Last week, Dominion DMS announced an integration with Affinitiv XRM in a move to help dealers simplify their sales process while building customer loyalty.
The company reiterated XRM is a fully integrated CRM tool built by dealers for dealers that is now accessible from within VUE DMS.
From Direct Desk inside of VUE DMS, the company said dealers can view incentives and factory programs based on vehicle selection and customer credit history, adjust customer payment options with retail, lease, and balloon deals, and cut deal times in half with professional electronic paperwork.
Another feature is Showroom Control that can allow dealers to stay on top of all showroom activity in real-time, empower your team with a single user-friendly screen, and prevent costly errors by monitoring every step of the sales process.
Kevin Mullins is general manager of Mack Grubbs Hyundai/Genesis Hattiesburg located in Mississippi.
“XRM has been a great asset to our business. It has increased our customer loyalty and simplified our sales processes. The product is user friendly and has helped reduce our deal processing times,” Mullins said in a news release from Dominion DMS.
Using their mobile app, dealers can connect to XRM through VUE DMS. This app can allow dealers to manage customer data and interactions wirelessly, accelerate deal processing with available license plate and driver’s license scanning, be able to monitor internet leads in real time, and complete follow-up tasks wirelessly.
“Our mission at Affinitiv is to drive the next generation of customer experience. We’re very pleased that our integration with Dominion DMS will help dealers to achieve this level of customer satisfaction,” Affinitiv XRM president Russ Beckenstein said.
Dominion DMS vice president of business development Arlene Clements added, “Dominion’s drive to partner with companies like Affinitiv is one of the main reasons dealerships are moving to Dominion DMS. Our mission is to give you everything you want in a DMS, nothing you don’t.”
To learn more about Dominion DMS and its VUE DMS platform, visit DominionDMS.com.
SmartGroups is gaining momentum not just in assembling and moderating 20 groups of independent dealers.
The company announced this week it has partnered with automotive retail technology company CDK Global to integrate its systems with LinUs, SmartGroups’ proprietary patent-pending benchmarking software.
Through the partnership, SmartGroups said LinUs will be fully integrated with CDK’s dealer management systems and customer relationship management software, using their data directly to provide the used-vehicle industry’s most precise financial comparisons and industry benchmarks.
“SmartGroups are 20 groups reimagined, thanks in part to LinUs, an industry-first for independent dealers that completely integrates with most DMS software,” SmartGroups founder and chief executive officer Justin Osburn said in a news release. “That provides SmartGroups members with the most accurate data available in the independent space and a clear picture of where their dealership stands.
“We’re very excited to partner with CDK, a leader and innovator in dealership technology and automation,” Osburn continued.
As a member of the CDK Global Partner Program, one of the largest third-party partner programs in the industry, SmartGroups is part of a marketplace of applications and integrations developed by CDK Global to help automotive dealers succeed.
The CDK program provides its partners with access to a diverse CDK ecosystem through the ability to integrate with a range of CDK applications, as well as with CDK dealer and third-party websites.
“We’re pleased to introduce SmartGroups and its groundbreaking LinUs technology as the newest member of the CDK Global Partner Program,” said Sandy Orlando, senior vice president of data and Fortellis at CDK Global.
“LinUs is a welcome addition to our vibrant program that provides dealers with a range of partner choices and the assurance that their programs can be seamlessly integrated with our applications,” Orlando added.
Using data extracted directly from DMS and CRM tools, LinUs can gives dealers an at-a-glance view of operational data and important metrics about their dealerships, as well as live access to data from their fellow 20 group members across the country.
The tool also includes real benchmarks created by aggregating the user base and calculating based on the period being researched.
Osburn to be featured at upcoming state IADA conventions
Building the relationships with independent dealers and CDK isn’t the only thing Osburn has accomplished recently.
Osburn, who also founded Automotive Reinsurance Concepts, will be appearing at the Florida Independent Automobile Dealers Association Convention and Expo, coming up Oct. 2-4 at the Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, and the Ohio IADA Convention on Oct. 15 at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Lewis Center, Ohio.
Osburn has served as a dealership sales professional, F&I manager, general manager and owner, and most recently was the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association’s retail 20 groups moderator/consultant and lead instructor for NIADA’s Certified Master Dealer course.
