Tag: Switching Technology

The Dealer Who’s Different Demands a DMS Who Cares

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Making the move to a new Dealer Management System requires careful consideration from the stakeholders at your dealership. When evaluating the technology that houses the data driving your business, your entire staff will be affected by making the switch. For the team at Greg Hubler Automotive, who made the switch to a new-to-market DMS in early 2022, the promise of a better experience for both their guests and their people was reason enough to leap into the unknown. However, when the promise from their vendor was under-delivered and their employee morale took a big hit, Matt Lohmiller, VP of Operations, was ready to pull the plug. Greg Hubler Automotive is a different kind of dealer—one who truly values its people and its guests. Here’s their story.

A DMS Partner Who Lives Up to Their Promise

A few months after implementing their new DMS, Lohmiller received feedback from his team that things weren’t on the up and up. “I was going to potentially be losing some team members if we stayed (with the other DMS) …and I couldn’t have that.” Employee retention and satisfaction have always been key components of what makes Greg Hubler unique. While going through multiple DMS switches within several months isn’t ideal, Lohmiller took careful consideration from his team and decided to switch to Dealertrack DMS. After hearing their input, it was clear which direction they wanted to go. “We had to make the change,” he recalls.

A Partner Committed to Their Success

A key benefit of making the switch to Dealertrack DMS was the ability to observe the implementation process first-hand and compare the difference from Greg Hubler’s previous provider. The switch to Dealertrack DMS was more streamlined and the level of support “has been great, all around,” said Lohmiller. “Even after the implementation team has left, we have a Performance Manager we can reach out to any time.”

For the people at Greg Hubler, the difference has been night and day. The change enabled ownership and management to keep their promise of being a different kind of dealer—one that listens to team members cares for customers and prioritizes people.

Looking for a DMS who matches your values? Read Greg Hubler’s full story here. 

14 Reasons to Start eContracting Now

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As more and more dealerships adopt eContracting, you might be wondering if now is the time for your dealership to look into getting or using an eContracting solution. The fact is, there’s no good reason not to use eContracting today for the growing list of lenders that currently accept it.

When you adopt and use eContracting with your current lenders, you benefit from more efficient workflows, fewer returned contracts and faster funding from those lenders. Each time an additional lender joins the platform, you’ll be ready to expand those efficiencies in your daily transactions.

Here are some of the many ways your dealership can benefit from using eContracting today:

  1. Move away from the hassles and costs of paper contracts – Using less paper in your contract process means less printing, copying, faxing, toner cartridge replacement, shipping and paper files.
  2. Make your contract process more efficient and customer-friendly – Streamline your workflow with a single electronic deal jacket, integrations that reduce data re-entry, and a smoother contract review and signing process for your customers.
  3. Improvements to your bottom line – Investing in eContracting can cut contract in transit time so you get funded as fast as the same day, and also save on printing and shipping costs.
  4. The convenience of electronic signatures – “Sign and tap” functionality allows buyers to sign one time per signing session and pre-fill all subsequent signatures with just a tap
  5. Faster funding from lenders – eContracting includes features that increase accuracy, which helps reduce the need for re-contracting and allows lenders to review and fund more quickly.
  6. Optimize your contracting workflow – The right eContracting solution should allow your dealership the flexibility to develop eContracting processes that support the way you do business.
  7. Submit and store contracts securely – The security features built into eContracting can help keep data safe within the dealership, in transit to lenders, and after the deal is completed.
  8. Cut down on data re-entry – Integrated technology systems allow customer and deal information to flow more smoothly from lead to contract with less duplicate data entry.
  9. Submit a complete deal that includes aftermarket products – A complete eContracting solution should give your dealership the ability to create and digitally submit service contracts to aftermarket providers and aftermarket sales contracts to lenders.
  10. Extend the convenience of digital retailing to the in-store experience – Support your dealership’s digital retailing initiatives with eContracting technology that meets customer expectations for a seamless online to in-store process and a speedy shopping transaction.
  11. Increase customer satisfaction – The number one frustration for car buyers is negotiation and paperwork according to Cox Automotive 2019 Car Buyer Journey research. Digital review and signing of contracts can save a customer 45 minutes at the dealership.
  12. Make lease deals easier – eContracting helps standardize lease contracts and align them with your dealership’s workflow for retail contracts to create a more efficient process across the board.
  13. Reduce contracts in transit – Overcome cash flow roadblocks with an eContracting process that can get your dealership funded faster.
  14. Offer customers flexible signing options – Have your customers review contracts and eSign from anywhere.

