Anyone use Reynolds CRM called "Focus" - Is it better than DriveCentric

[elmagito]

"Hello everyone, I am seeking some insights and advice from the community.

Our dealership recently brought on a new controller who is looking to upgrade our DMS from our legacy UCS system to Reynolds and Reynolds' 'Ignite'. However, Reynolds is indicating that to make this transition to Ignite, we are required to also adopt their CRM platform, 'Focus'.

We have been using DriveCentric since 2022, and I am highly satisfied with it—especially after previous experiences with DealerPeak, DealerSocket, and Ford Direct (Eleads). I have already reviewed Brian Pasch's CRM survey from this past December for some baseline context, but I am looking for real-world feedback.

If anyone has firsthand experience with the Reynolds 'Focus' CRM, I would greatly appreciate your input. I am hesitant to transition away from a CRM that works well for our team, but it appears Reynolds is leveraging the DMS upgrade to mandate the CRM switch. I have some reservations about their value proposition and would love to hear candid feedback from those who have used it."
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[Alex Snyder]

I think you will be hard-pressed to find a single person who has used DriveCentric and Focus who will tell you Focus is better.

If that person exists, and they don't work for Reynolds, I would love to see them post here. Reynolds has some great products, but DriveCentric is the current leader in usability and modern capabilities among CRMs on the market, with a significant user base.

In my experience, DMS+CRM bundles are only appealing to dealer principals and CFOs.

Someone else inquired about Focus on DealerRefresh a few years ago: FOCUS CRM from Reynolds and Reynolds

From Perplexity AI:

High‑level read on FOCUS​

• Mobile app reviews on both iOS and Android are overwhelmingly negative, focusing on crashes, confusing UI, and poor usability for day‑to‑day sales work.
• A TrustRadius listing shows extremely low “likelihood to recommend” and usability scores (1 out of 10 from the single published rating), which aligns with the app‑store sentiment.
• Marketing and vendor‑directory content (Reynolds’ own site and Pasch Group) are positive but are more sales collateral than independent reviews.
• Peer chatter (Reddit, etc.) where salespeople mention FOCUS tends to be strongly negative compared to tools like VinSolutions or DriveCentric.

Where to read actual reviews​

• Apple App Store – FOCUS by Reynolds and Reynolds: Contains multiple detailed, strongly negative reviews from sales users describing the app as confusing, non‑intuitive, and time‑wasting.
• Google Play Store – FOCUS by Reynolds and Reynolds: ~2.3/5 rating with complaints about constant crashes, null errors, needing to re‑login, and poor Android compatibility.
• TrustRadius – FOCUS by Reynolds and Reynolds: Has a product page comparing FOCUS to VinSolutions with at least one verified review; the published overall recommendation and usability scores are at the bottom of the scale.
• Dealer/industry discussion: Threads like the one on DealerRefresh and comments on Reddit’s r/askcarsales mention FOCUS, typically noting it as a CRM they would not recommend versus alternatives.