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What are dealerships doing for IT support/management?

We outsource to a local technology company - Innovative. The group has been using them for years. I believe they're in a retainer. They tend to take care of the larger more complicated items but of course the more simpler items get figured out in-house. Tech support can get expensive.
 
We outsource to a local technology company - Innovative. The group has been using them for years. I believe they're in a retainer. They tend to take care of the larger more complicated items but of course the more simpler items get figured out in-house. Tech support can get expensive.[/QUOT
It is something my clients are asking more about. I have only found a couple of resources online that specifically cater to our industry. ex: www.udni.com/dealersedge

Several of my clients dont have any support, but as they modernize and are using more advanced systems it is becoming a necessity.

Anybody have any insight or experience in this?
I agree with Jeff - in our dealership I get stuck with the mundane system updates, user errors. I argue though that the time lost fixing every day issues could be replaced with an IT rep. The dealer loses money when their go to fix it guy is constantly being interrupted with issues. I would kill to have that!!!
 
Tech support can get expensive.


Tech support can get expensive …. I suggest that this should read … A lack of Tech support can get expensive.

It’s interesting that in today’s automotive world an information technology manager is often considered a cost to the dealership. This in fact is a reflection of a lack of insight into what an information manager does in respect to creating profit for the store. The fact is that an I.T. department (person) can be a reliable profit center in numerous ways.

Consider: There is not a single touch point in dealing with a customer that does not involve information and information systems. As such is the case these systems and the related data flow need to be constantly managed and streamlined.

I am currently the I.T. manager for two stores in Canada and generally have a medium to high work load in managing all aspects that keep us at a very high level of customer satisfaction, especially in being able to consistently resolve customer issues by seamlessly utilizing our in house people’s knowledge base and related technology.

One example of the financial impact of tech support being an employee on the dealership staff was the research we conducted in DMS selection which took almost a year. When we finally decided on what DMS we would be migrating to the I.T. department took the lead to make sure the transition was virtually seamless. The cost savings to the store in making this move was just over $100,000 a year. Our goal in the migration was twofold: 1) that we would be able to keep the changeover stress on our employees to a minimum by including them in the process. 2) That the changeover would have virtually no impact on our level of service to our customers. I am pleased to say that we accomplished both of these successfully.

When any aspect impedes the ability of staff to work efficiently because of an interruption of their information systems it can often cost the store hundreds of dollars per minute in lost revenue. Having an I.T. person on hand who can instantly resolve issues is paramount to customer satisfaction.

An example of recent improvements made to our systems by the I.T. department.
Recently I worked with one of our key vendors who supply’s our store the lounge media TV systems that display the status of the work being done on the customer’s vehicle. I mentioned to their key programmer that the system was good but I think with minor tweaks could be made “GREAT”. He listened and after back and forth discussions we created a newer more informative media presentation for the customer to interact with. The result is a fully informative and richer “shopping” experience for the customer with our dealership.

As well, the fact is that there is so many known security issues that when compromised can do incredible damage to a dealership network. Protecting the in house systems and related data is a major responsibility of I.T. For example: I was contacted recently by a tech support vendor we utilize who assists about 500 automotive stores in Canada and their comment was that numerous dealerships they work with have been hit with Ransomware. The highest ransom payout they were aware of was $5,000. In all cases these viruses impacted the store’s profitability and ability to operate efficiently. As an I.T. person I take these issues to heart and take them personally in that there are some 110 people working at our stores who depend on me to make sure that our systems work smoothly, so they can work without interruption and earn their living and service all our customers with the highest level of customer support. As such is the case the I.T. department has put in multiple layers of security with one added key aspect and that is training our staff about the computer security issues we are facing both here and at home. My belief is that our best defense against hackers and related malware that would do us harm is a well-trained and knowledgeable employee.

There are so many more aspects that an in house tech person looks after that makes it possible for every information system and person to function well.

Bottom line is that an in house quality information technology person can create revenue both directly and indirectly for the modern-day dealership.


“A lack of Tech support can get expensive”.
 
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Tech support can get expensive …. I suggest that this should read … A lack of Tech support can get expensive.

It’s interesting that in today’s automotive world an information technology manager is often considered a cost to the dealership. This in fact is a reflection of a lack of insight into what an information manager does in respect to creating profit for the store. The fact is that an I.T. department (person) can be a reliable profit center in numerous ways.

Consider: There is not a single touch point in dealing with a customer that does not involve information and information systems. As such is the case these systems and the related data flow need to be constantly managed and streamlined.

I am currently the I.T. manager for two stores in Canada and generally have a medium to high work load in managing all aspects that keep us at a very high level of customer satisfaction, especially in being able to consistently resolve customer issues by seamlessly utilizing our in house people’s knowledge base and related technology.