Dealertrack has the fastest growing digital contracting lender network. Find out how we can help you experience the benefits of eContracting today.

Improving On Your Paper Contracting Workflow

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When it comes to switching from paper contracts to eContracting or digital contracting, some dealerships have a hard time letting go of the workflows that they are used to. Even when they realize that their paper contract workflow is full of disruptions, inconveniences and expenses, it takes a mindset change to make the switch.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways a digital contracting workflow improves upon the paper process.

A place for everything and everything in its place

With paper contracting, you have piles of paperwork that must be printed as multiple copies and kept organized in paper deal jackets.

Digital Contracting on Dealertrack uniFI is designed to integrate with your DMS to minimize data reentry that can lead to errors.  It makes the contracting process more efficient by placing all documents in a single electronic deal jacket.

Need to add the customer’s drivers license? Just snap a photo on a mobile device and upload it to the deal jacket. Is the customer purchasing F&I products? Those contracts are in the deal jacket as well. Not sure what documents the lender requires? There’s a live funding checklist to make sure they’re all there before you submit.

Let’s not do this again

How often does your dealership end up re-contracting due to a missed signature or a calculation error? There are manual ways to make sure your contracts are complete and accurate before you submit them – we’ve heard of a dealership that had three different managers review each deal package. But that’s a time-consuming and expensive method to ensure that the contract is correct and ready to be sent to the lender.

With digital contracting, a real-time error display alerts you to any mistakes as you enter data. A verification step ensures that everything is signed before you submit the full package to the lender. No need to have your managers take up valuable time checking and double-checking, which makes them more available for customers.

Fast-forward to the good part

Test drives: fun. Taking delivery of a new car: exciting! Signing paperwork: heavy sigh.

So many steps of buying a car are legitimately positive for customers. However, when a car buyer is faced with a seemingly endless series of papers to sign, it can leave them frustrated and less than excited about their purchase.

But digital contracting smooths out the contracting stage and makes it feel like less of a chore for your customers. Contract review and digital signing can be done on whichever device works best for your process, either in-store or remotely. And sign-and-tap functionality to auto-fill signature fields leads to a faster signing process and helps ensure that you never miss a signature. That gets your customers to the best part of the purchase that much more quickly and helps maintain those positive CSI scores.

Want to know more about how Digital Contracting on Dealertrack uniFI can enhance your workflow? Let us show you!

Overcoming Objections: Find Consensus for Your New DMS

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The old saying goes, “Change is good.” But, the reality is, “Change can be really uncomfortable.” When organizations switch technologies, make broad structural shifts, or roll out new policies, the decision is never made lightly. Your dealership, like most, relies heavily on technology to run effectively. With two out of three car buyers preferring to complete most of the buying process online¹, the switch to digital sales is fueling the need for faster, more integrated technology within major franchise dealerships. So, the saying really should be, “Change might be scary, but it’s absolutely necessary!” Making the decision to switch your dealership’s Dealer Management System (DMS) is a big decision, and dealers often begin the process of consideration up to two years before their contract expires. So, when you’re ready to move to a new DMS, finding consensus among your team can ensure a successful launch. Overcome objections with the following tips before you make the move to a new DMS.

Prepare for Pushback

The more prepared your dealership team feels about an upcoming DMS switch, the less likely you’ll encounter pushback. “The more you can get people ready for change, and get them to the point where they’re open and ready to move on with life before you make that change, the more effective that’s going to be,” shares Bryan Baer, General Manager of Budd Baer Auto Group. Still, though, it’s best to be prepared to encounter some level of pushback from even your most flexible and agreeable team players. Ensuring your dealership staff is in the right mindset by the time you’re ready to launch your new DMS may require some flexibility on your part as well. Check your own mindset and make sure you’re prepared to hear some rumblings of discomfort.

