Customer Ownership Change Process Guide

1. Purpose

The Customer Ownership Change process in DMS is used to update the ownership details of a vehicle when the vehicle is sold, transferred, or ownership changes from one customer to another.

This process ensures that:

• Vehicle ownership records remain accurate
• Service history is linked to the correct customer
• Future Job Cards reflect the new owner details
• Warranty and service benefits are mapped correctly
• OEM records remain updated and compliant

The process also maintains complete ownership history for audit and service traceability purposes.

Industry Standard Overview – Ownership Change in Automobile Dealerships

In automobile dealerships, ownership transfer is a controlled and approval-based activity because vehicle ownership impacts:

• Warranty eligibility
• Service history
• Insurance records
• AMC/Extended warranty benefits
• Recall communication
• Customer engagement history
• Regulatory compliance

Industry-standard DMS platforms maintain:

• Historical owner records
• Ownership audit trail
• Document verification
• OEM approval workflow
• Open Job Card handling
• Vehicle-customer mapping consistency

Most OEMs require dealership-raised ownership transfer requests to be approved centrally before the ownership change becomes effective.

Navigation Path

Workshop → Service Job Cards → Quick Link → Customer Edit

Preconditions

Before performing ownership change:

• Vehicle must exist in DMS
• Chassis number should be valid
• Required ownership documents should be available
• User should have permission to raise ownership requests

Step-by-Step Process – Customer Ownership Change

Step 1: Open Service Job Card Worksheet

Login to DMS and navigate to:

Workshop → Service Job Cards

The Service Job Card Worksheet screen will open.

Step 2: Open Customer Edit Screen

From the worksheet screen:

Click:

Quick Link → Customer Edit

The Customer Edit Screen will open.

Step 3: Select Ownership Change Option

Inside Customer Edit Screen:

Click:

Ownership Change

This opens the Ownership Change screen.

Step 4: Enter Vehicle Chassis Number

Enter the vehicle:

Chassis Number

Then click:

View Customer Details

Step 5: Review Existing Ownership History

The system displays ownership history for the vehicle.

This includes:

Industry Standard Importance – Ownership History

Maintaining ownership history is important for:

• Service continuity
• Warranty audit
• Legal traceability
• Recall management
• Insurance validation
• Customer relationship tracking

The DMS preserves all historical ownership records even after ownership transfer.

Step 6: Enter New Owner Details

Update the new customer ownership information.

Mandatory fields are marked with:

Red Asterisk (*)

Required Information

Typically includes:

Step 7: Upload Mandatory Documents

Upload required ownership verification documents.

Common documents include:

Industry Standard Best Practice – Document Verification

Dealerships should ensure:

• Uploaded documents are valid and readable
• RC matches chassis number
• Customer ID matches ownership details
• Images clearly identify vehicle condition

This helps avoid:

• Fraudulent ownership changes
• Warranty misuse
• Incorrect service mapping

Step 8: Select Open Job Card Handling Option

The system provides two options:

Understanding Both Options

Option 1 – Change No Jobs

• Existing open Job Cards remain unchanged
• New ownership applies only for future Job Cards

Use when:

• Existing work should remain under previous customer
  

Option 2 – Change Open Job

• Open Job Cards immediately reflect new customer details

Use when:

• Vehicle ownership already changed before service completion
  

Industry Standard Recommendation

Most dealerships prefer:

• Completing existing Job Cards under old owner
• Applying new ownership from next service onward

This avoids:

• Billing confusion
• Insurance mismatch
• Warranty claim inconsistencies

Step 9: Raise Ownership Change Request

After entering all details:

Click:

Make Request

Important System Behavior

Ownership details are not updated directly.

Instead:

• A request is raised to OEM
• OEM validates documents
• OEM approves or rejects request

Industry Standard Approval Workflow

Ownership change is approval-controlled because:

• Warranty policies may differ for second owners
• AMC/Extended warranty may require validation
• OEM must maintain central customer database accuracy

This ensures:

• Compliance
• Data integrity
• Controlled ownership transition

Step 10: OEM Review Process

OEM users can:

• View request details
• Verify uploaded documents
• Review vehicle details
• Validate ownership proof

The OEM can then:

Step 11: OEM Adds Remark

OEM enters approval/rejection remarks.

Example:

“Ownership documents verified successfully.”

Step 12: OEM Saves the Request

After verification:

Click:

Save

The ownership details are updated in DMS.

Step 13: Verify Ownership Update

Search the vehicle again using:

Chassis Number

The new customer name will now appear against the vehicle.

Post-Approval Impact

After ownership change:

• Future Job Cards show new owner
• Service history continues for vehicle
• Customer communication updates
• Recall notifications go to new owner
• Warranty linkage updates as per OEM rules

Industry Standard Business Rules

Best Practices

For Service Advisors

• Verify customer identity before request
• Ensure all mandatory documents are uploaded
• Explain ownership impact to customer

For Dealership CRM Team

• Validate contact details carefully
• Avoid duplicate customer creation
• Ensure communication channels are updated

For OEM Team

• Verify ownership authenticity
• Check warranty eligibility impact
• Maintain centralized ownership records

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1 – Used Vehicle Purchase

Customer buys pre-owned vehicle:

• Ownership transferred
• Future services linked to new owner

Scenario 2 – Family Ownership Transfer

Vehicle transferred within family:

• Customer details updated
• Service continuity maintained

Scenario 3 – Insurance Ownership Correction

Ownership mismatch corrected after insurance update.

Process Flow Summary

Open Service Job Card
        ↓
Quick Link → Customer Edit
        ↓
Ownership Change
        ↓
Enter Chassis Number
        ↓
View Existing Ownership
        ↓
Update New Owner Details
        ↓
Upload Documents
        ↓
Select Open Job Handling
        ↓
Make Request
        ↓
OEM Verification
        ↓
Approve / Reject
        ↓
Ownership Updated

Important Validation Points

Conclusion

The Customer Ownership Change process in DMS helps dealerships and OEMs maintain accurate and compliant vehicle ownership records throughout the vehicle lifecycle.

A properly managed ownership transfer process helps:

• Maintain correct customer mapping
• Ensure service continuity
• Support warranty validation
• Improve customer communication
• Maintain audit and legal compliance

This process is a critical part of customer lifecycle management in modern automobile dealership operations.