Those are some broad questions Kaya. Would you be referring to the variable ops side or the fixed ops? Or maybe both??
I don't usually talk up providers here on DealerRefresh due to being fair and the position I have placed myself here on DR but I'll make a few exceptions.
To answer broadly - for service marketing/database communications and last minute very targeted messaging (again, 99% service), my dealers utilize @utoRevenue. I've become somewhat of an advocate of their services. I receive some of the best customer from this outfit. They not only provide my dealers with some strong targeted email retention marketing but also our online service scheduler. And as far as I'm concerned, one of the better ones available.
I use eLead CRM coupled with their GoldDigger service for most of our prospecting email and direct mail campaigns. They outsource their email delivery through
Strongmail to increase the delivery rate. I wish there was a tighter integration since Strongmail offers a lot of additional features that would be an added benefit. With that being said I like the fact that their email campaigns and direct mail campaigns tie into their call center and the CRM for increased performance and measurable ROI.
From the Retention/Prospecting side, some of my dealers are using IMN newsletter service. Overall it's a good service. I think it's a little pricey and the customer service has been "average" thus far but I can't complain about the delivery rate. I could take some time and really pick apart their service if I wanted to (sloppy/heavy templates and no consideration for mobile rendering) but overall, a good service.
Next in line - bouncing my database up against services that will return back a customers social presence. Marketing and communications is extremely fragmented so the more areas of serving the right message at the right time = a nice win and positive ROI.