‘Best of both worlds’ integration drives efficient workflows, competitive advantage for dealers

vAuto and VinSolutions announce integratedused vehicle appraisal and pricing features for dealer customers who use both systems.
“This integration marks another step in our effort to provide software solutions that drive greaterefficiencies, process improvements and profitability for dealers,” says Keith Jezek, president ofAutoTraderTM Group’s (ATG) Software Division. “In particular, this integration helps dealers deliver morecustomer-satisfying and seamless appraisals of vehicles, and makes it easier for dealers to align theirused vehicle pricing to the current market.”
The integration brings elements of vAuto’s Appraising and Pricing tools into the VinSolutions customerrelationship management (CRM) system’s used vehicle inventory module.
“Typically dealers lose efficiency and productivity as they toggle between systems to appraise and pricevehicles,” says Brian Skutta, vice president and general manager for VinSolutions. “Now, for dealers whouse vAuto and VinSolutions, our new two-way integration is a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario that allowsdealership personnel to easily access the information and tools they need while working in a singlesystem.”
The ‘single-system’ integration offers three key benefits:
Customer-Centered Appraisals: The appraisal process in many dealerships is problematic forcustomers. Typically, salespeople must leave their customers to physically check on the status of theappraisal—an absence most customers don’t appreciate.
With the integration, a dealership’s used vehicle manager can complete a vAuto-powered appraisal in theVinSolutions system. When the appraisal is complete, the salesperson receives an automated alert andcan instantly access and share the appraisal details with customers. Similarly, a salesperson can print anappraisal voucher for customers who want to consider the offer and come back to sell or trade theirvehicle at the dealership.
“Salespeople don’t like to leave their customers during appraisals—and now they don’t have to,” Skuttasays. “Likewise, the integration eliminates double-entry of appraisal information, which minimizes errorsand saves time.”
Productive, Market-Smart Pricing: In the VinSolutions system, dealers can now access vAuto’s Pricingtool “Gauge Page” with a single click. The “Gauge Page” is a robust interface that lets dealers base theirused vehicle pricing decisions on real-time market comparisons and data, as well as the profitabilitypotential of each car.

“A growing number of dealers understand that their used vehicles must always be competitively priced toappeal to today’s price-smart buyers,” says Jim Menard, vice president and general manager for vAuto.“The integration’s single-click Gauge Page access saves dealers significant time by instantly giving themthe real-time insights they need to make market-smart pricing decisions.”
Efficient, “Workflow-Smart” User Access: With the integration, the VinSolutions and vAuto systems“remember” individual dealership users and their workflows—instantly taking them to the screens andtools they need. This efficiency-focused enhancement effectively lets users “pick up where they leave off,”Menard says.
Integration Reflects Auto Trader Group Investment In Dealers’ Success
In the past three years, Auto Trader Group (ATG) has acquired Homenet®, vAuto and VinSolutions. Eachcompany is now a business unit within ATG’s Software Division. Across the division, the business unitsare collaborating to enhance existing solutions and develop new shared solutions and tools that providegreater value for dealers.
“The vAuto/VinSolutions integration is only the beginning of key initiatives underway across ATG’ssoftware division business units to help our dealers gain a competitive advantage and achieve higherlevels of success,” Jezek says.

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