Running a successful car dealership is anything but simple and straightforward. Actually, dealers have to juggle an enormous number of activities just to keep their business up and running. From inventory management to customer outreach, there’s always much to be done.
To help automate some of the simpler tasks, and to handle the more complex tasks with greater efficiencies, many dealers turn to software solutions. In particular, most independent auto dealerships rely on some form of Dealer Management System, or DMS.
But what is a dealer management system, exactly? And what are the benefits of working with an experienced Dealer Management System provider? In this post, we’ll take a closer look at each of these questions.
DMS at a Glance
In simplest terms, DMS can refer to any software platforms that dealers use to help them manage their dealership.
More specifically, a DMS enables dealers to more efficiently carry out a number of important yet repetitive day-to-day tasks, including things like sales and financing operations.
The real benefit of a DMS is that, ideally, it provides a way for dealers to access different tools from a single platform, and to integrate different bodies of information to ensure consistency.
Another way to think of it: Dealer Management Systems provide an easy, seamless way for different departments (like sales and finance) to communicate and collaborate. As such, a DMS can be a powerful tool for dealers looking to eliminate waste and to harmonize their different departments around a set of shared goals.
What You Can Do with a Dealer Management System
The specific features of a DMS platform can vary from product to product; that’s one reason why it’s so important for dealers to shop around and compare different Dealer Management System providers.
With that said, there are a few features that are fairly common among DMS platforms. Some of these relatively standard features include:
● Inventory management
● Integration with an accounting platform (like QuickBooks)
● POS and retail management
● Repair order and billing estimates
● Lead management quoting
● Inventory management
● Integration with an accounting platform (like QuickBooks)
● POS and retail management
● Repair order and billing estimates
● Lead management quoting
The Benefits of Using a DMS
Assuming you get a really robust and feature rich DMS platform for your dealership, the benefits can be numerous. Some of the biggest advantages to using DMS include:
● A good DMS platform will give you an all-in-one solution, preventing the need for managing multiple software vendors.
● A good DMS platform will give you an all-in-one solution, preventing the need for managing multiple software vendors.
● DMS platforms will allow you to collect data and analytics that help you tailor your customer service, creating a better experience for the end user.
● DMS platforms can also supply information that helps you target your marketing efforts, such as analytics about how people find your dealership on the Web.
● Dealer management systems are flexible and scalable, making it easy to accommodate the needs of a growing or expanding dealership.
● Dealer management systems are flexible and scalable, making it easy to accommodate the needs of a growing or expanding dealership.
These are just a few reasons to seek a good DMS platform; but of course, it’s important to keep in mind that not all dealer management system providers are created equal.
Why Get My Auto is the DMS of Choice
Hundreds of independent used auto dealerships across the country use Get My Auto, a platform that does everything you’d expect from a traditional DMS but also goes far beyond.
Indeed, Get My Auto is unparalleled in its robustness and its utility; thanks to the recent acquisition of AutoXplorer, it’s poised to become the dominant name among Dealer Management System providers.
What makes the Get My Auto platform so powerful is that it offers access to so many tools and features, all from a single login. Consider just a few examples of what Get My Auto can do:
● Marketing Tools. Get My Auto makes it easy for dealerships to manage their website, Craigslist postings, navigate social media activity, and more.
● Customer Relationship Management. A built-in automotive CRM platform includes several ways for dealers to communicate with their customers.
● Desking. With Get My Auto, dealers can pull credit from any credit bureau, calculate payments, send deals to lenders, print forms and contracts, and more.
● Inventory Management. The platform comes with an advanced inventory management and appraisal tool, even allowing dealers to manage inventory across multiple franchise locations.
● Marketing Tools. Get My Auto makes it easy for dealerships to manage their website, Craigslist postings, navigate social media activity, and more.
● Customer Relationship Management. A built-in automotive CRM platform includes several ways for dealers to communicate with their customers.
● Desking. With Get My Auto, dealers can pull credit from any credit bureau, calculate payments, send deals to lenders, print forms and contracts, and more.
● Inventory Management. The platform comes with an advanced inventory management and appraisal tool, even allowing dealers to manage inventory across multiple franchise locations.
Simply put, Get My Auto is the most comprehensive DMS option for independent dealers, offering options that more standard dealer management systems cannot compete with. But you don’t just have to take our word for it. If you’re in the market for robust dealer management software, contact us today to request a demo.