CRM advice needed, Small VW Dealership in Northwestern Pa
I am currently needing advice with regards to CRM software for our dealership, we have something sort of close but very antiquated, that said, I thought that I understood the functionality of said software however I may have been sort of blind to it... My question(s) to you all is simple, for anybody using a CRM that they are happy with or would like to change a few things with their current software, please advise me on the following...
1-Integration with sales, service, and other departments (seamless functionality)
2-Ease of use for incoming/outgoing email, phone etc...(leads, follow-up etc..)
3-Smartphone friendly with regards to email response
4-A reasonable cost
5-HOW DOES IT WORK???????
I would really love for some input with regards to the above, tell me how it works..How does one use it? Pros/Cons etc etc.... Thank you
I am only in the infancy stage of building a case for the D.P of my store, so that he can see the benefits of said software... This is not an invitation for countless phone calls or sales reps from companies that offer CRM software to hammer me... Please advise me within this forum only!!!!!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by David Goodison on -
I have heard the same stores about VIN as Lou has. Bigger isn’t always better. It can become a bureaucracy and then you’re just another number. One dealer told me that his CRM (not to be mentioned), on the rare occasion he made a request, the answer was: We will vote on it and get back to you. Business isn’t a democracy. It is ruled by the customer! How about the customer votes every month on whether or not to send their check?!?!?!
Over the years I have had customers leave us for the next hot ticket, only to return and tell us how happy they were to be back. It is a nice feeling.
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Permalink Reply by Jason Mickelson on
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For the record, I am not affiliated with DealerPeak. I do like their system though.
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Permalink Reply by Linn Boyd on
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I just wanted to post as well something that is interesting.
We had a demo from a CRM company a few years ago and asked if we could see how a component actually works on a live site the CRM vendor logged into their hosted solution and showed us live data and the app from a store that was currently in use. We were shocked to see this and someone from the store walked out and called who was shown on the screen to verify the data was live, and it was! I am saddened to see that this vendor has been recommended by some of their customers here. I wonder if the dealer knew they were showing their data to another store in the same market. I am not going to reveal the CRM system here, but it is something that should be thought about.
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Permalink Reply by Lou Weisenbacher on
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The funniest thing about making requests was that during a conference call with Vin with all of our managers recently to go over all of our issues they said "you should be using the ideas function" and they proceed to tell us this is where they get their suggestions to add features. They obviously were not looking at the screen themselves as I had input the 3 top voted "ideas" myself, one with over 1200 votes or points and they had not been implemented. By the way, I was emailed by their support at 10pm last light about a trouble ticket I opened on December 6th...
David Goodison said:I have heard the same stores about VIN as Lou has. Bigger isn’t always better. It can become a bureaucracy and then you’re just another number. One dealer told me that his CRM (not to be mentioned), on the rare occasion he made a request, the answer was: We will vote on it and get back to you. Business isn’t a democracy. It is ruled by the customer! How about the customer votes every month on whether or not to send their check?!?!?!
Over the years I have had customers leave us for the next hot ticket, only to return and tell us how happy they were to be back. It is a nice feeling.
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Permalink Reply by David Goodison on
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Linn, that is crazy! If the dealer found out about that they would be in deep trouble. And they should! A practice site with simulated info is the way to go so that if someone screws up wile practicing...no harm. Obviously that CRM company was more interested in impressing you that they had a noteworthy client that they were in safeguarding their clients data.
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Permalink Reply by Lou Weisenbacher on
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I definitely see where you are coming from when it comes to a company showing you a live dealers account and the privacy issues that come with it but...
There have been a few times I have been shown a demo and the performance is great then you go to actually use it and it is horribly slow (running on the same network and PC). Sometimes you do need to see the "real deal" in my opinion.
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Permalink Reply by CarSeller on
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I want to throw our hat into the ring and please visit our website. We're different and better than anything on the market right now but you'll be the judge of that.
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Permalink Reply by CarSeller on
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We are also ver secure and fast because we know what we are doing (unlike most CRM vendors out there)
CarSeller said:I want to throw our hat into the ring and please visit our website. We're different and better than anything on the market right now but you'll be the judge of that.
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Kappler on
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Thanks David.
David Goodison said:Well Mr. Kappler,
Since it seems people are unabashedly promoting their companies, I might as well throw my hat in the ring.
Here is a two minute video: http://demo2.msgworx.com/Default.aspx?ModuleId=39f7dfe0-14fd-83a3-1...
I’m done. Thanks and happy hunting!
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Permalink Reply by David Goodison on
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CarSeller, you need to step up your web presence. It yells "Start Up Company". If you're going to sell hi-tech, you should look the part. Please take it as constructive criticism. I am not trying to throw you under the bus. When I started my company there were only 3 or 4 competitors. CRM was just called follow up. I've seen ALL of them come, as some of them go. This arena is flooded with hi-tech companies trying to convince the dealer that technology is the answer. It's not. Sure, it can help, but the answer has always been good people. I am sure you do your best for your clients and as long as they are happy you will stay in business. Much luck and success.
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Permalink Reply by CarSeller on
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We are a start up company and proud of it. You would prefer we pretend to be something we're not? I don't understand your response but I appreciate the feedback. I disagree, technology is the answer and looks like we'll have to agree to disagree on this point. We all know how far behind the car business is in terms of technology. I work in the high tech space for huge companies changing the world where startups are embraced like twitter, dropbox...etc...new companies that made things better.
I am happy there are many CRM players now, competition breeds innovation and we all benefit from that. We all know there are a couple of huge antiquated CRMs that are like old dinosaurs that need to be replaced. I am happy to to show you our product and how it actually works (not claims to work like all other CRM marketing websites).
I actually take your feedback as proof that we are on the right track and that we are in fact different. Everyone who has a demo loves it and our business is growing fast.
David Goodison said:CarSeller, you need to step up your web presence. It yells "Start Up Company". If you're going to sell hi-tech, you should look the part. Please take it as constructive criticism. I am not trying to throw you under the bus. When I started my company there were only 3 or 4 competitors. CRM was just called follow up. I've seen ALL of them come, as some of them go. This arena is flooded with hi-tech companies trying to convince the dealer that technology is the answer. It's not. Sure, it can help, but the answer has always been good people. I am sure you do your best for your clients and as long as they are happy you will stay in business. Much luck and success.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Taylor on
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Like many of the other responders, I strongly encourage you to make sure you build an infrastructure that will ensure the CRM you choose actually gets used! We are multi-franchise and multi-state and use E-Lead in all of our stores. I have used several CRM tools and like E-Lead best.
Of critical importance to us is the fact that E-Lead is easy to use for both sales consultants and managers. Training and support is excellent, including the on-site implementation and the onsite ongoing training we have used. Anyone with a modest amount of familiarity with a computer can be up and running quickly as a user.
It integrates with our other systems, including our DMS and our websites. Data mining is easy and quick.
At the dealer group level we are able to effectively manage our stores to common standards, while allowing each dealership a level of customization. E-Lead has been very accommodating regarding modification/customization requests. They even provide a "demo" dealership for our training of new employees, protecting actual customer data.
One of my personal favorite aspects is that E-Lead has a first-class call center available. Specifically, this has given us a fantastic ROI when we have used it for special campaigns.
A few of my favorite tools in E-Lead: A sales manager can stay on top of the showroom using the Desklog - it was obviously designed by people who know the car business! Pre-established workflows, which are customizable, assist us in managing followup. The scope of the available reports means that not only can I quickly get an in-depth look at the pulse of a dealership, but I can drill down to virtually any aspect of the business to find ways to boost results.
Like the Internet and Cell Phones, I'm not sure how we did it before getting a CRM! Feel free to contact me if you have questions, at jtaylor@darcars.com. Good luck in your own search!
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