How often do you think about your car dealer software?
Maybe not very often – unless it causes you significant headaches each day thanks to continual crashes and a painfully slow user experience.
If your dealership software is rarely on your mind, that’s a good thing – for one simple reason: it just works. However, we invite you to read on and discover how technology can now help you grow your business in a way you might never have thought possible before.
Today’s automotive software offers a unified, fully customisable platform that brings every area of your business under one digital hood. Sales, marketing, service and OEM integrations are all dealt with so transparently that the software itself never gets in the way.
If this sounds like something you need to strive for, we’ve got five brilliant tips for choosing the best car dealer software.
Look for…
…software that can be tailored to your business
No two dealerships operate in the same manner, which is why off-the-shelf dealer software rarely fits the bill.
In order to match the workflows on which your team relies each day to provide a seamless operation, the platform needs to be fully customisable for every department workflow, vehicle make and model, customer type, source of business and market segment.
…software that fully engages staff
Sales processes for modern dealerships are tough to manage because they’re so varied; the customer is absolutely king when it comes to the journey they take to reach your front door.
The right CRM and sales & lead management software will provide stress-free and workflow-based navigation through the sales journey for both employees and customers. Also look for auto-generated sales report documentation and mobile-ready collaboration for the sales team.
…software that boosts customer satisfaction
How do you appeal to the new generation of car buyers? It’s easy to forget that sales-boosting dealership software is just as beneficial for customers as it is for employees. The new generation of consumers has been born and raised with the Internet and the web ranks high when it comes to communication and commerce. Car sales and service are no exception.
Pick the right software, and you’ll enjoy a tangible boost in customer satisfaction, thanks to the ability to automatically send timely communication via email and SMS, and the presence of personalised microsites through which customers can view the deal on the table and extend their relationship with the dealership well beyond the sale, into aftersales, service and maintenance.
…software that is one, unified ERP platform
Do you really want to be logging in and out of multiple pieces of software, that don’t even sync data between them, in order to get your job done?
What if the sales team in your dealership is using an entirely different platform than the marketing guys? Their processes will be disjointed, inefficient and entirely at odds with one another.
One of the most important aspects of modern automotive software platforms is that every possible function you need sits within the same solution, enabling a customer to progress seamlessly from interested passer-by to regular, fixed-time, fixed-cost service contract holder.
To achieve this level of efficiency, these solutions have to be powered by a robust, Cloud-based automotive ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) backbone such as the software pioneered by SAP, which takes care of all back-office and back-end processes and incorporate all key business functions seamlessly.
…software that offers a 360-degree buyer view
The complex modern car buyer journey can be monitored far more closely than you might think.
Modern dealership software provides real-time data on your customer. By keeping an eye on their journey and their interactions with your brand, it can provide you with the perfect opportunity to make a human appearance right at the moment they’re most likely to engage with you.
This level of sales funnel management has never been available at such scale and within budget for so many dealerships – until now.
Final thoughts
You need software that’s built by a great company. The platform you use is only as good as the business that develops it, and even good software can be let down by poor support.
So, be on the lookout for a provider that deeply understands your business, has significant industry experience and which goes out of their way to make complicated technology work simply but brilliantly for your business.
