Integrated dealer systems combine all dealership functions on one platform to automate tasks, track metrics, and manage operations for maximum profitability. These solutions can help dealers increase sales, boost customer satisfaction, and deliver legendary service. Those benefits include digitized in-dealership processes (virtual trade-in appraisal, scanning customer ID upon arrival for document preparation, and using external data to form a holistic view of customers). The system’s parts management capabilities are also vital.
Inventory Management
Inventory is a significant asset that is vital to any production operation. It can range from the raw materials purchased to produce finished goods to the specialized components in sub-assemblies like circuit boards or housings. Effectively managing inventory is a critical task that stretches from purchasing and receiving raw materials to tracking and recording work-in-process items and preparing finished goods for shipping.
Many manufacturers use a variety of inventory management approaches depending on the unique needs of their industry or mode of production. This may include implementing Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing, Material Requirement Planning (MRP), and reorder point or quantity analysis. Regardless of the approach taken, integrated dealer systems can significantly increase efficiency by providing an accurate, up-to-date view of inventory levels throughout your operations.
An automated system updates inventory in real-time when POs are received from suppliers, shipped to customers, or returned by them. This eliminates the need to manually update spreadsheets or maintain a manual stock count, saving time and reducing opportunities for human error. When inventory levels are poorly managed, finding products to fulfill orders takes longer. It may result in back-ordered goods, damaging a company’s reputation and reducing customer satisfaction. An integrated dealer system can help companies balance having enough stock and overstocking to keep costs down, including storage, handling and transportation fees, insurance, and other related expenses.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Streamlining operations can help businesses improve productivity, boost sales, reduce costs, and achieve business goals. One fundamental way to do this is using a customer relationship management system, or CRM. CRMs are designed to integrate data from marketing, sales, and customer service to align departments and enable companies to focus on the needs of their customers. The most effective CRM strategies are fully integrated and rooted in the company’s culture.
A fully integrated CRM will enable companies to collect and manage important information such as contact details, purchase history, customer service conversations, and more in a single location. This will ensure all teams can access the information they need and deliver an outstanding customer experience. For example, by integrating their data, a dealership could see that a particular customer bought a car and had it serviced, and they may then reach out to nurture the sale of accessories or parts to them. This would be much more effective than if they had to ask each department separately to do this, which would lead to confusion and missed opportunities.
Integrated dealer systems can do this by providing dealers with a comprehensive platform that connects all departments and gives them a single, seamless flow of information. While standalone systems can provide some helpful intel, the real power comes from an integrated solution built for seamless third-party integrations. IDS offers an integrated system that helps manage all dealership aspects, including accounting, inventory, parts, service, sales, and rentals.
Parts Management
Parts management focuses on the parts and materials companies must keep in inventory to repair equipment when it breaks down. Ideally, maintenance repair operations (MRO) teams strategically maintain these inventories to have the parts they need to keep equipment running but don’t retain so many that logistics costs rise. One way to do this is to categorize parts by function, size, and manufacturer, which helps reduce warehousing costs.
Another is to use predictive management to assess the probability of a part being needed and plan for when that part may be at its end of life. This reduces downtime by allowing businesses to replace slow-moving parts with newer versions sooner. Technology-based systems can automate this process and monitor inventory levels in real-time to identify use patterns and automatically order replacements. This can reduce lead times and costs by eliminating manual tracking and reordering processes.
Integrated dealer systems can offer several other administrative capabilities, including point-of-sale invoices, lead management, and service history. These features enable businesses to streamline their operations and improve customer satisfaction. However, the specific functions of an integrated dealer system will vary depending on the needs of the business. The best ones will be able to provide a full suite of functions that can cover most needs and are easy to use.
Sales Management
A fully integrated dealer system streamlines financial tasks to improve accuracy, boost efficiency, and make data-driven decisions. It includes solutions like e-contracting, buy-here-pay-here management, and sales performance reporting, enabling businesses to eliminate manual paperwork and processes for higher employee productivity. Integrated systems also help manufacturers build a user-friendly platform that lets dealers/distributors directly place their orders from anywhere. It communicates order status, reflects payment summaries, and offers discounts to encourage more dealers to place orders.
Moreover, it provides real-time updates on inventory to avoid overproduction and decrease expenses. When dealers have access to timely delivery information, they can create a seamless customer experience. They can deliver the right car to the right customers at the right time, which increases satisfaction and loyalty. This helps in creating lifelong customers. As business models evolve, dealerships must be agile and find new revenue-generating ways.
Integrated systems help achieve these goals by providing a single platform to manage various software tools. For example, a unified DMS can include a communication solution that uses a VoIP network to reduce costs and provide two-way communication between the service department and customers, thereby improving productivity. This system can also offer field force reports to track the performance of the on-field salespeople. It can even provide them with incentives to encourage them to meet their targets.
