Career pathing has been around for some time in corporate America, and the reasons are apparent. One great reason is engagement. An engaged employee is a more productive employee. In fact, a Gallup study shows that corporations with engaged employees are 20% more profitable than those with employees that are disengaged.

Career pathing can also help with recruiting and hiring better talent. Potential employees want to know where they will be in the future, and this can be a deciding factor in job selection.

Chances are you’ve been hearing more and more about career pathing. In fact, DrivingSales has been preaching the value of a career path in your dealership for a few years now. What does a solid career path look like?

Quotas and metrics that define success. Your career path needs to have multiple levels, each with its own metrics. Your grizzled veterans should be held to a different standard than a brand new hire. Think in terms of a video game. Most games have a specific objective the gamer must achieve in order to “level up”.

A defined timeline for achievement. You need to define how long an employee needs to sustain performance before they can be promoted. This is entirely up to you. Do you want them to hold the performance for 90 days? Is it something they can be promoted for if they achieve it just once? 

Finally, a career path needs a reward structure. This structure defines what the employee receives with their promotion. In other words, what’s in it for them? Your reward structure is comprised of two different reward types. 

First, there are compensation-based rewards. For example, a salesperson can receive a higher percentage of commission. Or maybe there is a month-end bonus tied to their scorecard review. They don’t have to directly impact a pay plan. You could build spoons into your pay plan. In this scenario, an employee would need to be a certain level in order to handle spoon deals. This can impact their compensation, but not their pay plan. Some stores have even built traffic sources into their career path. An employee needs to be at a specific level in order to take phone calls or Internet leads.

The other reward type is perks. These could be as simple as a designated parking section for Level 4 Service Advisors. Or maybe it’s branded gear. Or scheduling benefits for higher-level employees. You can get pretty creative here and not directly impact compensation.

That’s it. Design the quotas and metrics, determine the timeline for achievement, and develop a reward structure. Do this for each role in the dealership and connect the dots. You want to have points in your career pathing that allow departments to act as “recruitment centers”. For example, your BDC personnel can be recruited as salespeople. Or your lot techs could be the department that serves up the next generation of technicians.

Simply put, an employee needs to know what success looks like in order for them to be promoted. Defining this for each job role is a good exercise for a leader to do, and creating a dealership career path is an important tool you can use to reduce turnover and improve employee performance.

It’s common in dealerships to shape service advisor behavior with a pay plan. If there is a gap in performance, managers will often adjust a comp plan or pay a spiff. 

This may be an effective way to get the results you want, but you can’t pay on everything. If you aren’t careful, you could end up with a comp structure that only a CPA could decipher. What is the alternative? How can you get your service advisors to focus on important KPIs without making it part of their pay plan?

I recently worked with a dealership that implemented a scorecard for their service advisor. The advisor is scored once a month on important service KPIs. They are given an opportunity to account for their performance and offer suggestions on how they can improve. This has led to some huge performance improvements.

I spoke with one of the service advisors at this dealership about these metrics. One of the KPIs the service advisor was held accountable for was ASR%: the percentage of additional service revenue generated that was recommended from the MPVI.

This service advisor started telling me all of the activities he had completed to try and improve his ASR%. He had spoken with the technicians on the importance of recommending additional service. He’d posted the ASR% for each technician so they could see how they were performing in relation to their peers.

I asked him what his ASR% was before these recent activities, and his answer really surprised me. It made me think about the other KPIs we could use to measure employee performance without making pay plan changes.

His answer? He told me he had no idea what his ASR% was before this scorecard implementation because he didn’t know what that metric was.

And he’d been working service for 8 years.

This scorecard and monthly review process can be extremely effective in helping service advisors to increase the items that may be in their pay plan: hours per RO and selling gross. By focusing on some of the metrics you can measure that you know will help them sell additional service, you can really help the advisors develop and grow.

Consider implementing a scorecard and monthly review process. It can help you manage your service advisors and give you some great insight on how you can help them improve their performance.



Recent winner of three awards, Sales Boost focuses on partnering with automotive, RV, marine, powersports, and motorcycle dealers to leverage patented technology, data, and analytics, to ensure consumers receive timely follow-up to increase profits and unit sales.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., – (July 27, 2021) Digital Air Strike, the leading consumer engagement technology company, announces the launch of its Sales Boost solution, a combination of award-winning, patented technology paired with personalized lead follow-up that provides a more transparent and engaging vehicle buying experience for consumers. Along with the launch, Digital Air Strike is honored to announce its Sales Boost solution has won three awards for top business technology and innovation, including the People’s Choice Stevie® Award for Favorite New Product at the 19th annual American Business Awards® and the Company Innovation of the Year award at the 13th annual 2021 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards.

