LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Black Book announced the integration of its vehicle valuation data with mobile marketing provider TEXTiUM. TEXTiUM’s Instant Trade-in Values product, which utilizes TEXTiUM’s Precision Texting and Mail-to-Mobile Technologies, was designed to help dealers generate timely buy-back offers. Executives said the Black Book integration will help dealers increase their response rate to buy-back mail by increasing accuracy of vehicle information and accuracy.

“TIV allows dealers to provide customers with the most up-to-date and precise vehicle valuations through Black Book,” said Jared Kalfus, Black Book’s executive vice president of revenue. “With this information, dealers can receive leads faster and increase their profits.”

Incorrect vehicle information and overvaluation can lead to disappointment for the customer or overpayment for trade-ins. The biggest issue, however, is caused by the technological gap between printed direct mail and the modern consumer, said Craig Schmitz, TEXTiUM’s founder and CEO.

“Current mail expects the customer to call the dealership, or best-case, fill-out an on-line form. This runs contrary to what today’s customers expect,” Schmitz said. “Studies show that 85% of customers prefer to communicate with businesses by text. By not giving a buy-back customer that option, the campaign is doomed to fall far short of dealer expectations.”