DealerSocket Announces Two Major Product Enhancements

San Clemente, CA – February 10, 2010 – Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket announced today two significant upgrades to their core CRM solution. Beginning immediately, DealerSocket customers can now respond to inbound leads via a mobile device and “stop the clock.” This important enhancement allows users to respond via mobile email or phone call and have the action automatically recorded into the DealerSocket customer record. In addition, DealerSocket has announced that it has completed integration of its CRM Desking tool with DealerTrack lease rates and residuals. Still in pilot with two DealerSocket key customers, this vital enhancement will be available to all DealerSocket Desking customers by the end of March 2010.

“These two key improvements are things our customers told us they must have, and we listened,” said Brad Perry, DealerSocket co-founder and CTO. “Last year we released over 46 enhancements to our core product and the majority of them were based on suggestions from our valued customers. With these two upgrades, our auto dealer customers will save time, save money and be able to improve profitability in their dealerships.”

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A key concern from some dealerships is “stopping the clock” to be able to qualify for special manufacturer incentives and bonuses based on lead response times. With the ability to do this from a mobile device and have it automatically record in the DealerSocket CRM, Internet Lead Managers, Sales Managers and Sales personnel can now respond quickly and efficiently without being in front of their computers, allowing them to communicate with leads 24/7 and have it count towards incentives.

With the integration of DealerTrack lease rates and residuals into the DealerSocket Desking application, dealers can now “desk” deals more efficiently, effectively and in a way that ensures the greatest profitability. With the ability to see current manufacturer incentives and bank rates directly within the DealerSocket Desking application, dealers can be confident in knowing that they are putting together a deal for their customer that is accurate and profitable at the same time. This feature will be available to all DealerSocket Desking customers by the end of March 2010.

About DealerSocket
DealerSocket provides the automotive industry with the most comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and training solutions available in the market today, allowing auto dealers to save time, save money, and improve sales staff effectiveness with one consolidated product. With the power to manage sales, service, CSI, marketing and training, DealerSocket is the complete source for all customer facing automotive dealership departments.

DealerSocket’s core CRM is enhanced by a powerful data mining tool called MoneyMaker, an online process training university called Carmind and an efficient CallCenter solution. Top auto dealers are making their existing assets work harder and uncovering hidden revenue in leasing, sales and service through the use of DealerSocket’s MoneyMaker and CallCenter tools. Dealers are also getting more out of their people through the DealerSocket Carmind training university. These products can be used alone or in conjunction with the core CRM solution to provide an end-to-end marketing and revenue producing engine.

More than 50,000 users at over 1000 auto dealerships throughout the U.S. and Canada now leverage DealerSocket’s automotive CRM solution to optimize and manage marketing activities, sales processes, customer satisfaction and retention, and service department operations.

Based in San Clemente, California, DealerSocket has won numerous awards and industry recognition, including being named to the Inc. 5000 list two times, member of Red Herring 100 North America in 2009, Best Management Team in the 2009 American Business Awards and Best Overall Company in the 2008 International Business Awards. DealerSocket is recognized by Deloitte & Touche as one of the fastest growing companies in North America. For more information, call 949-900-0300, email [email protected] or visit www.dealersocket.com

ATLANTA, Ga. and CENTREVILLE, Va. – February 10, 2010 – Contact At Once!, LLC, the leading provider of car dealership chat software and other internet marketing tools that move online lookers into live conversations with car dealerships, and Carfax have partnered to help dealers sell cars faster.

Contact At Once! and Carfax will integrate their products, giving consumers free access to dealer-purchased Carfax Reports during chat sessions. In addition, online shoppers viewing Carfax Reports will have an easy way to initiate contact with the selling dealer.

“We provide car dealership chat software that helps sell more cars,” said Marc Hayes, Executive Vice President and founder of Contact At Once!, “Sales people using our car dealership chat software are particularly effective when the right information is at their fingertips, including valuable vehicle history information from Carfax.”