“The more you can get people ready for change, and get them to the point where they’re open and ready to move on with life before you make that change, the more effective that’s going to be.” – Bryan Baer, General Manager | Budd Baer Auto Group

Reach out to Nay-sayers

Basic Change Management advice will tell you to find your advocates—anyone excited and willing to embrace the new change you’re bringing forth. That’s really good advice because, as Performance Manager Mark Gabriella points out, “If you don’t have a champion that wants to take the reins, you’re gonna be fighting an uphill fight.” But, that doesn’t mean Dealer Principals and Managers should ignore anyone who isn’t 100% on board simply because they have a handful of eager participants backing them up. Often, when management is ready to make a switch to a new DMS, there’s a good reason. Lack of easy integration, high fees, and clumsy user interfaces, and lack of customer support are some of the top reasons dealers have made the switch. “But, also,” Gabriella warns, “look for those who don’t (embrace new technology). It’s easy to find those who do, but it’s sometimes better to look for those who do not and turn them around.” Ignoring the team members who aren’t ready for change, or don’t understand your reasons, can cause long-lasting resentments that fester long after you make the change.

Validate Concerns by Backing Up Your Decision

When making the decision to switch to a new DMS, your dealership will have time between the decision date go-live to prepare the team. During that time, it’s your job as a leader to field concerns from each department and reiterate the business decision for change. Any organization that intends to grow and adapt to the changing market conditions and changes in buyer habits simply cannot abide by the mentality that “what we have now works just fine,” or “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Listen, validate, but remember to communicate to your employees the core reasons behind your decision.

Call On Your Partners to Step Up

One major objection dealers are likely to encounter from team members is that their staff is simply too busy to take on a DMS switch. Fears of “downtime” and lost productivity due to training are very real concerns. This is a reminder that the vendors you work with do not get a free pass to disperse as the ink is drying on the contract. Call upon your partners to manage the heavy lifting of training, and ensure that process efficiency is understood as the intended outcome from the switch. Your team is already busy. Let your vendors do the work.

Resistance to change is perfectly normal. Leading your dealership through a DMS change, overcoming objections, and building consensus is the sign of good leadership. Your dealership is destined for growth. Take the next step and download the full guide, The Road to Consensus, to get everyone on board before the big day.

Get your copy of the guide, The Road to Consensus, here.

¹Cox Automotive COVID-19 Consumer and Dealer Impact Study

Best practice tips for transitioning to a digital dealership

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Dealers are currently beating the odds in the face of economic unrest and uncertainty. According to the Cox Automotive COVID-19 Consumer and Dealer Impact Study, dealerships who have implemented digital sales models are exceeding predictions and can expect to see success in the long-term. In fact, 73% of dealers surveyed have a digital retailing solution in place, and just over 70% of those dealers are seeing buyers complete more of the purchase process online. Still, though, 2020 is only halfway over and Dealer Principal Owners (DPOs)and General Managers (GMs) are looking to their partners for advice, insights, and guidance moving forward. According to Performance Manager for Dealertrack DMS, Mark Gabriella, having the right technology in your dealership has never been more important. “The pandemic has been horrible for both individuals and businesses. Right now, dealers are discovering the opportunities within their business to make it through, but also to survive beyond.” Gabriella and his team of Performance Managers are working side-by-side (virtually for now) with their dealers to hold them accountable for the business goals set for the year. Below is his advice for making the transition to a digital dealership.

Solo Decisions Don’t Equal Strategy.

When thinking about digital sales strategy or integrated technology solutions, Gabriella warns DPOs and GMs to be team players. “If you don’t involve your management team, you don’t have a strategy. “You’re probably going to be fighting them down the road,” he explains. “You have to show your team what the advantages of a new software are, what your strategy looks like, how you’re going to implement it. And then you have to be open to meet after the implementation on a weekly and ongoing basis.” The true key to a successful launch of anything new within a dealership, is simple: feedback from the team. Are there tweeks that need to be made? Can the team make adjustments? As Gabriella explains, “It should never be just one person’s idea. Make sure your rollout has a plan.”

Find Your Advocates.

A best-practice solution for implementing change in any organization is to identify key champions within the organization who can help their coworkers with their personal experience and willingness to embrace change. Gabriella has over 20 years of retail automotive experience. He worked as an executive manager over nine stores, and the Chief Financial Officer over 18 stores. Identifying who is—and who isn’t—on board with a technology change now comes second nature. “I always try to identify that one individual that embraces new technology and change,” he explains. “ Then, I use them to get other people involved. If you don’t have a champion that wants to take the reins, you’re gonna be fighting an uphill fight.”

Don’t Discount Your Opposition.

Playing devil’s advocate, Gabriella offers the opposite advice next. “But, also look for those who don’t (embrace new technology)” he shares. “It’s easy to find those who do, but it’s sometimes better to look for those who do not and turn them around.” It feels good to have people in your corner, always agreeing with your decision. However, good leaders spend the time to understand the concerns of their team, to make certain everyone is heard, and not to rush a decision.

