multiple industries, Jericho has remained committed to auto finance and origination. That decision has paid off in the company’s ability to integrate deeply with legacy lender systems and accelerate production, a major advantage for lenders constrained by older infrastructure. This experience provides all Jericho clients a rapid implementation, low cost support, and a high ROI. Central to Jericho’s appeal is its omnichannel automotive platform, a unified environment where analytics, CRM, risk modeling, compliance tracking, and marketing functions operate from the same data set. To clients, it is simply the “single version of the truth.” By normalizing inputs from numerous legacy systems, the platform reduces support costs, simplifies training, and allows every department—sales, risk, accounting, and executive teams—to act on the same information. The company’s analytics module, its first and still a core offering, gives lenders a granular view of performance across states, regions, dealer networks, and even pricing tiers. Built on top of that foundation is a CRM designed specifically for the auto finance market. It goes beyond basic contact management, equipping users with detailed dealer profitability data, originations history, competitive sales figures, and lienholder insights. Integrated workflows help teams track titles, rebates, and demands without relying on multiple tools or manual reconciliations..