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Recent studies show that providing a Carfax Report up front in the shopping process helps dealers sell cars faster and for more money. Dealers who use the Contact At Once! car dealership chat software will be able to quickly determine if a specific vehicle has a Carfax Report available and utilize vital information from the report, such as the Carfax 1-Owner designation, with a single click of the mouse. A link for customers to access the Carfax Report for free can be shared during the chat session.

“Carfax and Contact At Once! are working together to help dealers enhance their customers’ shopping experience,” said Larry Gamache, communications director at Carfax. “When you give buyers what they want, you sell cars faster and make more money.”

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About Car Dealership Chat Provider Contact At Once!, LLC
Contact At Once!, LLC is the leading provider of car dealership chat software and internet marketing tools for automotive sales, apartment leasing, and other industries where consumers conduct research online before visiting a dealership or office. The ContactAtOnce! service typically moves at least 25% more website visitors into live conversations with sales people by utilizing a suite of technologies such as presence, IM/chat, VoIP telephony, video chat and text messaging, resulting in increased revenue and a better return on marketing expenditures. ContactAtOnce! is the only solution with features specifically for vertical search websites and over 35 such sites, along with thousands of merchant businesses, are using it today. Find out more at www.contactatonce.com.

About Carfax (www.carfax.com)
Millions of used car buyers and sellers each year rely on Carfax, the most trusted provider of vehicle history information. Using the unique 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) found on vehicle dashboards and title documents, Carfax instantly generates a detailed Vehicle History Report on any used car or light truck. Carfax Vehicle History Reports™ provide valuable information that help used car buyers and sellers make better decisions. For more information or to become a Carfax-subscribing dealer, call 800-444-0145 or visit www.carfaxonline.com.

CHICAGO – Feb. 5, 2010 – Cars.com announced today the availability of a free iPhone Cars.com car shopping application that helps mobile shoppers search dealer inventories and private-party listings to locate the vehicle they want. The app, which also works on the iPod Touch and upcoming iPad, can be downloaded from the App Store on iTunes.

“Nearly a third of all mobile visits to Cars.com are being made from the iPhone,” said Bill Swislow, Cars.com senior vice president of product. “We are excited to enhance the mobile experience for Apple users and reach a new audience of car shoppers by offering the first automotive shopping app for the iPhone that allows shoppers to find both new and used cars from a large selection of inventory.”

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The Cars.com app gives car shoppers access to the most popular functionality on the Cars.com website. Shoppers can:

• Search millions of new, used and certified vehicles based on make/model, distance and maximum price preferences.
  
• Save specific dealerships and listings, along with notes and additional photos, to a favorites list for future access.
  
• Locate nearby dealerships to contact them by email or phone, visit the store, view their complete inventory or access their traditional internet site.
  
• Sort listings search results based on distance, mileage, price and model year.
  
• Access affordability and payment calculators, Cars.com Smart Target Pricing for new cars and Kelley Blue Book Values.

Car shoppers who do not own an Apple device can conveniently access the Cars.com mobile site from any mobile browser.

“Mobile is an increasingly important channel for our business, now accounting for as much as 5 percent of our overall site traffic,” said Swislow. “We are always looking for ways to optimize that experience for shoppers who want on-the-go access to the information they need to make a confident car-buying decision. It is also critical for our advertisers, who are looking for new ways to reach ready-to-buy shoppers.”

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Given its increased importance and appeal to consumers, Cars.com will feature its mobile shopping channel in its 2010 advertising campaign, kicking off this Sunday on the Super Bowl. An all-new 60-second spot will feature the life story of character Timothy Richman, who is showcased using Cars.com mobile to build his knowledge on a vehicle he plans to purchase.

Editor’s Note: The free Cars.com iPhone app is available for preview at this link: Cars.com - New & Used Cars App - App Store

About Cars.com
Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions.