Car Dealer Software: Types, Features, Key Players

Do you think your car dealership is as tough as it is supposed to be to control the entire show, including inventory, repair services, loan establishment, guarantee, and client return? If your answer is yes, then you don’t have any reasons to worry. With car dealer software, the sector is becoming more and more effective.

The time when auto dealers had to conduct sales and clients with widespread Excel spreadsheets or merely customizable accounting software is certainly far behind us. Thus, it's time to learn more about the technique of car dealership software as it can help you achieve your car dealership's goals.

Are you a car dealership owner who intends to get prospective clients out of their fantasies and get into their vehicles? In this article, you will find out that you require car dealer software to do so, as it can help you get those customers behind the wheel. Car dealership CRM software adapts all of these instruments for use by car dealerships and provides some supplementary functions, such as lease and sales management, that are peculiar to car dealerships.

This article will clarify how car dealership software may boost sales at your organization and improve workflow. Besides, we’ll discuss the features that you should take into account when selecting automotive software. With no further wait, let’s dive deeper into the topic!

Car Dealer Software

An automotive dealership software is needed to automate car dealers’ routine processes and retails. Such software, well-known as Dealership Management System (DMS) software, offers plenty of opportunities. For instance, it assists with marketing automation, database management, and vehicle repair instruments, to name a few.

There are two main types of car dealer solutions:

• Auto dealer software web-based. Web-based software allows people to interact with a remote server through a browser.
• Cloud-based software. It is a program that runs over the internet, the components of which are stored on the network, and some (or all) of the processes are executed in the cloud.

Some dealership systems may also include a mobile application for on-the-go access. Good examples of such include DealerCenter, AutoRaptor CRM, and DealersLink.

Features of Car Dealer Software

While exploring auto dealer tools to attract more clients, it is critical to determine the software that will best suit your dealership's distinct needs. However, there are hundreds of software alternatives on the market today. Thankfully, you can easily narrow down the circle to those that suit you. Here is the list of the most common auto dealership management software to help you figure out what to look for.

Inventory

It is possible to know what is accessible in a batch at any point with the help of the inventory control feature. Due to automotive inventory management software, your business can monitor the approachable details.

Contact Database

One of the auto dealer contact management software's tasks consists of providing a comfortable database to preserve clients’ information and concerning documentation, such as various appointments and repair history.

Accounting

A robust and sophisticated automotive accounting software helps you closely monitor all points of your dealership, including transactions, parts and service paybills, and more.

Payment

Software dealerships offer companies assistance with controlling off-the-shelf challenges, including the payment for various types of products or services, such as professional and recurring utility billings. It easily integrates with accounting software and ERP or CRM solutions that store information about clients and the items or services they have bought.

Marketing

Quality auto dealer marketing software helps campaign managers create a suitable approach to auto retail for current and potential clients. With such, they can increase customer loyalty by rolling out a rewards and benefits program, leading to loyal customers' returns.

Sales Automation

With the help of car sales assistant software, you can better understand where your leads are coming from and how they close. This clears up your ROI across channels and allows you to spend your marketing budget more strategically.

Lease Management

Auto rentals feature various sets of parameters, and therefore, diverse documentation compared to direct sales. That’s why some car dealership CRMs provide a list of particular functions for tracking leases, such as paying and repairs.

Workflow Automation

Standardization of corporate processes is a key goal of workflow automation. It occurs through a set of to-do lists, calendars, notifications, and templates. For instance, when a task is marked as accomplished, the software can automatically set up the task for the next step in the process. Car sales software may be critical to sales that involve numerous departments of a dealership.

Making Report

Car dealership CRM instruments can be used to monitor the performance and efficiency of the salesforce based on actions recorded in the CRM system, such as how many vehicles are sold per month or which brands/models are the best sellers. Moreover, these instruments can forecast and track commissions.

Now, you know how car dealer software can help your car dealership. However, if you want to get the most out of it, you must choose what you need. You should also consider your customers when purchasing one of them. So, settle for the software that best understands your enterprise and has the experience you need to take your business to the next level.

Market Trends and Insights

The worldwide car management system's market size was estimated at US$ 6,981.67 million in 2019. Research shows that it’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.8% over the forecasted period to reach US$ 10,028.30 million by 2027. Strengthening the integration of various management auto dealer systems is central to contributing to the rise of the market. Nevertheless, growing concerns about safety are holding back market growth.

The automotive industry has met many technologic innovations over the last 20 years. The impact of up-to-date technology has shaped the sector over time. Indeed, the advent of digital technology around the world has allowed vehicle constructors to innovate. Dealership management technology is the optimal choice for companies in the automotive sector that are involved in the inventory of repair parts and the management of work orders. The system involves customer relationship management and business intelligence instruments to track relationships between manufacturers and clients. The dealership management system meets entrepreneurs' needs. Some auto dealerships extensively use this system for marketing automation and retail management.

Besides, the market is driven by both inorganic and organic product strategies that companies pursue to expand their dealer management systems business in the automotive sector. For example, in February 2020, Tekion Corp. deployed the cloud platform Automotive Retail Cloud, which features all the functions of a dealer management system. It connects the most prominent industry stakeholders, enabling them to increase operational activities, partnerships, and personalized retail.

Depending on the type of deployment used, the global DMS market is subdivided into two types: on-premises and web-based dealer management software. Cloud-based dealer management systems are at their peak nowadays. The reason behind this is pretty simple: cloud software is cheaper than on-premises software. Besides, the solid network infrastructure in developed countries also supports the adoption of cloud software. Various companies plan to invest heavily in up-to-date software to quickly migrate to modern platforms integrated with top-notch functions. The use of cloud software has quickly increased, mostly due to the benefits that cloud technology offers to enterprises. These advantages include easy support and maintenance, fast setup and deployment, easy upgradeability, and wide availability. With the growing demand for web-based auto dealer software, most dealer management system vendors now offer cloud-based software.

What Types of Car Dealer Software Exist?

Managing a car dealership is not a simple task. It involves many complications, such as inventory management, assessing supply and demand, training staff, servicing dozens of vehicles, and of course, getting customers to the door. Although selling cars should be your biggest priority, unfortunately, it can sometimes fade into the background compared to other time-consuming tasks.

This sector is unbelievably competitive. Therefore, if you are unable to manage all of these tasks, your business will not survive. Fortunately, certain instruments can keep your car dealership system running smoothly.

Dealer Management System (DMS)

The first type of car dealer software you should know about is DMS. First, what is the DMS – dealer management system? It is a program package that provides car dealers with the instruments they need to manage their enterprises as efficiently as possible. By integrating several parts of the dealership into a single interface, DMS software automotive enables business owners to better control dealership operations and see the whole picture clearly.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Customer relationship management software is needed for each enterprise, including car dealerships. Such software is created to simplify managing the interactions with existing and prospective buyers. Start by storing all clients’ data in this program. Then, invite your sales team to use the auto dealership management software to record every interaction with each client. Check our article if you want to learn about the specifics of CRM in detail.

Dealership Reconditioning Software

As a system for dealerships, the refurbishment workflow makes the reconditioning of used vehicles for resale more rational, orderly, measurable, and, overall, more profitable. By using auto dealer reconditioning software, your team will increase inventory turnover, lower costs, and get cars ready for sale faster, so you can improve the shopping experience for your customers.

Multipoint Inspection (MPI)

To identify problems before they break out, most car dealerships, mechanics, and service centers offer MPI dealership software. It is a comprehensive assessment of almost every component of a vehicle. They can also be called a courtesy check, vehicle inspection, technical inspection, or pre-purchase inspection (if done before buying a second-hand car).

Dealership Inventory Management Software

Self-managing inventory leaves a big space for error, so your best bet is to invest in inventory planning software. It is critical to note that inventory planning software is not the same as DMS inventory management software. The latter is used to keep track of which cars are currently in your inventory. For example, if you need to know if you have a 2010 Honda Civic on sale, you can use this software to quickly check your inventory. Auto sales inventory software does more than just keep track of the vehicles in your inventory. It also analyzes your current inventory and sales history to identify profitable opportunities for your dealership. For example, the software can understand that a particular type of car is being sold twice as fast as other similar models. It will notify you of this trend so that you can buy additional car units to meet consumer demand.