Sales Boost gives automotive dealers, specialty vehicle dealerships, and even consumer networks a new ability to scale their sales and service resources by leveraging Digital Air Strike’s technology and expertise to fully manage lead follow-up. The Company leverages its patented Response Logix lead response technology, Response Path AI intelligent messaging, and Video Logix customized video recording with tracking technology to respond, engage, and nurture vehicle buyers and service customers at the right time they are in market. Digital Air Strike’s Sales Development Team’s experience in retail and deep understanding of what it takes to engage shoppers, paired with the ability to fully leverage their digital retailing technology, is generating outstanding results for many retailers nationwide.

McClinton Automotive Group in Parkersburg, West Virginia, relies on Digital Air Strike’s Sales Boost to manage all inbound leads, outbound calls, and appointment scheduling for sales and service. Through Sales Boost, McClinton has increased gross by 64% since late 2020 while reducing expenses and solving staffing challenges. Digital Air Strike’s technology and services combine to become the dealership’s virtual employee, scheduling appointments and contacting every lead in McClinton’s CRM.

“We’re selling more cars and exceeding our sales goals with Digital Air Strike,” said Ginny Bowden, McClinton Auto Group’s dealer principal. “Their Sales Boost handles all of our inbound leads, delivering great results daily. They helped us streamline our budget, saving more than $10,000 a month while yielding better results.”  

Digital Air Strike customized its technology and team to partner side-by-side with dealers to determine cadence on follow-up while managing inbound leads, nurturing leads in the dealer’s sales process, and following up after the sale to set service and F&I opportunities. Sales Boost continues to exceed industry benchmarks with successful engagements, appointment rates, and close rates.

“Today’s market challenges, including staffing shortages, vehicle inventory availability, and vehicle affordability, have created unprecedented pressure on dealers. With our Sales Boost solution, dealers are doing more with less while implementing the newest technology to deliver high-quality prospects and efficiently maximize front and back-end gross profits,” said Jason Barrie, Chief Strategy Officer, Digital Air Strike. “Digital Air Strike partners with thousands of dealerships leveraging our data, patented technology, and advanced digital marketing process to increase sales and profits.”    

Sales Boost won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Product after receiving the most online public votes in the 19th annual American Business Awards® business technology category. The public cast more than 92,000 votes worldwide in the online competition. Sales Boost was also awarded a Bronze Stevie® Award based on high average scores from more than 250 professionals worldwide in the three-month judging process. Sales Boost is also a Silver Globee winner in the 13th annual 2021 Golden Bridge Business and Innovation Awards. Digital Air Strike is excited to share this award in the Company Innovation of the Year category with multinational tech giant IBM.  

Digital Air Strike will be presenting the exciting results of its Sales Boost solution and inventory merchandising technology during a free webinar on Thursday, August 5th at 1 p.m. EDT / 10 a.m. PDT. Interested attendees can find more information and register at www.digitalairstrike.com/webinars

About Digital Air Strike

Digital Air Strike is the leading social media, intelligent lead response, and consumer engagement technology company helping over 7,800 businesses increase consumer response and conversions leveraging patented AI-powered digital technology that generates measurable ROI. A pioneer in digital response, social media marketing technology, and online reputation management solutions, Digital Air Strike deploys industry-specific mobile apps, software, intelligent messaging, and consumer engagement platforms to monitor, respond, improve, and convert more consumers into customers for thousands of businesses in the United States, Canada, and 32 additional countries, including working with seven of the largest automotive manufacturers. More information on the company is available at www.digitalairstrike.com and  www.facebook.com/digitalairstrike. 

Media Contact:
Hayley Ringle
(480) 421-5959
hringle@digitalairstrike.com

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, July 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Carketa, a dealership solutions software company, today announced that it has become a participant in the CDK Global Partner Program. As a member of one of the largest third-party partner programs in the industry, Carketa is now part of a marketplace of applications and integration that CDK Global, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDK), a leading enabler of end-to-end automotive commerce, developed to help automotive dealers succeed.

"We are excited to be partnering with CDK helping dealerships streamline their process to sell more cars, in less time, for more money." said Brady Thurgood, Carketa CEO.  Customers turn their inventory quicker, increase gross profit and compete above the new wave of online dealers. For more information on Carketa's vehicle condition reports and available integrations, see Carketa.com.

"We're very pleased to introduce Carketa as the newest member of the CDK Global Partner Program," said Howard Gardner, vice president and general manager, CDK Data Services. "Carketa is a welcome addition to our vibrant program that provides dealers with a range of partner choices and the assurance that their programs can be seamlessly integrated with our applications."

The CDK Global Partner Program provides its partners with access to a diverse CDK ecosystem through the ability to integrate with a range of CDK applications, as well as with CDK dealer websites. The Carketa integrations push your inventory through a streamlined system that pushes your vehicles to the frontline of your sales lot faster than ever before. 

About the CDK Global Partner Program
The CDK Partner Program now numbers more than 430 partner companies and 600 unique applications auto dealers can use to run their businesses. As part of the CDK ecosystem, the CDK Partner Program provides data and workflow integration to a wide range of third parties, OEMs and dealers. For a full list of partners and applications available through the program, visit cdkglobal.com/us/partners-list.

