It is 1998

[Alex Snyder]

As 2018 closes down I can't help but think back to 1998.

1998 was when a lot of technology companies were being born. Two genres, in particular, were incredibly young: websites and CRMs. If a dealer had those the website's inventory was probably linked to Microsoft CarPoint and AVV Webcontrol was handling the leads. The CRM was probably Autobase, HigherGear, Cowboy, or something else I have forgotten. Even CDK wasn't CDK!

The names sure have changed a lot. And that's my point. We are on the cusp of another 20 year cycle where the technologies are all going to shift. The names are going to change.

Like at this point in 1998, it is too soon to say what any of it will be. But the website and CRM marketplaces started to look a lot like they do today by 2005.

 

[Zhendrix]

The names sure have changed a lot. And that's my point. We are on the cusp of another 20 year cycle where the technologies are all going to shift. The names are going to change.

Like at this point in 1998, it is too soon to say what any of it will be. But the website and CRM marketplaces started to look a lot like they do today by 2005.

Do you think the tech will change or do you think that it's more likely that the service models for the tech will change? For example, do you think the CRM space will go to more of a certified/developer service model like SalesForce has or that we will see some groundbreaking new tech acronym?

 

[Alex Snyder]

Do you think the tech will change or do you think that it's more likely that the service models for the tech will change?

Yes.

I see significant change coming to many of the models we have in place today. Prior to 2007 we had cellular telephones, Palm tablets, and even email-capable Blackberries. Rim put telephone capabilities into the Blackberry, Palm got email capabilities, and there was even a cool little Sidekick that did all sorts of neat things. It seemed the cellular world was destined to be dominated by Nokia, Motorolla, Rim, and maybe Palm.

And then the iPhone came along. It didn't do anything well. It didn't even have a keyboard. It had meaningful combinations of traditional technologies. It had a beauty. It didn't require instructions. And it evolved. As of yesterday, professionals are now thinking they might be able to replace a traditional computer with a device that spun off the iPhone. A decade later the iPhone is still shaping our lives with consistent innovations.

We have a lot of tools that solve a lot of issues in our industry. We don't have a lot of meaningful integrations. We need a lot of training. Innovations coming from the same company….ha!

Steve Jobs has shown the way and I believe an automotive technology company exists that has learned a lot from him.