Car Dealer Pricing Software

Pricing software provides precise real-time data that reflects current market conditions. In this way, you can determine how you should rate each vehicle on your site to remain competitive without sacrificing your gross margins. This tool can also be used to estimate the cost of a replacement vehicle. Use pricing software to make sure you're not overpaying so you can still profit from every vehicle you take.

Integrated Dealer Systems (IDS)

IDS provides the most holistic suite of RV dealership automation instruments in a single integrated dealer management system (DMS). Starting with enterprise multi-store solutions and ending inexpensive cloud solutions, IDS software leverages about 30 years of experience and RV industry expertise to provide a single program capable of meeting the requirements of any dealership, whether small or big.

Automotive Digital Retailing

An automotive digital retailing platform is a collection of tools that can be customized to provide your customers with the best online experience possible, resulting in more conversions.

It offers a streamlined vehicle shopping experience for all customers across all platforms and devices. Discover the future of automobile purchasing with automotive digital retailing. With a seamless online experience, personalized options, and virtual showrooms, you can streamline your purchasing process. Ergonized brings a new level of convenience and transparency to the automotive industry.

Top 10 Dealership Software Solutions

Car dealer software helps you systematize all your data and schedule appointments and enables services such as F&I computation, service department, and document management. Here are some of the best dealer management software on the market today.

Elead

G2: 4.3 out of 5

Elead is there to help dealers transform leads into customers, and customers into reliable, durable, and profitable relationships. It provides a compound of service-oriented operations that includes a dynamic technology platform, a huge operational call center, and integrations with all dealer management system providers.

Key features:

• Document management
• Customer data
• Direct mail management
• Client database
• Auto dealer inventory management software

CDK Drive

G2: 3.8 out of 5

CDK Drive is a responsive, robust Dealer Management System (DMS) tailored to numerous dealerships, giving you the information and instruments needed to efficiently and profitably run your business.

Key features:

• Powerful reporting tools
• In-depth tracking
• Best-in-class training
• Unmatched security
• Alerts and messaging

DealerCenter

G2: 5.0 out of 5

DealerCenter is the best dealer management solution in the industry. It regulates all of your operations by simplifying dealership management. Whether it be cash-based transactions, buy-here-pay-here, or external funding, DealerCenter has all the contracts and documentation you need to close deals quickly and accurately. This service also provides hosted websites, full-featured CRM, credit reports, auction listings, a robust mobile solution, and more! It is the best solution for an independent second-hand car dealer looking for the perfect dealer management features at the most competitive price.

Key features:

• Dealer management system
• Inventory management
• Internet marketing
• Credit report services
• Vehicles' history reports

PERQ

G2: 4.6 out of 5

PERQ allows you to get more information on potential customers who are ready to buy or rent, which will help your team prioritize leads. Plus, you can ease the workload by automatically rewarding consumers who are still researching with personalized content to help them move along the shopping journey and walk through your front door. Ultimately, you will be able to link online traffic to store sales with valuable data to improve your digital marketing efforts and more.

Key features:

• Create real-time engagement
• Personalize the online experience
• Optimize channel performance
• Trade value evaluation
• Integrated payment calculator

DealerSocket

G2: 3.7 out of 5

DealerSocket software helps sell more cars and increase profit with the most powerful feature set on the market. It helps consolidate user data into one place. As a car dealer database software, it will ensure the smooth integration of your sales, marketing, service, desktop, data analysis, website, and internet retail opportunities. It helps in managing a fast and efficient sales process with well-structured workflows and robust call and lead management systems.

Key features:

• Accounting
• Call log
• Client database
• Marketing automation
• Auto dealership inventory management software

Frazer Auto Dealer Software

G2: 3.8 out of 5

Frazer provides autonomous car dealers with full-featured software for selling second-hand cars. Frazer's goals have always been clear; the company offers dealers a qualitative, comfortable dealer management system, as well as user-friendly and aware customer support.

