Checked emails. Scrolled through your Facebook feed. Ate breakfast. Read news headlines. Took a nap. Paid bills. Played a video game. Filed your nails.

Now, raise your other hand if you have ever done any of these things while viewing an online webinar presentation.

If you have, you're not alone. Being absent while present--or present while…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Timonium, MD – February 22nd, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions to auto dealerships, announced today that its president, Erik Nachbahr, will be presenting a workshop at the 2016 NADA Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, NV. Auto dealers who attend Five Technology Musts to Drive Sales and Service Revenue will learn how…

Recently an auto dealership experienced an all-too-common security breach. An employee in the accounting department received an email from someone who he thought was the dealer asking him to initiate a $30,000 transfer from the dealership's bank account to another bank account. The accounting employee complied with the request and it was discovered later that the email was a scam. Unfortunately, there was no way to retrieve the funds.

This dealership has a state-of-the-art…

We all know that feeling when you walk into an auto dealership that's on top of its game. The interior is gleaming. The exterior is impeccable. The service department is clean and humming. The sales staff is professional, organized, and hitting their goals. Even the coffeemaker is state of the art!

But I know a secret. In many dealerships, in the back rooms…

Timonium, MD – January 18th, 2016-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions, is now offering the Cisco® Unified Communications Platform (UCP) for auto dealers, an integrated phone and communications system designed to improve the customer experience and streamline phone processes. Cisco's UCP helps dealerships greatly reduce incidents of lost or dropped calls, placing…

Timonium, MD – December 28th, 2015-- Helion Automotive Technologies, a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions for auto dealers, revealed today the top four IT requirements to support productivity at auto dealerships in 2016. The recommendations are based upon data collected from working with hundreds of auto dealership clients, and recent trends such as the increase in usage of mobile devices.…

Seven years ago I became involved with an organization called The Family Tree, a statewide organization based in Baltimore. The Family Tree is a non-profit with a mission to prevent child abuse, educate parents on how to raise children and provide a variety of other services for families in need. The Family Tree has a staff of approximately 40 employees and an operations budget of around $3 million. The charity helps over 15,000 children every year.

Helion currently provides…

Mobile tablets are great for streamlining processes and increasing productivity; that is, until the battery dies just before the afternoon rush begins. Every brand is different, but mobile tablet batteries can last anywhere from five to twelve hours. Heavy usage and wi-fi connectivity can significantly reduce that time. Without proper maintenance, a battery with a…

"This Internet connection is too fast!" said No One Ever. In fact, 'slow Internet' is one of the top employee frustrations, according to a recent study by Deloitte. Is there anything worse than arriving at work, all motivated to tackle an important work project, only to discover the Internet is down? Slow Internet can be detrimental to your dealership's productivity, profitability and employee morale.

Sometimes the problem does lie with your ISP. But in many cases, a slow…

Computer attacks continue to make headlines and dealership executives are left asking if their systems are sufficiently protected. In 2011 the FTC demonstrated its willingness to impose severe penalties on dealerships who fail to protect customer financial data. On January 11 the US Department of Homeland Security warned computer users to disable Java to protect agains a serious security exploit. The Java attack can redirect the unsuspecting computer user to a malicious, data…

I love Apple products. In fact I do all of my work on Apple with a Macbook Air at home and iMac at the office. Dealers and Dealership Executives tend to love Apple too. The stores offer a different buying experience and the products are great and easy to use.

The top question from dealership executives I am hearing right now is “What about iPads for salespeople or service advisors?”

The short answer is that iPads are coming to…

In today’s market with customer privacy regulations at an all time high, it is important to ensure your networks security.

Many dealerships are opting to go with wireless equipment to make working with customers easier and more versatile. For example, many service departments use wireless tablets to write up customers on the drive encouraging up-sells during the greeting and walk around.

Using wireless technology can be great tool and place your dealership at the top if it is…

The notion of a dealership’s employees having ownership of the organizations customer lists or communications is a frightening one. The question of ownership of work product, email and even actual customer lists is being called into question by BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies being adopted by many businesses, including auto dealerships.

A 2010 US Supreme Court 9-0 ruling declared that employees are not entitled to privacy if they use an employer’s issued device. The…