Kia

The Challenge

Kia's North American dealer network was managing inventory, service bays, and regional reporting through a patchwork of tools — some provided by Kia corporate, others cobbled together by individual dealerships. Inventory visibility lagged by 24–48 hours. Service scheduling was handled locally with no visibility at the regional or national level.

When a new vehicle model launched or a regional incentive program kicked off, the information cascade to dealers was slow, inconsistent, and reliant on email distribution lists. Kia's regional managers had no single view of how their territory was performing against KPIs.

The ask: build a dealer operations portal that Kia could own and operate — one that reflected the same design quality as their consumer-facing brand while solving real operational problems for the people using it daily in showrooms and service centers.

The Solution

We delivered the first interactive prototype within 48 hours of kickoff — enough to get real feedback from a regional manager and two dealership GMs before a single line of production code was written. That prototype shaped the entire architecture.

The platform was designed around three user types with distinct needs: Dealer GMs who need an instant operational snapshot, Service Managers who need to see their bay schedule and parts queue, and Regional KPI Managers at Kia corporate who need cross-dealer aggregate views.

We built the design system to be brand-compliant with Kia's visual identity — using their approved type hierarchy, color palette, and iconography — while adding Appsurd's layer of polish and motion detail that elevated it beyond a typical enterprise tool.

What We Built

• Inventory Command Center — real-time vehicle inventory across all dealer lots, filterable by model, trim, color, age on lot, and distance from distribution center. Integrates with Kia's existing DMS (Dealer Management System) via API.
• Service Bay Scheduler — drag-and-drop service appointment calendar with technician assignment, ETA tracking, parts availability lookup, and automated customer status notifications via SMS.
• Regional Performance Dashboard — aggregate KPI views for regional managers: units sold, service revenue, customer satisfaction scores, and incentive program participation rates — all with week-over-week trend lines.
• Incentive & Program Hub — a centralized feed of active Kia corporate programs, regional incentives, and training certifications, replacing the email chain workflow entirely.
• Dealer Onboarding Wizard — a guided setup flow that connects a new dealership to the platform in under 20 minutes: DMS credentials, user accounts, role assignments, and data validation.
• Parts Ordering Integration — links to Kia's parts procurement system with in-portal reorder requests, inventory alerts when stock hits minimums, and order status tracking.
• Mobile-Responsive Service View — optimized layout for service advisors working on a tablet in the drive-through lane, showing day's appointments, vehicle status, and customer check-in.

Results