Where does Dealer.com's CRM fall in terms of quality?

[CFrentzen]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post to a majority of you (I posted in off-topic to introduce myself). I am in charge of the internet department at my dealership and we are using Dealer.com as our singular CRM / Inventory / Website Management / Everything tool.

I'm looking to get opinions from people about Dealer.com who have used them and now use someone else.

Looking forward to jumping in on the discussions here - all useful information.

 

[mattwatson81]

Hey everyone,

This is my first post to a majority of you (I posted in off-topic to introduce myself). I am in charge of the internet department at my dealership and we are using Dealer.com as our singular CRM / Inventory / Website Management / Everything tool.

I'm looking to get opinions from people about Dealer.com who have used them and now use someone else.

Looking forward to jumping in on the discussions here - all useful information.

I think Lead Machine is more of a Internet lead tool and not a full CRM. It doesn't handle showroom traffic, desking, and other full CRM functions.

 

[CFrentzen]

I think Lead Machine is more of a Internet lead tool and not a full CRM. It doesn't handle showroom traffic, desking, and other full CRM functions.

I see. I'm still learning the language as well so forgive me while I make mistakes in terminology

A desking tool presents a variety of payment options based on different amounts of money down at signing, interest rates, and rebates, correct?

And what are you referring to when you say it doesn't handle showroom traffic? What's an example of a process that does this?

 

[Shawn Morse]

Generally speaking a CRM is intended to handle customers that come in through the front doors and also used to follow up with those customers through the sales process and then through the ownership life cycle(follow up on unsold prospects, follow up on sold cutomers over time, follow up on service customers). Most CRM tools will allow you to desk a deal using the current OEM incentives and then push the deal to the DMS the store is using as well as any finance programs that might be in place (route one/dealertrack). A CRM will generally allow you to follow up with service customers based on closed RO's and have BDC functionality as well. Lead Machine is designed to handle incoming internet leads, I guess you could load your showroom traffic into the system but the follow up process might become cumbersome. I am not aware of any DMS integration with that product so in order to work a customer through the entire life cycle you would have to use multiple tools and that is often not very efficient. Feel free to email or PM me if you have some more specific questions

 

[Alex Snyder]

I'm looking to get opinions from people about Dealer.com who have used them and now use someone else.

Dealer.com's ILM is a solid tool. It is a fantastic add-on to their site hosting solution and combines a lot of different parts of your website to an easy-to-use ILM.

It isn't a full CRM in the traditional sense though. You could use it as a CRM, but it wouldn't give you all the metrics you should want out of your CRM tool.

So....I'm basically reiterating what everyone else has already said. BUT I definitely want to point out that LeadMachine is a very good ILM.

 

[CFrentzen]

All great responses - Shawn I will be in touch with you soon - there's no doubt in my mind that I will have more questions.

 

[mattwatson81]

Dealer.com's ILM is a solid tool. It is a fantastic add-on to their site hosting solution and combines a lot of different parts of your website to an easy-to-use ILM.

It isn't a full CRM in the traditional sense though. You could use it as a CRM, but it wouldn't give you all the metrics you should want out of your CRM tool.

So....I'm basically reiterating what everyone else has already said. BUT I definitely want to point out that LeadMachine is a very good ILM.

The problem is having a separate ILM & CRM is not the desired solution. The days are numbered on how long ILM only products will survive, just as CRM products with poor internet functions will not survive.

I went to a dealership yesterday who had 4 CRMs because of these sorts of problems... and of course they were trying to consolidate it to one so they could get everyone working together.

 

[Alex Snyder]

We both know that Matt, and I'm sorry to step on VinSolutions' client-capture program you and Shawn are doing (nothing wrong with it by the way) by simply saying that Dealer.com's ILM is a good ILM. That was my only point.

 

[CFrentzen]

The problem is having a separate ILM & CRM is not the desired solution. The days are numbered on how long companies with only ILM solutions will survive, just as CRM companies with poor internet functions will not survive.

I went to a dealership yesterday who had 4 CRMs because of these sorts of problems... and of course they were trying to consolidate it to one so they could get everyone working together.

With Dealer.com's ILM I can keep a contact list and use it to send bulk emails to customers, keep track of where they are in the buy cycle, maintain contact, etc. Isn't that what a CRM tool does? Or is it that a CRM tool does it more efficiently and has a desking tool? Still not quite certain what a desking tool does - makes the financing part of the car buying process simpler/more efficient?

 

[Alex Snyder]

Chris - a desking tool is a tool for sales managers to create payments and negotiation points. The idea is that by using a desking tool you'll add more gross to a deal, and be able to track how well each sales manager performs.

It is funny you word the CRM question like you do

Isn't that what a CRM tool does?

because you're absolutely right. They should all do that, but some don't. Here are the definitions:

CRM - Customer Retention/Relationship Management
ILM - Internet Lead Management

One is for strictly handling Internet Leads and the other is made for ongoing relationships with consumers. They should be one in the same, as Matt said earlier. A good CRM is designed to not only offer a solution for the Internet Department, but is also a place for sales agents to track their floor & phone ups, and provide a robust process environment.

....what happens when a customer has a birthday?
....what happens when a customer is 9 months away from their lease ending?
....what happens if Johnny doesn't make his follow up calls today?
....what happens when a customer schedules an appointment with service?
....what happens when a sales agent can't get a customer on the phone for 5 days?
....what happens after we sell them a car?

These are things a CRM can help a dealership account for.