Another challenge was the ARMS Automotive system, introduced in April 1999 for auto-body shop users. The payoff for it was obvious. Instead of busy mechanics constantly having to field phone calls, they could simply send a mass update of all Enterprise customer repairs in their shop once a day at their convenience. The problem was that most auto-body shop PCs were still running on DOS, and Internet access was nowhere on their radar screens. Fortunately, insurance companies began demanding that shops migrate to Windows-based repair-estimating software, which forced most of the shops to upgrade their systems and become Web-enabled in the process. That then allowed Enterprise to develop a single, Web-based version of ARMS Automotive.

In the end, Enterprise has reaped considerable rewards from ARMS. The company processes more than $1 billion worth of transactions annually through the system. And according to COO and President Don Ross, Enterprise has been able - in large part because of ARMS - to forge several "preferred provider relationships" with insurers like MetLife and GMAC. Meanwhile, 22 of the nation's 25 biggest insurance companies - and more than 150 companies in all - are using the system. And because ARMS makes it so much easier for insurance companies to do business with Enterprise, the company's business with major ARMS customers has grown dramatically faster than its overall insurance business, which includes insurers still conducting rental transactions manually. "We've seen our business more than double with certain companies since they've gone on ARMS," says Ross. "It's really the glue that put it all together."

Have you grown your business by automating your processes? Let Senior Writer Eric Berkman know at eberkman@cio.com.