Tag: Trends

Cloud Optimization, Your DMS, and You

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As technology evolves, so does its language. And one of the newest tech buzz terms “the cloud” can be a little confusing. What is the cloud? How can it help your business? And what exactly does having your dealership’s data in the cloud really mean?

 

What is the cloud?

Essentially, the cloud refers to software or service that runs on the internet and is accessible through a web browser like Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Some software and services even use their own dedicated apps or programs. Google Drive, Dropbox, and even Netflix are all examples of cloud services. The advantage of the cloud is that you can access a software or service anywhere there’s an internet connection. In the case of Google Drive, you can make changes to a document on the cloud and your colleague can access the same document from a different location to make edits. Remote data storage and faster upgrade capabilities also improve the appeal of the cloud.

 

What does it mean to have your dealership’s data in the cloud?

Extending the logic of the Google Drive example to your dealership, if your dealership’s data is stored on the cloud, you can access it anytime, anywhere you have an internet connection. This means no more on-site servers that limit your data access to your dealership alone. It also means not having to fuss with ongoing maintenance, updates, and costs that come with a local server. With a cloud-based DMS, you can track cash flow, run reports, and monitor dealership functions from home or on the road in real-time, as long as you have an internet connection. Other benefits of having your data on the cloud include lower costs, increased liability, unlimited capacity, and better security.

 

How can the cloud benefit your dealership?

Cloud-based DMS platforms are the new standard for next-generation dealerships. Technology is no longer a luxury in auto sales. It’s a necessity. And the smartest dealerships are future-proofing their businesses with technology that saves time and increases productivity. A cloud-based DMS can improve customer communication, increase efficiency (and profits), and advance the overall perception of your business. Plus, as your dealership continues to hire younger, more tech-savvy workers, a cloud-based DMS ensures that your newest employees will transition to their new responsibilities faster and more efficiently.

 

Is Your Dealership in the Cloud?

As technology (and its language) continues to evolve, dealerships can either keep up with changing times or stay stuck in the past. The cloud is here to stay. It’s the wave of the future in technology. And it’s the new standard for DMS platforms in the auto sales industry.

See how a cloud-based DMS has helped San Tan Ford run all their stores from one DMS. 

 

 

The Future: Open, Integrated Systems

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The Internet of Things is here. Consumers are starting to expect that their refrigerator can talk to the stove and their GPS knows where to take them based on calendar appointments. These innovations require software services and devices to communicate with different systems. With open systems comes efficiencies, convenience, and ultimately a better customer experience for all of us. That same logic applies to the technology stack in a dealership. The modern dealership needs all their software solutions—more than 8 per dealership on average—to communicate with each other without the need for custom code, integration fees, or downtime.

Open Platforms Comes to Automotive Retail

What does that mean for car dealerships and their technology stack? It means that a more effective and expansive way of selling and servicing cars starts with sharing secure data, accessible between key partners—all via an open platform.

Indeed, a perfect example is the experience at Big Two Automotive Group. Fed up with their DMS provider’s lack of service and capabilities, they switched to Dealertrack DMS and soon discovered that the power and immediacy of an open and modular platform was required to keep their operation thriving.

Overall, the Group moved toward an open and accessible platform to run their operation due to several key benefits, including:

  • Quick access to relevant data: The ability to apply data in real time made decisions more fluid and efficient, meeting customer expectations and helping to create a more productive and nimble environment. For example, data such as customer information, vehicles, and VINs, employees, parts inventory and transactions (ROs, deals, parts tickets, etc.) can help to do one very important thing: use data to better meet the needs of customers and create process efficiencies.
  • Common system versions for all employees: Having all employees—from sales to service and accounting—on the same version helps to ensure accuracy, reduce confusion and the cost of miss-timed upgrades.
  • Availability for all important vendors and services: The concept of dealer control and open access to ALL vendors creates efficiencies across the entire group. This is perhaps the most challenging aspect to open and accessible platforms: it must be secure enough to protect the dealership, yet open to all third-party sources of information and service. It’s also an area in which dealers are often taken advantage of, by vendors seeking to charge them for the use of their own data. It’s vital that dealers retain control of their own data!
  • Convenience of integration points that matter: Integrated data across vendors and store systems helps to eliminate manual data entry – such as name and address – as well as provide timely and proactive reminders about service and more. Of course, remember too that the point of integrated systems is to work with humans to provide better-than service through technology. In fact, a recent study by Price Waterhouse Cooper found that the majority of consumer wanted integrated and automated technology to improve the human customer service experience – not replace it.

Big Two Automotive Group discovered that closed systems and restrictive policies were about as effective and convenient as roll-up windows on cars. Indeed, most retail operations are now realizing the same thing: closed systems symbolize the status quo and a static and frozen picture of automotive retail—not the evolving and growing reality of the business.

Learn more about open and integrated DMS systems in this blog post, Demand More from your DMS: Open Integration.

 

May the 4th (and Force) Be With You: Four Ways Auto Retail is Kind of Like Star Wars

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There may not be light sabers involved (one hopes), but when it comes to Star Wars and the technology that drives auto retail, we can make a few fun comparables.

After all, the last thing any sales manager or dealership controller wants is to get stuck on a virtual outpost, searching for solutions like a desert scavenger. The sunset might be nice, but that outpost is no place to find cutting-edge workflow technology. So in the spirit of the day, and the pursuit of connected retail, here are four ways auto retail technology is (kind of) like Star Wars:

1. Jumping to light speed is like using Accelerated Title.

When it comes to title release, Accelerated Title gets you from start to finish 70 percent faster than the industry standard* — a time that’s sure to be quicker than any old Imperial TIE fighter. It’s technology that streamlines payoff quoting, release, and even tracking and reporting.

2. Using the force is like integrating F&I Compliance into your workflow.

It’s so much a part of process that you barely notice it’s there…until you need it. Then it becomes a powerful way to protect and defend your dealership from ID fraud, potential audits, and more.

3. Droids are a symbol of advanced technology – with a smart human touch.

The concept is like our Menu Selling solution: technology that helps build engagement and improve the aftermarket experience. F&I products like GAP, warranty and maintenance options are presented in a friendly and consultative way — thanks to the use of personal technology.

4. Sometimes, what you need is a simple, fast, and effective Podracer to get the job done.

More than that will slow things down, when the most important thing is a fast and efficient finish. Keep that in mind when it comes to your Reg & Title operation. Simple and powerful functionality such as an accurate calculation of taxes and fees, as well as automated error-checking, help ensure that this final step in the process meets the customer’s expectations.