Dealership Phone Systems? From apps to CRM Integrations, what you got?

[Ryan Everson]

This is were it would be limiting. The majority of our variable teams are with Verizon (or another major carrier bought through the carrier) which to my understanding are not "unlocked" devices. Am I correct in thinking then they wouldn't be able to use a virtual SIM alongside their Verizon SIM?

This seems like it could limit the viability of this company too - when you start using phrases like "unlocked phones" and "SIM cards" dealers' eyes are going to glaze over in confusion.

 

[Andrew Hobdy]

This is were it would be limiting. The majority of our variable teams are with Verizon (or another major carrier bought through the carrier) which to my understanding are not "unlocked" devices. Am I correct in thinking then they wouldn't be able to use a virtual SIM alongside their Verizon SIM?

It can be if the phones are purchased through a purchase plan. It depends at that point on their relationship with the carrier. A lot of carriers will unlock if the person has been a customer a while etc., as we have seen that happen quite a bit.

 

[Andrew Hobdy]

Here is a question regarding that: can you allocate a certain number/area code to that sim? I'm aware of a few companies with a virtual or physical sim card, but the phone number assigned is from some 'far away/random' land, guaranteeing no one will ever pick up your phone call when they see the incoming number is from some bizarre area code they don't live in. Also roaming rates is issue number 2. iOT use you can justify, but using one has proven to be too expensive as well since its typically sitting on top of a carrier and your sim provider is piggybacking.
Whisper/coaching/recording/taskrouting/scoring and analytics is all pretty typical now. Allocating certain area codes to a sim... not typical if even possible.

To answer your question-we can absolutely assign numbers in the same area code and roaming rates aren't an issue.

 

[Dan Sayer]

It can be if the phones are purchased through a purchase plan. It depends at that point on their relationship with the carrier. A lot of carriers will unlock if the person has been a customer a while etc., as we have seen that happen quite a bit.

@Andrew Hobdy "It can be" "It depends" "A lot...will" "we have seen that happen quite a bit" are all sales snippets that lose me on demos. Exact language to the requirements and limitations of a product or SaaS are key in conversations with me and I'm sure most dealers on this forum. Any solution that still only covers 80% of the need and the remaining 20% require heavy-lifting adjustments or work-around just doesn't make sense for us.

 

[craigh]

Been a hot topic for us for years and years ie:

Todd Thompson Changes the Way A Network of Auto Dealers Uses The Phone

With a call tracking app, a cloud-based IVR and an integrated appointment reminder system, Steele Auto transforms the way its auto dealers use the phone.

www.twilio.com

@Todd Thomspon what are you using for the in-store infrastructure?
Are you sending every call to something in-house like Asterisk/PBX or are you just using a custom web client to handle the calls?

 

[AutoAlex]

This is were it would be limiting. The majority of our variable teams are with Verizon (or another major carrier bought through the carrier) which to my understanding are not "unlocked" devices. Am I correct in thinking then they wouldn't be able to use a virtual SIM alongside their Verizon SIM?

If the phone is financed, it is locked.

If it is bought outright, it is often locked for a 30-60 day window then automatically unlocked, or you can request for the carrier to unlock it.

Edit: Most phone plans these days are month to month, but if a phone is part of a contract it'll be locked the length of that contract, too. If it is bought directly from the manufacturer, it'll be unlocked.

 

[Dan Sayer]

If the phone is financed, it is locked.

If it is bought outright, it is often locked for a 30-60 day window then automatically unlocked, or you can request for the carrier to unlock it.

Edit: Most phone plans these days are month to month, but if a phone is part of a contract it'll be locked the length of that contract, too. If it is bought directly from the manufacturer, it'll be unlocked.

The point being if an unlocked phone is required to use Mr. Hobdy's soft phone and we are already asking variable reps to use their own devices, it's going to be a stretch to ask them to buy their phones outright or pay off their financed phones for an unlock. An app just makes more sense for our particular application. Most variable reps are rocking $1,000+ phones that they're still paying for. @AutoAlex do you have a recommendation on a dealership phone system?

 

[Andrew Hobdy]

The point being if an unlocked phone is required to use Mr. Hobdy's soft phone and we are already asking variable reps to use their own devices, it's going to be a stretch to ask them to buy their phones outright or pay off their financed phones for an unlock. An app just makes more sense for our particular application. Most variable reps are rocking $1,000+ phones that they're still paying for. @AutoAlex do you have a recommendation on a dealership phone system?

our app works without an unlocked phone-the phone just has to be unlocked for our cellular plan-I apologize if I was unclear.

 

[DrewAment]

@Andrew Hobdy "It can be" "It depends" "A lot...will" "we have seen that happen quite a bit" are all sales snippets that lose me on demos. Exact language to the requirements and limitations of a product or SaaS are key in conversations with me and I'm sure most dealers on this forum. Any solution that still only covers 80% of the need and the remaining 20% require heavy-lifting adjustments or work-around just doesn't make sense for us.

LOL #truth

 

[Jeff Scherer1]

Most VOIP systems lack the functionality and deep customization capabilities of stand alone call management platforms. Ring Central also is not known for their customer service prowess.

You can certainly build your own phone system with Twilio APIs but you will lack a usable UI and customized reporting. However, Twilio provides an excellent backbone to manage the connections. Our UI sits on top of Twilio and we run rings around other phone providers when it comes to customized setups and routing logic.

Enter texting. With the enforcement of FCC rules launching this month, every business needs to formally register their phone numbers in order to send texts. Most all the call management providers provide a pathway to do so. Why would you want to tackle that yourself?

Proper integration with a CRM also takes some forethought and planning. You don’t want to ingest every call for the store. The “what time do you close?” call doesn’t provide much value to the CRM. We just completed a deep integration with Salesforce and like other CRMs, there’s really no such thing as plug-and-play.