Key features:

• Enter and track suppliers, repair, and exploration costs
• Automatic VIN decoding
• Check reviews
• Track cars' history and reports, i.e., NADA, KBB, Carfax, Autocheck, and NMVTIS
• A free trial version of SiriusXM for your clients

Dealertrack DMS

G2: 4.3 out of 5

Dealertrack DMS is the only DMS solution built on the power of Cox Automotive. This software enables dealers to increase effectiveness and profitability in their dealerships and thrive in the ever-changing automotive market with intuitive software, open integration, connected processes, and smart cloud technology.

Key features:

• Order management
• Order tracking
• Package tracking
• Performance indicators
• Price/margin management

Carsforsale.com

G2: 4.5 out of 5

Carsforsale.com is an advertisement platform that provides leads by showcasing dealer inventory to over 8 million car buyers each month. The dealer inventory pages listed on Carsforsale.com provide extra data about your inventory. In addition to massive consumer exposure, car dealers also gain access to 35 instruments that offer solutions for lead generation, inventory management, responsive websites, social media instruments, hands-on support, analytics, and our leading advertisement platform.

Key features:

• Accounting
• Buy-here-pay-here
• Client database
• Document management
• Website integration

DealerBuilt

G2: 3.8 out of 5

DealerBuilt LightYear is an enterprise-class, highly customizable DMS platform that precisely matches each dealer's unique business processes and reporting requirements. With comprehensive modules for accounting, sales, and F&I, parts and service, as well as salary, LightYear also includes embedded client interaction instruments that enable dealers to surpass their clients' expectations with technological opportunities. The platform API lets dealers integrate LightYear with other required technologies.

Key features:

• Reporting and statistics
• Reporting/analytics
• Third-party integrations
• Document management
• Customizable reports

VinSolutions Connect CRM

G2: 4.1 out of 5

A trademark of Cox Automotive, VinSolutions Connect CRM is an online dealer management system tailored for the automotive retail industry. It helps dealerships efficiently handle and attract leads by integrating dealership systems, processes, and tools to provide a single customer view for the entire dealership. Connect CRM offers dealers complete control over managing leads through fully flexible, customizable processes that can be changed by authorized users at any time. These customizable processes, as well as corporate capabilities, allow viewing dashboards across multiple stores, making Connect CRM suitable for dealerships of all sizes and structures.

Key features:

• Effective communication
• Integrations
• Vehicle valuation
• Lead automation
• Update the car-purchasing process

Custom Solutions for Dealerships

CRM software offers numerous features, capabilities, and advantages to entrepreneurs operating in the automotive sector. According to many car CRM reviews, the best way to automate dealership workflow is to use CRM software. However, it is high-priced, so you should consider all your options before making a decision. Various technologies and increasing must-have features make it even harder to find what works best for your business.

Customized Software for Auto Dealerships: Pros and Cons

When it comes to these solutions, one of the biggest dilemmas is to choose between developed and customized software. Is it better to choose a solution tailored to your business needs or a customized solution? We'll look at the benefits and drawbacks of each system. But before we get started, let's glimpse what setup and configuration mean.

A setting refers to when a dealership's automation software has been specially coded. Configuration is when you use the software's tools to change the way it works. While the two definitions sound nearly identical, there is one significant difference between each of them. When configuring, if the software vendor releases an update, you will have to tweak the encoding, whereas, with the config, you will not have to as you will have used your tools.

Now that you know the difference between customized and off-the-shelf software, it's time to discuss their benefits and drawbacks.

Benefits of a Customized Solution

It's a Сustom

As the final product is typically designed with the needs of customers and their businesses in mind, the design is tailored to the specifications and requirements provided. Therefore, each business can have very specific requirements for the goals of the product and its purpose. There may also be design and functionality requirements, system requirements, scalability and integration requirements, and more. In this way, personal expectations and special needs are taken into account, which is what customers love about creating customized apps.

It is Business-oriented

As previously stated, customized solutions are client-oriented, and thus, focused on the requirements of an individual business. In addition, customized apps differ from each other as they consider specific areas and industries throughout the development process.

