Auto Dealer Software Data Integration Experts Blog

Automotive dealer management system selection is important and not that hard.

Retail automotive dealers face this question and set out to compare the many automotive Dealer Management System software solutions (DMS) available on the market today. Recently I wrote how different Dealer System Providers (DSPs) sell the same manufacturer integration in name, but differ in functionality. Considering what you really need and not just following the old adage that "more is better" is the challenge.

Surveys, polls, and focus groups have tried to answer this question without success for many years. Why? They are asking the wrong question. When investigating auto dealer management software, dealers should be asking; which is the best auto dealer software for my dealership?

There are many auto dealer software providers in the industry providing all flavors of dealer management systems at various price points. On the surface they all look the same with accounting, payroll, parts inventory, service management, F&I and auto manufacturer integration.

The answer to this questions is complex. It is also crucial to understand due to the fact that the answer feeds return on investment discussions. Integrations that are one sided in value for the auto manufacturer or auto dealer tend to struggle and/or fail. Due to the complexity of the topic, I'll focus on a small piece of it; creating a business case based on actual vs perceived value.

The process of managing parts inventory for an automotive dealership has come a long way over the years.  Parts Managers who once managed their inventories on index cards now use auto dealer software programmed with complex algorithms that calculate ordering rules and analyze industry trends.  It is safe to say that the evolution of car dealer software integration in retail automotive dealership Parts Departments can be largely credited as a driver of this change.

We've all heard the saying "time is money". A classic real world business example can be found in the day to day dealership operations tasks of automotive vehicle warranty claims processing.  A stack of vehicle warranty claims sitting on a desk of a Warranty Administrator equates to money that should be in the auto dealership bank account.  Any efficiency in processing warranty claims is critical to effectively managing an auto dealership. Luckily, auto dealer software that is integrated with the manufacturer business systems can be easily obtained that helps to solve this problem.

The previous article "Auto Dealers Report New Vehicle Sales via Dealer Management Software" described how a typical delay of data entry related to new vehicle sales can quickly turn into a dealership worst case scenario. Simplified retail delivery reporting via the dealer management software helps reduce data entry overhead and helps keep the dealership on track for meeting sales goals.

The previous article "The Need for Service Write-up Integration" described how a typical morning drop off in a busy Service Department that does not have auto dealer software certified for integrations with the auto manufacturer is not conducive to finding out if a vehicle has an open campaign. Gathering campaign information at the time of write-up is crucial to customer service, service revenue and could even have legal implications. The service bay write-up needs to improve.

Auto Dealer Service Write-up Woes

The Service Department at your auto dealership just opened and you have a line of people waiting impatiently to drop off their car.  The service advisers work hard to rapidly work the line of people as best they can. The service advisor hears the customer pitching things like "the breaks squeal", the motor goes “ka chug, ka chug" or "there is some light on the dashboard and I have no idea what it means".  Your auto dealer software service bay module is not integrated with the auto manufacturer for Service VIN inquiry.

It's the end of the month, time for the monthly retail delivery reporting to the auto manufacturer and there is a stack of deal jackets sitting in your office. You do anything to avoid the stack knowing eventually the work will need to be done. The stack of new vehicle sales will need to be reported to the auto manufacturer in order to meet sales goals for your dealership and earn the monthly incentive. If you don't get the vehicles reported, it will be you that will need to explain to the General Manager or Dealer Principal why they didn't earn that additional incentive that allows them to afford the trip to Hawaii in February with the wife and kids.