Tag: Choosing a new DMS

Make the Move to a New Dealer Management System

Posted on

The technology you use to connect your dealership operations is like a lifeline. So, it makes sense that a decision to move to a new Dealer Management System is a big deal. For many dealers, making the transition to any new technology is a difficult decision. Disruptions in work and business are just the tip of the iceberg regarding the many fears that can hold people back. Overcoming the fear of change to your daily workflows and access to data goes even further. Fortunately, the dealers in the video below, found the process of switching to a new DMS was calculated, supported, and guided by a team of experts. Furthermore, once they made the switch, they found a technology partner invested in their success beyond the switch.

 

Technology That Doesn’t Hold Your Team Back

New tools and tech often sound glamorous to people with purchase power. But they can also carry an intimidation factor that causes anxiety to your entire staff. If you’re considering a new technology as integral as your DMS, be sure to weigh the pros and cons of its user interface and useability. If your new hires and legacy teammates are unable to learn how to use your DMS, you’ll have an even bigger issue on your hands once you make the switch. Dealertrack DMS is rated the #1 easiest-to-use, so your team can reach full productivity faster and employees can take advantage of its powerful capabilities.

Access to Data Shouldn’t Cost More

Businesses can’t operate without access to the data and insights that help them see the bigger picture. With drill-down reporting, real-time data, and remote access to information when and where you need it, you can make the best decisions for your business. Unfortunately, some vendors hold your data hostage. Dealertrack DMS is backed by Cox Automotive, giving you access to the most powerful source of truth in the automotive industry. In fact, our open system is built to enable reliable, affordable connectivity to your best-in-class preferred vendors. Our open platform allows for third-party integrations and pairs easily with the vendors of your choice, reducing costly integration fees other providers charge.

Ready to learn more? Visit https://us.dealertrack.com/dms/ and start demanding more from the technology driving your dealership.

 

 

Beyond The Contract

Posted on

Finding the right technology partner for your dealership takes more than a solid contract or a good deal to secure your trust. When it comes to choosing the right Dealer Management System (DMS), you deserve a partner, not just another provider. Here’s what you should expect from your DMS partner when you go beyond the contract.

Discover more from your technology investment

Signing a contract can feel like a serious investment—and it is. Yet, often for dealers, before the ink is dry, the relationship between your DMS provider is out of sight and out of mind. A truly vested partnership should help you and your team uncover the true value of your technology investment. Learning a new system has the potential to help your team uncover more productive process improvements, learn new ways of analyzing data, and change the way your business operates.

Partnering with true experts

Getting advice from your vendors in the past has probably felt like a sales pitch. And those “trusted experts” have probably had their own sales goals to meet. What if your new DMS partner came with a team of industry pros, with real field experience, who had your goals, values, and aspirations in mind? Partnering with Performance Managers is like having a trusted advocate in your corner to help level-up your goal-setting game. After all, when our partners do well, it makes everyone look good.

Trust and transparency are the new customer service model

Your dealership goes a long way to deliver top notch customer service to your buyers. So you’d expect nothing less from your partners, right? Then why do so many dealerships tolerate customer service that fails to meet the needs of their team before, during, and (especially) after a technology transition? With the introduction of DMS 360, our DMS users have access to an online community of peers for faster problem-solving that delivers a new level of transparency.

Choosing a new DMS is the first step, but discovering a true partner who can help ease the pain of a transition to your new, improved DMS and deliver better customer service is the future of dealership technology. Learn from real-world dealers, like you, who have made the transition by watching the video below.

 

Watch now >>

 

Ask Better Questions. Get More From Your DMS.

Posted on

Have you ever heard the phrase, “There are no stupid questions?” Of course you have. Yet a fly on the wall of any corporate business meeting will tell you that, certainly, it would seem the people in the room are afraid of proving that statement wrong. In a Harvard Business Review poll, readers estimated 70-80% of their children’s dialogue was comprised of questions. (Anyone with small children is likely not surprised.) Yet, by the time we grow up, those same readers estimate their inquisitiveness drops as low as 15%. So, what happened?