As dealers move forward, those willing to embrace digital disruption are primed for the ‘new normal.’ Gabriella offers advice for those making the transition to new DMS integrations to enhance their digital dealership: “there’s always a small valley of despair. As employees become more proficient with the technology, it gets better,” Gabriella states. “The Performance Managers can provide a bridge over that valley.”

Download your copy of our guide, The Road to Consensus, here.

 

The Road to a Successful DMS Technology Switch

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Choosing a new technology for your dealership is a big deal. You’ve likely put in the hours to find the right partner, select a vendor who checks all the right boxes, and get everyone onboard with your decision. Under normal circumstances, finding the right DMS for your dealership likely began up to two years before your contract expired with your previous vendor. And, once you’ve made the decision, you have a lot of work to do in order to prepare your staff. Dealertrack’s team of Performance Managers have seen it all. Below are their tips to help your team prepare for your upcoming technology transition.

Lean on Your Training and Support Partner for Help

Dealertrack DMS Performance Manager Garry Shirley has over 25 years of experience in retail automotive. He’s seen successful—and not so successful—DMS transitions. His advice? Make your new partners and vendors carry the load when it comes to transitioning. After all, when learning a new DMS at your dealership, “you don’t know what you don’t know,” says Shirley. Dealer Principals and General Managers will do their best to prepare their teams for new software. But, you need to lean on training and support as best as you can during pre-install. Let your new DMS provider know which reports you use daily, communicate your needs, and take classes again if you’re unsure that you’ve understood everything there is to know. The more you can immerse yourself in a new system, the better your entire dealership will be for it.

It Starts at the Top

Before he joined Dealertrack as a Performance Manager, Shirley held high-level positions within the dealership himself. He’s seen technology transitions first-hand as both a vendor and a client. In his opinion, “The most successful tech transitions take place when the people at the top take the integration seriously.” If a Dealer Principal Owner is sitting in on all the training sessions it communicates several messages to the team. “First, your dealership staff is going to pay attention if your DPO is there taking notes,” he explains. Beyond that, when leadership shows hands-on commitment to the training, transition, and integration of their investment, “there’s a good chance no details will be missed.”

Create a Strategy to Measure Success

Dealertrack DMS has the unique benefit of partnering with third-party experts in technology to provide best-in-class integrated solutions to our partners. For example, dealers will soon have the option of using an integrated Payroll system provided by Netchex that seamlessly runs through the DMS. Changing your dealership’s Payroll system will impact the way your Human Resources, Payroll, Accounting, and Human Capital Management is run. But, before you roll out such a sweeping change for anything that impacts your business, Shirley suggests establishing some basic measures to monitor its success. In the Payroll by Netchex example, he notes, “Your dealership’s time savings stand to be fairly substantial. Measure how much time your accounting team is actually saving.” If your team normally takes a week to process month-end reporting, or longer, discover whether or not the investment is saving you minutes, hours, or even days. Then, measure the data accuracy. Run a report in your new system against an old one. Are your sales commissions adding up? If you’re saving time, but the data is off, you need to fine-tune the process.

Finding a DMS that meets your needs begins by asking the right questions. Download the DMS Checklist and get started today.

Six Guiding Principles for Change

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Choosing a new Dealership Management System is a big decision. Your dealership may have outgrown its older technology, or it may simply be time to let go. Whatever the reason, finding consensus from key stakeholders will ensure a smooth transition.

Every dealership is unique. However, the formula for building stakeholder consensus is straightforward. Here are the Six guiding principles for bringing change into your dealership.

Start Early

Experts agree that dealers begin the process of making a DMS switch at least 18 months in advance. It may feel like a long time, but there can sometimes be years and years of legacy data to dust off. “All too often, however, fear of change can hold you back from sorting through your outdated technology, cleaning up data or taking that first step toward a DMS switch,” says Susan Moll, Senior Director of Installations for Dealertrack DMS. Don’t wait and put your team in a rush.

Let Go of Old Habits

It’s tempting to continue working with your current provider because “this is the way we’ve always done it.” Keep in mind that the temporary discomfort of change pays off in the long-run.

Empower Leaders

No single piece of technology impacts every department within your dealership like your DMS. So, be sure to involve as many department leaders as needed to ensure its success. “The more you empower people to help, the more they’re going to own the new DMS,” according to Jennica Kresbach from Van Horn Auto Group.

