4 Ways the Right DMS Partner Can Help You Accomplish More

Have you noticed just how much more your dealership can accomplish when everyone is on the same page? Your teams communicate better, your departments are more efficient, and your customers enjoy a better buying and service experience as a result. But what about your technologies? Shouldn’t you and your tech provider be on the same team too? With the right DMS partner, you can elevate your dealership’s efficiency and profitability to another level.

1. Data-Driven Decisions

The right DMS partner should give you access to real-time and remote access to your data, so you can make better decisions for your business. The right DMS partner also understands that your data is your data. Rather than hold your data hostage under the guise of customer privacy, your DMS partner should give you unrestricted access and the analytics tools and strategic integrations to help you understand your data (and your customers) better.

As the industry enters a new digital era, your dealership’s data will become even more important. And sharing data freely between your systems will become even more critical to your customers’ car buying experience. When your DMS partner gives you unfettered access to your dealership’s data and helps you drill down into that data to make sense of it, your dealership can make smarter business decisions and give your customers a better car buying experience.

2. Lower Costs

The formula for success doesn’t have to be all that complicated. When you cut costs without sacrificing efficiency, your dealership can do more. One of the most logical places to look for cost savings is through your technology investments. Yes, your technology is crucial to helping you succeed, but your technology partner shouldn’t charge unreasonable fees that eat into your profits. In other words, your technology investment shouldn’t come at the expense of bottom line.

Your technology partner should be just that—a partner—enabling you to do more with the best technology and the right price. What does that look like in the real world? It usually comes in the form of right-sized pricing, lower integration fees, and no long-term contracting, and total cost transparency. Make sure you have a DMS provider that allows you to do more with less cost to you.

3. Enhanced Efficiency

How can your dealership possibly be expected to do more when you’re constantly fighting your technology? Technology should enable your efficiency, not impair it. As you evaluate your dealership’s efficiency, take a long look at your technology and ask whether your DMS partner is helping you become more (or less) efficient.

Technology integration (or lack thereof) is one of the main contributing factors for efficiency. When your technology provider is committed to integrating with all of your solutions, including third parties, you have less repetitive data entry, less back and forth between technology platforms and departments, and a reduced risk of making errors. As you look for efficiency gains at your dealership, ask whether your DMS provider is facilitating or frustrating technology integrations.

4. Partner in Success

Does your DMS partner really want you to succeed, or are they just there to collect a check and maybe a few integrations costs along the way? As long as you don’t go out of business and they’re still getting paid, your technology provider couldn’t care less about your success. If that scenario sounds all too familiar, a switch to a new DMS provider can help you get more out of your technology investment and do more at your dealership.

Look for a DMS partner that’s hands-on—one that offers highly skilled Performance Management professionals that meet with your team often to find new opportunities and eliminate inefficiencies. Especially as your dealership continues to incorporate more digital elements, your DMS provider should work with you to leverage your technology, help you understand how to cater to modern customers, and bring in more business.

How much more can your dealership accomplish when you and your tech provider are on the same page? As you evaluate your DMS and your tech investment, make sure that your tech provider enables you to make data-driven decisions, keep costs low, enhance your efficiency, and provide a partnership that’s invested in your success. To see how you can improve your operations and your bottom line with the right DMS partner, learn more about Dealertrack DMS.