One example of the financial impact of tech support being an employee on the dealership staff was the research we conducted in DMS selection which took almost a year. When we finally decided on what DMS we would be migrating to the I.T. department took the lead to make sure the transition was virtually seamless. The cost savings to the store in making this move was just over $100,000 a year. Our goal in the migration was twofold: 1) that we would be able to keep the changeover stress on our employees to a minimum by including them in the process. 2) That the changeover would have virtually no impact on our level of service to our customers. I am pleased to say that we accomplished both of these successfully.

When any aspect impedes the ability of staff to work efficiently because of an interruption of their information systems it can often cost the store hundreds of dollars per minute in lost revenue. Having an I.T. person on hand who can instantly resolve issues is paramount to customer satisfaction.

An example of recent improvements made to our systems by the I.T. department.
Recently I worked with one of our key vendors who supply’s our store the lounge media TV systems that display the status of the work being done on the customer’s vehicle. I mentioned to their key programmer that the system was good but I think with minor tweaks could be made “GREAT”. He listened and after back and forth discussions we created a newer more informative media presentation for the customer to interact with. The result is a fully informative and richer “shopping” experience for the customer with our dealership.

As well, the fact is that with there is so many known security issues that when compromised can do incredible damage to a dealership network. Protecting the in house systems and related data is a major responsibility of I.T. For example: I was contacted recently by a tech support vendor we utilize who assists about 500 automotive stores in Canada and their comment was that numerous dealerships they work with have been hit with Ransomware. The highest ransom payout they were aware of was $5,000. In all cases these viruses impacted the store’s profitability and ability to operate efficiently. As an I.T. person I take these issues to heart and take them personally in that there are some 110 people working at our stores who depend on me to make sure that our systems work smoothly, so they can work without interruption and earn their living and service all our customers with the highest level of customer support. As such is the case the I.T. department has put in multiple layers of security with one added key aspect and that is training our staff about the computer security issues we are facing both here and at home. My belief is that our best defense against hackers and related malware that would do us harm is a well-trained and knowledgeable employee.

There are so many more aspects that an in house tech person looks after that makes it possible for every information system and person to function well.

Bottom line is that an in house quality information technology person can create revenue both directly and indirectly for the modern-day dealership.


“A lack of Tech support can get expensive”.

I could not agree more. Today in our manager meeting I was told that I was to no longer handle IT issues. That we are to use our IT company - who often does not understand the applications we use - and spend an average of $150-300 per hour. The misunderstanding of what IT is or does for a dealer is costly. To your point, a lot of "large" scale outside tech companies do not have an understanding of how the dealers use the third party applications.

Just this past fall, we switch vendors for emails, and relied on the tech company to assist. Their misunderstanding and lack of knowledge cost the store thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Whereas, when I was assisting in the daily system admin and working towards managing the server, and third party applications the store saved an average of $3,000 a month in not having to use a large tech company. Who often takes twice as long to resolve an issue.

At the end of the day, the customer suffers the most. Nothing worse than the sales consultant fumbling around because the wi-fi cut out, and we have to wait an hour before the tech company comes out to flip a switch on the router. Potentially losing the deal. SMH.

I am waiting to see how long I am banned from working on IT - I am sure it will commence as soon as they get the bill from the tech company haha!
 
Hi Derrick

I feel for you and can relate. Sometimes it takes time for change to occur, be tactful and ready to help when you are needed.


It’s not always about money either, rather that as an in house I.T. person you can improve the quality of life for your fellow team mates.

As you work closely with people you get to know them personally. As such, one person told me privately that they had vision problems and that it was getting really hard working with the computer. That they may have to quit and find other work.

As I listened to the angst in his voice and dismay and stress that he was under I offered three solutions.

  1. Press and hold the “CTRL” button and spin your mouse wheel either way. This increases or reduces the font size in all Microsoft applications including internet browsers. (He never knew this and was so happy).

  2. All Windows platforms provide a way to permanently increase the font by 25 percent (or more). I set this up for him on his computer and he said this helped greatly.

  3. On most Windows systems is CLEARTYPE which when set up improves the clarity of the font type on the screen and is catered to the user of the machine. (Once this was done he was off to the races and his stress level was more manageable).
These helps and others I have put into place with many of the employees at our stores. How did I know this information when so many here did not? It’s because this is part of the job role and mindset that an information technology person brings to the dealership.

What makes one dealership more successful than others is having the right cross section of different personalities and abilities which are brought under one roof to make life just a little better for all of us.

There is an ole saying that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”. Having an I.T. person in the dealership who knows when and where to tactfully apply information and applications to reduce the everyday stress of staff which in turn helps improve the quality of life for the entire team is essential. It is far more effective when you have an in house information technology person who interacts with staff daily and knows people on a personal level who can quietly facilitate these and similar improvements.

Does it add to the financial bottom line … I think so.

Hope this helps you on your journey.
John O
 
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