Professionalism

The experts working on the project understand the details and already have the technical training required to develop such a project. Moreover, a company with experience in developing such solutions will be able to ultimately deliver a better product as its specialists already know how to overcome specific challenges and solve evolving problems.

No Business Adjustments Needed

Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, you don't need to set or adjust any business processes for individual development. Besides, customized automation dealership software easily adapts to all existing processes that are familiar to the client's company. That means that both parties save a lot of time and effort. Moreover, customized software can be tailored to any scenario, and consequently, can enable robust data analysis and dramatically speed up all workflows.

Drawbacks of a Customized Solution

Time

As a rule, developing customized automotive dealer software solutions takes more time than implementing off-the-shelf solutions. However, keep in mind that even off-the-shelf SaaS services require some time to adapt to your requirements.

Price

At first glance, it seems that the final price of custom development will be higher — and in the short term, it will indeed be. But in the end, the ROI of custom applications is usually higher. Thus, it can be considered a positive development of the economic effect of this type of decision.

Will it be the best option to use ready-made applications, which in most cases do not take into consideration the specifics of the client? When choosing between off-the-shelf and bespoke solutions, fully tailored to a business’s needs and requirements, keep in mind that both options can be beneficial. The ultimate choice depends on the market situation, company size, business processes, budget, and so on. While specifically designed solutions are effective and of high quality, it is up to the business to decide which of the two alternatives to select.

Auto Dealer Service Software We Develop

Our dedicated team provides case-by-case dealership management system integration, introducing new functions and industry developments to provide a smooth client experience, from CMS services for vehicle dealerships to car value calculator APIs.

Auto Loan Origination Software Solutions

We build customized Loan Automation Software (LOS) with True In Lending Act (TILA) compliance algorithms, solid EFT channels, risk evaluation engines, content management system instruments, and multichannel triggers.

Car Lot Management

Another aspect we develop is car lot management software. For example, we create new and second-hand vehicle lot management and monitoring software, such as programs for hardware integrations with safety systems and video surveillance controls.

Dealer Management Software Integration

The Ergonized team builds customized DMS integration that may be connected with accounting software, collection management, Buy-Here-Pay-Here (BHPH), F&I platforms, as well as instant P&L computations, automatic taxation/tags/registration/commission calculators, and reporting instruments.

Vehicle Cost Calculator API

We create custom-pricing software for mobile assessment integrated into the Kelly Blue Book, and UK Parkers uses the Vehicle Valuation API, which lets you assess on the spot and look up the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).

Car Dealer CMS Services

Our specialists create a CMS for car dealers with contract and document management software for scanning and storing driver's licenses, automating loan applications, integrating with external reporting agencies, and managing links.

CDK Third-party Integration

Our team provides integrations with CDK software, giving dealerships access to relevant data, and allowing them to automate tasks and turn data into lucrative rises. Besides, coders build dealer app services for the development and modification of dealership management system software.

Dealer CRM Software

We offer dealer services apps for CRM solutions, such as sales management software, to optimize omnichannel marketing including platforms (CRM), marketing automation instruments, and content management.

Software Integration for ADP Car Dealerships

We create DMS modules and modifications by coders to ensure the integration of the ADP DMS with third-party APIs.

Car Loan Calculator API

We can develop a car loan calculator that will provide a detailed quote for any car loan offered. We build solutions to compute monthly payments, cost, third-party, and total interest on loans.

Document Management Software for Vehicle Dealership

Our encoders create customized solutions to meet car dealers' requirements, such as FASB-IASB-compliant rental management software with built-in collection management and payment platform management modules. In addition, we create customized F&I automotive modules.

Conclusion

As we all know, the automotive industry is constantly faced with challenges including increasing sales and production. In addition, there is a lot of competition in this sector. Thus, as an auto dealership owner, you need to support the car dealership management process in the most efficient way. Only qualitative auto dealer software will help you succeed in your business. Car dealership software will enable any business to manage sales and store documentation and clients’ data.

Using even basic features of the free car dealership software makes improving your enterprise’s workflow a reality. But, if you’re searching for unique car dealer software features customized to your needs, we suggest you text us. Ergonized will be your reliable companion in delivering superb projects for your business.