New software tools evolve to handle the complexity of managing dealerships
Quorum’s XSellerator tracks a service work order and compiles comprehensive summaries that are stored in the system.
Dealership management software (DMS) programs are well-known tools to help streamline operations and boost sales. Yet choosing the best system for your needs is no easy task. The systems are comprehensive in their capabilities and complex to analyze. And it’s a competitive marketplace, with loads of vendors promising the latest and greatest solutions, so keeping up-to-date can be a challenge.
A lot of innovative development has taken place in DMS systems over the past couple of years, mainly with a focus of improving the user interface. With high staff turnover in many dealerships, the easier it is to train a new employee to use a DMS, the more quickly the operation will benefit from the software’s capabilities.
Data to go
Another trend focuses on mobile applications, allowing dealers to keep track of business operations using smartphones or tablet computers. With this option, staff are not tied down to a desktop computer — they can have access to data at their desks, out on the lot or while on the road.
One such mobile-oriented program is DriveMotion, the next iteration of Drive, ADP Dealer Service’s mainstream dealer management system. Scheduled for release in late summer, DriveMotion is a new Internet-based program that will be able to present a dealership’s most important transactions and tasks from a central location, in a highly-consistent and usable way.
DriveMotion will be available through any computer with web access, including Apple and Android smartphones and tablets.
“Drive is designed around the workflow of a dealership,” said ADP Canada’s vice-president and general manager, Dean Anton. “Drive facilitates the dealer personnel, so they can work most efficiently and effectively, and it ultimately impacts their relationship with their customer.”
The Drive DMS program, which is installed in about 1,200 dealerships in Canada, brings together key dealer and consumer-facing workflows, such as evaluating a trade-in, applying for financing, scheduling and writing up service, customer relationship and sales lead management, and payroll.
“It’s all driven by workflow management, to make the dealership effective in what it does and ultimately it improves the relationship with the customer. Everything we do is driven around the client experience,” said Anton. “If the dealership is becoming more profitable in selling parts, cars and service, it’s win-win.
In Canada, the company is going to be releasing a new front-end product called CT Wizard said Anton. “The next iteration of that product will be a simple, graphical, straightforward-to-use product that dealers have not had before. It’s entirely integrated with the existing DMS but incorporates more efficient technology. It’s being developed in Canada to meet the specific needs of the Canadian market, and will be bilingual,” says Anton It’s also scheduled for release late summer.
Customer touches
Already offering a completely web-based program, One-Eighty Corp. is a Canadian automotive customer relationship management (CRM) and dealership training provider, serving auto dealers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its program uses a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application, allowing centralized updating, which makes changes to the program more efficient for the dealer. One-Eighty calls its program A-Z Sales and CRM.
One-Eighty aims to provide structure to the selling process, reduce its complexity, engage the customer, provide management control and hold staff accountable. The system features Menu Selling, which automatically loads all deal, customer and vehicle information, eliminating the need for double entry of information by the dealership’s business office. It also offers an optional CRM tool called The Magnet for handling marketing campaigns and centralizing customer contacts.
“Sales reps take to One-Eighty like ducks to water for all that they do — follow ups, appointments, presenting inventory, quoting, traffic, accessory sales, scheduling deliveries, etc.,” said Kerry Meuller, president of One-Eighty Corp. The program tracks data as sales staff are working every day to do their entire sales jobs. It’s all in one system.
Happy customers
“The One-Eighty system immediately improved the flow and accuracy of our entire sales process and raised the level of professionalism of our sales team,” said Rob Ricketts, general manager of Fredericton Volkswagen in New Brunswick.
“It’s so user-friendly, I have not heard of any manager or salesperson with our organization who has not fully mbraced the system,” said Arnold Smith, managing partner, Lone Star Mercedes-Benz in Calgary, AB.
One-Eighty celebrated its tenth anniversary in March.
Breaking down barriers
The ERA dealer management system from Reynolds and Reynolds, Mississauga, Ont., is built on a foundation of applications that can help run a dealership from the web to the showroom, to the financing and insurance office, to the parts and service departments, and to accounting and payroll. “ERA can be customized and scaled according to each individual dealer’s business needs,” said company spokesperson Lucy Pozzobon.
Reynolds and Reynolds spokesperson Thomas Schwartz noted that the company has continued to invest in product development, even during the recession. “We’ll be coming out with some products that will give better results for dealers, to help make the dealership operation more efficient and productive. The goal is to provide utilization and results for the dealer. We’ll be building in more insightful reporting.
“We’re trying, in a number of areas, to break down the barrier between the dealer personnel and the customer, to get the customer more involved in the process. That’s our approach to product development.”
The ERA DMS program was introduced in the U.S. in 1987 (25 years ago) and in Canada in 1988. “We’ve completely rebuilt the ERA DMS software with Windows point-and-click functionality,” said Schwartz. “It improves navigation so it’s easier to get around. We’ve also reduced the number of keystrokes it takes to get around in the program.” The new Windows-based version is called ERA Ignite, and it’s currently in pilot testing in Canada.
“A couple of new things are integrated into Ignite, including computer-assisted instruction (CAI). There’s a lot of turnover in dealer personnel, so new employees need to be trained on the system. Now that’s built in.”
ERA Ignite also has better exception reporting, so general managers can set their own criteria for dozens of business issues. The dealers decide what they want to track, and can see it on a dashboard, saving looking at a lot of reports. “It’s more intelligent reporting,” noted Schwartz.
Integration is key
Calgary-based Quorum Information Technologies Inc., which supplies Xsellerator dealership and customer management systems, is a preferred General Motors DMS supplier in North America. Quorum’s DMS products are also available to Chrysler, Subaru and Hyundai dealerships.
Xsellerator is a comprehensive dealership and customer management solution that automates, integrates and streamlines every department in a dealership, according to Mark Allen, vice-president of sales, marketing and services. It is built as a single, integrated system with overall business processes and work flow embedded within its various departmental functions. Departments get ‘horizontal’ communication and the dealership benefits from ‘vertical’ integration with General Motors.
The system was designed with a foundation of workflow and efficiencies across departments. And the factory-to-dealer integration means less rework and more accuracy of information.
Mark Cullen, the general manager of Barry Cullen Chevrolet Cadillac in Guelph, Ont., likes the fact that the system is integrated. “We saved a lot of money when we switched from our previous DMS a few years ago,” he said. “Compared to a system with optional modules, an all-in-one system is cheaper.”
One benefit of Xsellerator for Cullen is that the dealership can dial directly into General Motors and do a recall check on customer vehicles. “It’s a time-saver.” He also said the system is easy to use, being Windows-based. “It’s easier to train new hires.”
As you can see, various programs aim to make life easier for dealership management and personnel, and as their development continues, new methods and technologies will continue to help streamline both operations and customer relationships.
