Automotive dealer management systems, are you using your tools correctly?

Many UK dealerships will never reach their full potential unless they begin to utilize their provided tools appropriately. There is a compelling argument that some dealerships are working so hard to achieve their potential that their outdated DMS is unable to provide the necessary tooThis has led many dealerships to consider changing their DMS solution. is. However, some view change as troublesome and worryiIf your dealership's performance falls short of expectations, it's crucial to conduct a DMS review.ial.

People often ask me what changes dealerships need to make to gain a competitive edge. The straightforward response to this question is that you have a deeper understanding of your dealership, staff, and customers than I do. What I can say is that without dedicated, trained, and motivated staff, even the best DMS in the world will fail. People and processes are the most important things in any dealership. Let's be clear: DMS serves only as a tool to accomplish specific goals. It helps if your DMS contains all the tools necessary.

Many in the industry now see that tools such as showroom systems, customer relationship management (CRM), analytical reporting, Internet marketing, and time management systems are essential. The DMS should integrate all these tools. There are many of these products available as stand-alone but few integrate; this means yet more work for the user duplicating information.

Choosing a DMS that suits your business is a bit like choosing a business partner; it needs very careful thought and consideration. We listed the following questions in the last issue, and they remain relevant and essential today.

How will it yield a return on investment, and how long will it take?
· Where will it cut costs/enhance efficiency?
· Is it designed to grow with our business?
Is it capable of operating multiple companies, multiple sites, and multiple franchises?
· Will it communicate efficiently with customers on the web, in the call center, and on the dealership floor?
How good is the CRM part of the system?
· How simple will it be for staff to adapt to the system? What training is required?Based on conversations with other system users, how good is the supplier's customer support?

Once you have chosen and implemented the DMS, that’s where it begins. Many dealers tend to overlook the importance of constant training and process reviews. Experts recognize that the average dealer should schedule at least two days of training annually. A decent DMS provider should always be prepared to share their experience with good working practices. As business partners, both the dealer and the DMS provider should document process controls. Simple but effective training training training.

I would like to echo the recent comments made by other industry observers about the current obsession with running a hosted DMS solution. It’s imperative for a DMS to have access to web services providing third-party data delivery, and indeed, using the internet as a transport mechanism for multi-site connectivity is a cost-effective solution. However, running a DMS over the web with the server located in a datacenter often leads to significant issues. The UK communications infrastructure is not mature enough to reliably run a remote web server-based application as intensive as a DMS with adequate performance. How many problems do you have with slow Internet connections? We offer the service, but we don’t actively promote it. Keep your DMS server within your business.

Most dealers owe it to their potential to review the DMS market. I believe that Gemini Systems Dealer Management Systems should be one of the systems reviewed.