He'll be speaking twice at the Ohio event, with sessions in the morning and afternoon explaining four steps dealers can take to double their sales volume in 60 to 90 days. In addition, he said, those basics can lead to a similar effect on net profitability.
“Increasing volume and increasing profit are not the same conversation, but they cannot be completely separated from each other,” Osburn said in another news release. “I’ve seen the volume-related basics I’m going to unpack dramatically increase profit along the way.”
In Florida, Osburn will talk about 20 groups and why dealers should be involved in them, as well as 20 Group best practices, costs, the commitment involved and how being a member can help dealers improve their dealership operations.
Ohio’s Independent Auto Dealer Conference and Expo features dealer education on topics addressing retail, buy-here, pay-here, wholesale, finance, compliance and more, as well as more than 35 industry partners and vendors offering the latest products and services in digital technology, marketing, financing, F&I, service, accounting and much more.
The FIADA Convention and Expo includes hands-on workshops and one-on-one meetings designed to help the state’s independent dealerships operate more efficiently and profitably, plus regulatory compliance education highlighted by a training session on the FTC’s newly updated Safeguards Rule.
For more information or to register for the Ohio event, visit www.ohiada.org/event/oiada-expo-and-convention or call (614) 863-5800. Visit www.fiada.com for more information or to register for the conference in the Sunshine State.
The CarDr.com smartphone vehicle appraisal app now includes even more information.
This week, the company fueling the tool that combines pricing and OEM level on-board diagnostics (OBD) by Bluetooth connection announced a real-time integration with CARFAX to incorporate a vehicle’s history.
The company highlighted the integration of a vehicle’s history combined with CarDr.com’s proprietary OBD diagnostics can allow dealers to establish a vehicle’s “true value” most accurately.
CarDr.com founder Parry Singh said in a news release, “We are excited to partner with CARFAX’s industry-leading vehicle appraisal product. The integrated solution of instant OEM level vehicle OBD diagnostics coupled with real-time vehicle CARFAX historical data offers an unbeatable value to used-car dealers.”
Some apps provide pricing or diagnostics, but CarDr.com said its solution is the first to offer both via Bluetooth with its patent-pending technology. The technology was created for dealers, appraisers, wholesalers and inspectors to:
— Detect VIN fraud with 100% accuracy and OBD trouble codes with 90% accuracy
— Deliver more than the OBD standard generic level code report so the fair value of a used vehicle can be estimated immediately
— Reveal hidden OBD faults from the chassis and body modules (C and B codes) that can lead to significant sales margin erosion in used-vehicle purchases
— Spot hidden codes that sometimes can cost more than $2,000 to correct
— Create dynamic reports for each vehicle appraised, take photos, add appraisal notes and view previous appraisals
“The vehicle appraisal report generated from the application has proven to be a valuable tool for automotive wholesalers to enable sales and track accountability within the dealership,” said CarDr.com, which also finalized an integration with Black Book last month.
Now dealerships that use HopDrive for concierge vehicle pickup and delivery when their customers want repairs or other services, stores also might be on a path toward getting a new piece of inventory, too.
On Monday, Black Book announced a new data integration with HopDrive. According to a news release, Black Book data is now being integrated with HopDrive’s services to offer dealers “next level” appraisals — right from consumer homes and driveways — with photos and accurate vehicle condition information included.
Here’s how this new integrated program is designed to function.
HopDrive picks up a customer’s vehicle, conducts a virtual walk around on-site and instantly outputs the Black Book-enabled appraisal. Dealer leads are generated right at the consumer’s location.
The company said a comprehensive vehicle appraisal, along with a 12-point pictorial, comes as a standard service with every vehicle HopDrive picks up or delivers.
Each detailed vehicle condition report is powered by Black Book’s Enhanced Vehicle Matching (EVM) VIN decoding capabilities to form a “superior” appraisal approach for a customer’s vehicle — in real-time, no matter where they are.
“Today’s new realities and subsequent changes to how consumers interact with dealers have resulted in a huge rise in demand for concierge services,” HopDrive co-founder Nick Mottas said in the news release. “The increase in the number of cars we physically touch, combined with a recent mass shortage of vehicle inventory, got our wheels turning on ways we can help our dealer partners.
“What we’ve created with Black Book is an ultra-accurate appraisal ready to be leveraged as an offer right then and there,” Mottas continued. “We’ve moved the lead generation process miles upstream right to the client’s driveway.”
