CHARLOTTE, N.C. -

Sonic Automotive went live on Wednesday with its technology strategy to use iPhones, iPads and corresponding apps to boost efficiency throughout the dealer group, especially in the sales and services departments at its franchised dealerships.

Sonic president Scott Smith emphasized that iOS devices and in-house apps have helped drive the company’s rapid expansion by streamlining everyday processes, connecting dealerships across the U.S. and delivering a premium-grade customer experience.

“At Sonic Automotive, we’re using iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, and internal apps to enhance our customer experience,” Smith said. “And a greater customer experience translates into greater profitability for the company.”

Sonic executive vice president and chief financial officer Heath Byrd added, “As customers go through the car-buying process, some of their biggest concerns are trust and time.

“We’re using iPad and iPhone to break down both those barriers,” Byrd went on to say. “At most dealerships, it takes four to five hours to buy a vehicle. Our goal is to get it down to an hour.”

Sonic developed several custom apps to fast-track vehicle sales and service. With these apps on iPhone and iPad, dealers can complete complex pricing and inventory processes in a fraction of the time it once took.

Sonic’s dealer inventory app, Virtual Lot, can let associates quickly search for vehicles not just at their own location, but across all Sonic dealerships.

With just a tap, Sonic can find the best possible match for each customer’s needs — and offer far more choices than the competition.

“A year and a half ago, all our dealerships operated with their own inventory,” Smith said. “But today it’s Sonic’s inventory, and we can move it anywhere.”

Another internal app, Sonic Inventory Management System (SIMS), has transformed trade-in appraisals and pricing.

“We take photos on our iPad or iPhone, collect the VIN and mileage, and note any issues,” said Sanjay Prakash, general manager of Town and Country Toyota Scion, one of Sonic’s top-performing dealerships. “The data is sent to corporate headquarters, where they can quickly appraise the car.”

For repairs and warranty work, Sonic built the Service Pad app.

“Before, customers had to come inside and sit at a desk to do the write-up,” Byrd said. “With Service Pad our advisors walk out, greet the customers, and do the entire repair order on an iPad right there at the vehicle.”

These powerful in-house apps are geared to help Sonic sales staff quickly identify the right products and services for each customer’s needs.

“With iPad, salespeople are no longer in the dark,” Prakash said. “They have access to vehicle information, pricing, trade-in values, interest rates, specials, and financing — and of course what our competitors are charging for identical vehicles.”

Sonic also has an app for customers: Sonic Auto Search, available for free in the App Store. The app can let shoppers see inventory, calculate prices and payments, and learn more about specific models before going to the dealership.

Now with these apps up and running on iPhones and iPads, Sonic is upbeat about what the return on its investment might be.

“When customers see us with iPad and iPhone, it sets us apart from the competition,” Prakash said. “It helps them make faster decisions and not spend all day at a car dealership. And it allows us to move much quicker than a normal car dealership would.”

Byrd added, “The future at Sonic is very bright. We have a vision about how we’re going to improve the experience of buying cars in America using iPad and iPhone. We’re going to change the way it’s done.”

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