Best CRM for dealers in 2024?

[jeffspreen]

Currently using DriveCentric for 4 roof-top group. I am happy with it.

Its best strength is being able to jump store to store\or see them all together in reports. Texting\emailing\notes all in one place. Many CRMs texting is not well implemented. Business rules are easy to change; your not going to break the entire CRM. I see DriveCentric developing many add-ons to layer on to the existing platform (AI & Augmented marketing)

E-Lead CRM (sold out to CDK) seems like selling may of been a good thing; they got some new things in their app\tablet side that make showroom activity with a ipad pretty legit. I see integrations with many new vendors with their open API.. But its weird when the CDK person doing the demo has less experience with their CRM than you do.

Vinsolutions (cox automotive...) I think vinsolutions is one of the strong contenders from the past; but we stay off the COX platform as much as possible. Not much new development there I see; texting is not well implemented when I last saw it.. and business rules can be clunky\break

One of my main things with Drive is support, and having a strong connection to the management there. So that where we are until something else new and shiny comes along.

Sometimes when you go shopping for something; like a new house\car, you look for the 10 things your missing, but once you move... you realize you forgot to look for the 10-20 things you took for granted and were not keeping an eye on.. you may of lost out...

 

[Jon Singo]

How does one get their hands dirty on the topic of CRM offerings? Side question. What changes have you seen in your Used car inventory levels compared to last year at Performance?

I don't get involved with the CRM as much as I used to, no hands-on experience. I'm purely offsite acquisition.

The store I'm affiliated with is growing our inventory levels. Trying to hit the elusive 600 used car month this year. My gut tells me the big fish are going to be able to brute force their way through this year while the smaller ones will struggle.

 

[Fallindrews]

Some of you mentioned that ease of use and integration are key factors, and I totally agree. You don’t want to waste time wrestling with a system that’s supposed to make your life easier. From what I’ve seen, a lot of folks are loving DealerSocket and VinSolutions for their robust features and user-friendly interfaces. Both seem to cover all the bases from lead management to customer follow-ups.

But I’d also like to throw a lesser-known option into the mix – have any of you checked out Planfix? It’s not specifically built for dealerships, but it’s super versatile and can be tailored to fit a variety of needs, even in the automotive space. Plus, it’s great for nonprofits too – just look at **removed link**. It’s got all the project management goodies that can help keep things running smoothly.

 

[Winnehe]

I've had solid results with VinSolutions, especially with automation and reporting. It's got a learning curve, but once it's set up right, it makes outreach and follow-ups way smoother. Customer support can be hit or miss depending on the rep, but overall, it saves a ton of time. If anyone here has compared it directly at Software Shootout against other CRMs, I'd love to hear how it stacks up.