Mottas went on to note that HopDrive’s new service was developed as a lead generator to aid dealers at a time when inventory levels have plummeted and digital retailers continue to capture market share.
Mottas added that HopDrive can help dealers give customers the convenience they expect today, driven primarily by the pandemic and skyrocketing demand for vehicle pick-up and delivery services, while helping dealers get the inventory they urgently need.
HopDrive currently operates in six markets in the eastern U.S. with plans for national expansion during the next 18 months.
Black Book executive vice president of revenue Jared Kalfus is upbeat about this new relationship with HopDrive.
“This partnership represents significant opportunities for dealers,” Kalfus said. “When you combine actual images of a vehicle’s condition with Black Book’s EVM data in real-time, you get a comprehensive report to help make smart inventory buying decisions. Our EVM data accurately decodes 17-digit VINS, pinpoints exact vehicle details and trim information, and outputs a precise value for each vehicle.
“This unique integration partnership with HopDrive serves as another excellent example of how Black Book innovates,” he continued. “Our ultimate goal is to incorporate industry-leading data into powerful business tools that benefit the automotive professionals and consumers.”
For more information, visit www.hopdrive.com.
Black Book vehicle values now are available through another tool dealers might use to stock inventory.
Last week, Black Book announced the integration of its values into One Auction View, a subscription-based service that provides dealers access to online wholesale auctions in what’s designed to be a simplified, aggregated view.
One Auction View explained its tool can give dealers multiple options to find exactly what they need to stock their lot, so they can source the best vehicles to buy without having to track their searches across multiple auction sites and platforms to find the best vehicle.
“We are very excited to have the opportunity to integrate Black Book valuation data into the One Auction View platform,” Black Book executive vice president of revenue Jared Kalfus said in a news release. “This simple, efficient, easy-to-use platform is going to help dealers save time, money, and energy by seeing all of their auction listings in one streamlined platform.”
One Auction View was created by a dealer with more than 20 years of experience in the retail and wholesale industry. One Auction View founder Skye Haulman said the solution is the first auction software to have registration data on wholesale vehicles, so a dealer can see who sold what, as well as what is for sale in their market.
“Our platform displays auction listings from industry stalwarts such as ADESA, AuctionEdge, ACV Auctions, Manheim, and more,” Haulman said. “With the integration of Black Book values, we are making the dealer’s experience even more streamlined.”
Black Book’s valuation data is now available in One Auction View nationwide.
Cox Automotive continues to leverage the pieces of its service portfolio to benefit dealerships and other industry segments.
The latest example involves Manheim and vAuto with the goal of helping dealers reduce depreciation risk and drive greater inventory profitability.
The company recently highlighted that new functionality in vAuto’s Provision can enable clients to request a Manheim Express Concierge specialist, so they can more quickly and effortlessly get their inventory listed right from their lots.
Also, the company mentioned vAuto’s Stocking Grade and Strategy Action now will appear within the Manheim.com recommended vehicles carousel; designed to enable dealers to see at a glance how suggested vehicles work with their current business plans.
“Dealers have told us that they want a tighter connection between vAuto and Manheim, and these two integrations are great examples of how we’re acting on that feedback and helping dealers better manage their inventory,” said Zach Hallowell, vice president of Manheim Digital.
“vAuto and Manheim offer powerful inventory management tools and bringing them closer together delivers on the promise of Cox Automotive for our clients,” Hallowell continued in a news release.
Since March 1, Cox Automotive indicated more than 120,000 used trade-ins from vAuto’s Provision have been listed in the Manheim marketplace. Now, with the ability to request a Manheim Express Concierge specialist right from the Provision platform, dealers can more quickly have their inventory listed by a Manheim specialist while staying focused on other critical aspects of their businesses.
On the Provision Gauge Page, clients can now click to request a Manheim Express Concierge specialist. The company said The concierge team will promptly follow up and schedule a time for a trained specialist to visit the dealership, conduct thorough vehicle inspections and list vehicles using the advanced listing tools in Manheim Express.
In addition to the typical Manheim Express capture features, including exterior 360s of the vehicle, engine audio/video clips and detailed condition information, Cox Automotive mentioned that listings conducted by a concierge specialist offer the bonuses of having an inspection grade, OBD2 readings, undercarriage video and interior 360 imaging.
Plus, the company pointed out that concierge specialists also can serve as advisors, consulting on a dealer’s overall remarketing strategy and recommending vehicle values.
This integration comes on the heels of the first touchpoint between Manheim Express and Provision, announced in 2019, which enabled dealers to more quickly send a vehicle to Manheim Express from the Provision app.
Cox Automotive acknowledged that stocking the right inventory is key to used vehicle profitability, and vAuto Stockwave and Provision are designed to gather insights to make critical inventory acquisition decisions.
Now, clients who use those platforms will see their business plans incorporated into the existing vehicle recommendations on Manheim.com, with the overlay of the vAuto Stocking Grade and Strategy Action appearing in the recommendations carousel.
Vehicle recommendations, launched earlier this year within the new Manheim.com, are based on dealer’s one-of-a-kind search and purchase history. These personalized suggestions are driven by M LOGIC technology, a suite of advanced decisioning products from Manheim.
Cox Automotive reiterated that having vAuto data available on Manheim.com recommended vehicles helps dealers make faster, more informed decisions. The data is refreshed twice per day, so clients always have the latest information at their fingertips.
“vAuto has long been focused on giving our clients the live market insights they need to make more profitable decisions when buying and selling inventory,” said Randy Kobat, vice president of inventory management solutions at Cox Automotive.
“With these two new touchpoints between vAuto and Manheim, we are making it easier for clients to turn insights into actions that will keep their businesses moving forward,” Kobat went on to say.
Clients interested in learning more can visit vAuto.com, Manheim.com, or reach out to their respective reps or performance managers.
Dealership showrooms aren’t necessarily the primary place managers, salespeople and other personnel cater to potential vehicle buyers nowadays.
To help optimize operations and ease daily workloads, Dealertrack DMS recently introduced three new integrations geared toward helping dealership staff — regardless of whether they are working in-store or remotely — root out time-intensive, manual processes slowing down workflows and hampering the customer experience.
Spurred by less foot traffic and a shift from in-person to online sales and digital services, Dealertrack acknowledged the auto retail industry, like many other segments, will have to work through an all-new set of staffing challenges as well as the process retooling that comes with them.
“Time is money and the stakes have never been higher for dealerships to optimize their workflows,” Dealertrack DMS vice president of operations Mandi Fang said in a news release.
“Whether working with a reduced or remote staff or bringing employees back on board, the new Dealertrack DMS integrations ensure auto retailers are getting the support they need to eliminate inefficiencies and navigate the uncertainty of the current environment,” Fang continued.
The following integrations spanning marketing, sales and fixed operations are what Dealertrack DMS is introducing, including:
Enhanced integration with VinSolutions
Focused on providing solutions that work better together, the enhanced integration between Dealertrack DMS and VinSolutions can help dealership staff more seamlessly share customer and deal data between two of the most critical dealer technology platforms — the DMS and CRM.
Helping to consolidate data entry, the enhanced integration ensures only active and applicable tax groups are displayed in the dropdown of selectable tax settings from the DMS — creating more accurate payments.
Additionally, physical damage insurance information, equity allocation, dealer cash, One Pay lease information and negative trade equity data all now automatically sync between platforms.
That particular integration pleased Dustin Marriott, who is internet sales manager at Nate Wade Subaru in Salt Lake City
“Sharing information between VinSolutions and Dealertrack DMS has never been so seamless,” Marriott said in the news release. “With a more streamlined approach to data entry, my managers can feel confident in the numbers they see.”
Scan Solutions Pick-It integration
Dealertrack DMS and Scan Solutions came together to help increase efficiency in the parts department with Pick-It, an integrated and user-friendly inventory control and processing solution.
Using printers and mobile scanners, Pick-It can automate the historically manual workflow of processing orders and picking, pulling and staging parts inventory, helping save time and eliminate errors.
Dealertrack DMS Managed Network Services powered by Proton
Providing dealerships with a more fully outsourced and comprehensive IT service solution tailored to Dealertrack DMS, Managed Network Services Powered by Proton can address the unique needs and complexities of each dealer’s business to help keep in-store and remote systems optimized for today’s digital-first environment.
Offering 24/7 expert-level remote support, the managed services solution can deliver all the capabilities of an in-house IT department at a fraction of the cost, according to Dealertrack.
For more information about Dealertrack DMS, visit DMSDealertrack.com/DTDMS.