Does everyone at your dealership have all the answers? Do you fully understand the scope of implementing a brand new Dealer Management System into multiple dealership locations? Odds are, no. Yet, knowing which questions to ask can be difficult. Here are three reasons why you, and your entire team, should get together more often and start asking…”why?”

Having a Growth Mindset

About 40 years ago, a Stanford University Psychologist named Carol Dweck uncovered the science behind the growth mindset. Now, businesses like Microsoft are famously adopting the principles defined in this research to unlock hidden potential in their teams. By removing the fear behind failure, employees and organizations are driving higher innovation, reaching their goals, and pursuing bigger projects. Research shows that it’s worked for very large enterprises. Is your dealership ready to ask more questions, even if you don’t have all the answers?

Becoming a Better Leader

Making a technology switch is a big deal. Months of planning can suddenly grind to a halt when things go wrong. Although “resistance to change” is often cited as a major delay in a technology switch, people will always look toward leadership to guide a technology transition smoothly. In other words: It starts at the top. The CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt is quoted, “We run this company on questions, not answers.” Having an open forum where you and your team can freely discuss the unknowns can keep everyone in learning mode and help you become a better leader, according to professional development experts. Make sure your door is open and your dealership is a safe space for questions about any changes.

Discovering the Unknown

It’s tempting to ask safe questions and end each day with definitive answers. Yet, collaborating with your team leads and asking the right questions—more questions—is a start in the right direction. “How will this impact our work load?” “Will we lose our data?” “Who will own this project?” Sometimes, knowing what you don’t know can help you discover the important steps you’ll need to take before you make the next move. It can also help you identify roles and responsibilities your internal team will need to assign, as well as uncover the gaps your potential vendors should support. To get started, get your copy of the DMS Checklist here.

 

Begin your journey by asking the right questions. Get the DMS Checklist.

Choose Your Own (DMS) Adventure

Posted on

Choosing a new Dealer Management System (DMS) is a BIG decision. It impacts everything within your dealership. Your staff will need to learn how to use it, you’ll need to devote serious time to install it, every technology system must integrate with it, and you’ve got to find the right vendor you can trust. The relationship you build—and it’s a serious relationship—with your DMS vendor will set the standard from the day you sign the contract, to well beyond the day you flip the switch to the new technology. You understand all of this. The decision to make the change is one that generally takes a lot of consideration.

But, ultimately, one decision…one path…will lead you to a great change. So, we asked several real-life dealers what helped them make the switch.

It’s about learning.
For some dealerships, having a DMS that was easy, and fast, for their staff to learn was key. “The web-base is so easy…Trying to train somebody on a new DMS, back in the day, was such a lengthy process,” explains Dean Collins from Gerald Auto Group. The ability to bring new team members up-to-speed without the frustrations of an old, out-of-date system that requires memorization and lengthy manuals was worth the switch. See more.

It’s about connecting the dots.
Dealers are often surprised to discover that they have to pay integration fees simply to access their own data or to connect their technology platforms within their dealership. And franchised dealers, with multiple locations, pay even more to connect each store. Dealertrack DMS uses an Open Track system that allows dealers to access their data. As Ken Barczysyn of Dwayne Lane Auto Family said,“It doesn’t restrict us…that’s great!” See more.

It’s about making the switch.
Going through a DMS technology switch can be overwhelming. It’s a big change, and dealers must prepare for the work. But, with a supportive installation team, dealers are often surprised to find that making the switch isn’t as scary as they once thought. “It wasn’t overwhelming or unreasonable,” explains Kelly Webb Roberts from Webb Auto Group. See more.

It’s about partnership.
Your DMS vendor should be a partner, not a provider. Finding a vendor who is invested in your long-term success is rare, but it shows when you can count on your partner to show up, be available, and offer ongoing support. For David Alderson at Alderson Auto Group it means, “…both the pre-install, the initial install, and then the follow-up that we get well into five months after we’ve installed. And we still have people coming by to check on us.” See more.

The decision to make a technology change is influenced by many factors. Ultimately, finding the right DMS partner who checks all the right boxes is what matters most to your dealership. So, the ultimate question remains: what matters most to you?