Hello Matt,
Don't fret, you're in the same boat as many dealers I'm sure, and depending on the tool you're using it can be tricky. Here's a few ideas that I've seen used.
First: "The Flow"
To address the "consolidated database" in Reynolds Vs. Leads in eLeads Vs. OneSource sending to only 1 location, your eLeads tool will need to be the first stop along the way.
OneSource --> ILM Tool --> CRM Tool
Second: "The Forward"
Now it's easy to just say, "I hope eLeads can forward the leads" but if for some reason they don't have some type of forwarding allowance though lead routing, here are some other ideas to consider:
Idea #1 - New Lead Notifications: Does eLeads have any type of notifications for new leads? We call them "activity alerts" but we send in email/ text format, the idea would be you could send these to yourself, and your R&R CRM leads address, you could stop the clock with a reply from your phone, and simultaneously hand-off the lead to your CRM.
Possible drawbacks - Most ILM's that support these kinds of alerts, they will be sent in plain text (not XML ADF or STAR) so it's easier for human-eyes to read. This would mean, we'd rely on your CRM to parse a plain text lead, which I am to understand, not all of them do.
Idea #2 - Automation: Will your eLeads automation setup, allow you to send email alerts outside of the system (e.g. an autoresponder to a specific address, like your R&R leads address)? In this way, you could format and email template, using [AUTO FILL VALUES] for lead information, and have eLeads simply "autorespond" to R&R after the lead arrives. This is especially nice, because the template can be formating in XML ADF specifically, if your CRM requires that format for incoming leads.
Possible drawbacks - Some system don't allow "autoresponders" to be sent as "alerts" out of the tool, so this would limit you. Also, with the limitation of [AUTO FILL VALUES] you may not be able to properly bring over all of the original lead information.
Idea #3 - Lead Provider Kickback: Some ILM's allow you to kick-back bad leads to the lead provider. Will eLeads allow you to kick-back leads you mark as "bad" in their tool, but send them to R&R instead of OneSource?
Possible drawbacks - Formatting could be an issue here, see Idea #1 drawbacks.
Idea #4 - The Stick-Shift: Not ideal as it would require you to perform this operation manually everytime, but I'm sure there's a place in eLeads to view the original lead format. You could copy this text and manually forward it to your R&R CRM tool.
Possible drawbacks - Well if you ever want a vacation ... good luck.
Idea #5 - Export: Day, Week or Month, you could export a excel/ .csv file from your eLeads tool and import it into R&R CRM.
Possible drawbacks - This unfortunately introduces a delay in the speed of your follow-up, as the records in R&R will not exist until the import is done, and if you're tracking Internet Activity and RoI, this can a huge problem.
I hope at least one of these ideas will help your current situation, ideally #1 or #2 would work best if no true "lead forward" is possible. If you'd like to talk through any of these, let me know, I'm a glutton for tech-issues.