Communicate

This should go without saying—but that’s the golden rule—nothing goes without saying! Share updates, status reports, meetings, timelines and more with your staff. Keep that “open door policy” going and engage with anyone who may be rattled by change.

Teamwork

Teamwork makes your DMS switch work. Don’t isolate decision-making to just a few high-level people, or else some key stakeholders will feel left out. Especially for multi-store groups, collaborate on decisions.

Remember Why You Started

Don’t forget to keep your North Star insight when you hit a speedbump or encounter a rough patch. Reward your team for the progress they make and remember that success is shared across the organization.

Get your whole dealership onboard with a DMS switch. Get your copy of the The Road to Consensus here.

Choose Your Own (DMS) Adventure

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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?

Next Generation of Dealers Wants to Hold onto Dad’s Legacy, Not His DMS

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This article originally appeared on CBT Automotive Network here.

For some auto dealers, Father’s Day is more than an opportunity to celebrate Dad. It’s a chance to celebrate the man who brought them into the auto business, someone they still may work with daily. When dealerships stay in the family, the next generation has the opportunity to maintain that legacy. But it doesn’t mean having to do everything the way Dad did it. For some, it means moving away from Dad’s DMS and toward a provider and technology that works better, all the while staying true to the roots that planted you in the dealership in the first place.

Even the biggest technology companies in the world recognize the need to shift away from legacy technology and offerings that once were their hallmarks, but now may be holding them back. Apple, for example, recently decided to move on from iTunes, a technology that changed the way we bought music, listened to podcasts and watched TV shows and movies. As technology and customer needs evolved, Apple decided it was also time to evolve its own technology and recently announced plans to replace iTunes with a three-pronged approach split into Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV.

Similar to tightening competition among dealers, disruptors from Spotify and Pandora to Netflix and Hulu have been eating into Apple’s market share. Instead of waiting for customers to jump ship, Apple introduced a change of its own to meet these new market demands.

Kathryn Mataga understands how changes in technology can help uphold a company legacy. In 1980, her father Yosh Mataga took a leap of faith. Picking up his life in Southern California, he moved his wife and two young daughters — ages five and less than one at the time — to Central California, where he and his partner purchased a new Oldsmobile Buick dealership. Kathryn grew up working at her father’s various dealerships, earned a degree in economics and then worked at another owner’s Montana dealership before making her way home.

At Mataga Buick GMC Cadillac, she rotated through the finance, sales, service and parts departments, eventually becoming the general manager. Today, Kathryn sees the family dealership, now located in Stockton, California, as a place for customers from all walks of life to get their transportation needs met and her staff as trusted guides to help car shoppers understand their various options in a way that makes sense for them.

Kathryn realized that while she and her younger sister Carolyn — who also works at the family dealership — place the same high value on relationships and customer service as their father, they need to make some changes at the dealership to continue to succeed. One of those changes has been technology. They know technology is there to serve them, and they won’t tolerate a cumbersome DMS, stuck in a relationship with a provider making their lives more difficult.

Since entering the auto business, I’ve overseen more than 15,000 DMS installations. At my company’s annual Customer Advisory Board, I started to see dealerships in transition. I’m now welcoming the sons and daughters of the dealers whose DMS I once installed, and meeting a new generation looking to invest in an enhanced experience for both their employees and customers through new and modern technology.

I’m beginning to see this new generation trend away from the legacy DMS their dad once used toward a more open, easy and flexible system that they know will appeal to younger workers who were born digital natives and are accustomed to a high-tech, hyper-connected environment. In 2017, Gen Z accounted for 14 percent of all new hires in the dealership, according to NADA’s 2018 Dealership Workforce Study, a seven-point jump from 2016. As more members of Gen Z begin to reach working age, this number will only continue to grow. However, having the right technology will be critical to attracting this new talent. They want technology that is user-friendly and helps streamline processes rather than hinder them.

With a new generation of workers also comes a new generation of consumers who expect an efficient and convenient car-buying experience that puts them in the driver’s seat. Customers today want to get in and out of the dealership. They won’t tolerate a process that takes hours on end. Your technology should help you meet, if not exceed, these expectations.

Always being open to change and learning is something that Kathryn tries to impart on her staff after hearing similar advice from her own general manager at a previous dealership. “When you’re green you grow and when you’re ripe you rot.” If you think you know it all and there’s nothing else to learn, you become stagnant. For Kathryn, these foundational values are key to how she now runs her dealership and looks at new technology.

If you save a customer and staff member time, you’ll make it a better experience for both of them. Kathryn realizes that, and it’s one reason she’s able to carry on her father’s legacy. She pays attention to what matters – the customers, the relationships and employee satisfaction. And she changes the technology to make all their lives better. “My dad taught me that if you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers and your customers will take care of you,” she said. This all starts with the right technology and a commitment to continuing Dad’s legacy.

This article originally appeared on CBT Automotive Network here.

Why Now Is the Time to Clean Out Your DMS

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Just because spring is almost over doesn’t mean you’re in the clear when it comes to cleaning. Tidying up the house or clearing out the garage is on very few people’s lists of fun things to do. That’s why they’re often pushed to the back-burner, or never completed. But, remind yourself how good it feels when you finally unpack, organize and reap the benefits of your efforts. You wonder why you waited so long in the first place.

The same thing applies to your dealership’s DMS, which requires periodic reviews, clean-ups, and updates. All too often, however, fear of change can hold you back from sorting through your outdated technology, cleaning up data or taking that first step toward a DMS switch.

Having overseen thousands of DMS installs throughout my career, I know how hard it can be to let go of old technology. Many dealers have been using the same system for decades, with years of accumulated customer lists, outdated setups, old reports, records and files that need to be dusted off and sorted through. However, just like cleaning the garage, decluttering your dealership’s systems can help rejuvenate your staff and make way for better, more streamlined processes.

One customer I worked with shared that their 20-store group had been with the same DMS provider for more than two decades. They had 200,000 customer names on file, with some going back 25 years. Do you think those customers still own the original cars sold to them by that dealership? Are they all still in the area? The customer list was the first clean-up priority for this group looking to switch systems. They recognized that an updated list was critical for staff to focus on the best leads for new sales, while still maintaining a service and sales history for active customers. This is a perfect example of why you need to use your DMS switch as a time to house clean, take inventory and get rid of old data.

After implementing a new, modern DMS, your staff is better enabled to focus on what matters most: accessing information quickly to help drive your dealership’s business strategy and success. A Dealertrack survey found that 83 percent of dealers who continued using their legacy DMS felt the technology was not prepared to help them move toward the future, and 91 percent felt their DMS was not delivering ROI. There is absolutely no reason to continue using a system that is not paying returns. In fact, the same survey revealed that the number one benefit for dealers who did switch systems was the value they gained. When the barriers to effectively doing their jobs are lifted, staff members can focus on what they do best, whether it’s car sales, customer service, fixed operations or something else. Technology is no longer impeding their progress and operational efficiency.

How do dealers know their new DMS technology is working? I hear from dealers all the time that they can tell by the feedback they receive from their employees. They find the new system valuable and feel better supported in their jobs. There are also benchmarks like being able to submit monthly financial statements to the manufacturer accurately and on time. Cash clearing accounts are being reconciled to zero every day rather than accumulating. In the service department, open repair orders are being closed and monitored daily.

After switching over to a new DMS not too long ago, Barbara Condon, controller at AutoFair, quickly saw what efficiency could mean for her dealer group. “The way the new system is set up, you no longer have to run month-end reports because they are already in there. You can always get them. Closing is no longer a case of, ‘Hey, everybody, get out of the system so I can close.’ I can now go in and switch it from a Y to an N, and we’re closed. It’s seamless.”

There are countless reasons why a dealership might be motivated to make a DMS switch. While changing to a new system will save some dealerships money, other factors for DMS cleaning include creating standardization across a group’s rooftops, the flexibility of open integration, a mobile-friendly platform or finding a vendor you can form a true partnership with. Dealers have differing needs and the best technology providers focus on building and maintaining customer relationships, supporting them at all times.

No matter the season, cleaning up is a chance to look at how you’re running your dealership, knowing that you don’t have to run it the same way it’s always been done. Just as consumers are buying cars in new ways, dealers need to find the best technology to help them in the current sales market, while moving toward the future. It’s worth stirring up the dust, and if you find the right vendor, they will be with you the entire way.

This article originally appeared on Digital dealer here.

Susan Moll joined Cox Automotive in January 2017 and is the senior director of field services. In this role, Susan is responsible for all DMS implementations across the United States. Susan has a wealth of knowledge and over 35 years of automotive industry experience.

In November 2015, Susan was recognized by Automotive News as one of the Top 100 Leading Women in the North American Auto Industry.

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