About CDK Global
With more than $2 billion in revenues, CDK Global (Nasdaq: CDK) is a leading global provider of integrated information technology and digital marketing solutions to the automotive retail and adjacent industries. Focused on enabling end-to-end automotive commerce, CDK Global provides solutions to dealers in more than 100 countries around the world, serving approximately 30,000 retail locations and most automotive manufacturers. CDK solutions automate and integrate all parts of the dealership and buying process from targeted digital advertising and marketing campaigns to the sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, repair, and maintenance of vehicles. Visit cdkglobal.com.

About Carketa
Founded in 2019, Carketa has quickly become the top trusted source for reconditioning and
current condition reports in the automotive industry. Within the fast-paced industry, dealerships face struggles in automation, communication, profit generation, and breaking into the digital space. Carketa creates software to overcome all of these issues with an emphasis on enhancing a dealership's internal team processes and customer experience, Carketa helps dealers increase vehicle sales, gross profit and decrease time to market. Get more information at getcarketa.com.

Digital Sales Platform Integration to Equip Dealers with Amazon-like Experience for New and Used Vehicles

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., – June 2, 2021 – CDK Global, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDK), a leading retail automotive technology company, today completed the acquisition of Palo Alto, Calif.-based Roadster, Inc. (“Roadster”), a digital sales platform that modernizes the way consumers buy vehicles and the process in which dealers sell them. The integration of Roadster assets and capabilities positions CDK to bring the first fully integrated, end-to-end retail solution to the automotive market and deliver on the promise of Modern Retailing.

The solution will help franchise automotive dealers compete with—and exceed the capabilities of—digital-first used vehicle marketplaces that have expanded rapidly in the past year. It will enable dealers to sell new and used vehicles completely online, while also giving consumers the option to begin and end the vehicle-buying process anywhere they choose—online or in-store.

“Consumers have shown they are increasingly more willing to purchase big ticket items online, and this trend has quickly accelerated during the pandemic,” said Brian Krzanich, president and chief executive officer, CDK Global. “To meet their expectations, the automotive industry requires integrations of the right technology, data and infrastructure to better connect its online and in-store experiences. Roadster’s consumer-focused approach and innovative technology will significantly contribute to our Modern Retailing efforts to create a seamless omnichannel vehicle-buying process that puts dealers at the heart of the relationship.”

For more than 40 years, CDK has helped dealers and OEMs run their businesses more efficiently, drive profitability and create differentiated experiences that keep customers for life.

In recent years, CDK has strategically focused on delivering solutions that remove friction from the vehicle-buying experience. Specifically, CDK digitized critical pieces of the sales process with products such as Connected Store, Elead CRM, Digital Contracting and eSign.

Roadster will create an increased market opportunity for CDK with new OEM partnership potential and expanded offerings to all dealers. It will also leverage open integrations built on the Fortellis platform and provide a bridge to dealer back-end systems—regardless of dealer management system (DMS) or customer relationship management (CRM) provider.

“We’re proud of the work we’ve done at Roadster over the last eight years to modernize the car-buying experience and reduce the time it takes to purchase a vehicle,” said Andy Moss, founder and CEO, Roadster. “Automotive retailing is extremely complex, and the best way to create a truly frictionless, end-to-end buying experience is to fully integrate our technology with the back-end systems that power dealership sales, finance and operations, regardless of provider.”

About CDK Global, Inc.
CDK Global (NASDAQ:CDK) is a leading provider of integrated data and technology solutions to the automotive, heavy truck, recreation and heavy equipment industries. Focused on enabling end-to-end, omnichannel retail commerce through open, agnostic technology, CDK Global provides solutions to dealers and original equipment manufacturers, serving nearly 15,000 retail locations in North America. CDK solutions connect people with technology by automating and integrating all parts of the dealership and buying process, including the acquisition, sale, financing, insuring, parts supply, repair and maintenance of vehicles. Visit cdkglobal.com

About Roadster
Roadster provides consumer-driven Commerce Solutions for today’s modern dealership. With Roadster's proprietary technology platform, dealerships can provide hassle-free car buying in-store, online or on the go. Roadster dramatically improves dealership customer satisfaction scores, while significantly reducing sales costs. From inventory merchandising, to financing/leasing, incentives, trade-ins, service plans and accessories-- Roadster delivers near penny perfect deals in a beautifully designed interface that customers and employees will love. Roadster is based in Palo Alto, CA and was founded in late 2013. For more information, please visit Roadster.com.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including: statements regarding the company’s ability to achieve the intended benefits of the transaction; the Company’s business outlook; other plans; objectives; forecasts; goals; beliefs; business strategies; future events; business conditions; results of operations; financial position and business outlook and trends; and other information, may be forward-looking statements. Words such as "might," "will," "may," "could," "should," "estimates," "expects," "continues," "contemplates," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "intends," "believes," "forecasts," "future," "assumes," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed, or implied by, these forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements include: the accuracy of the Company’s expectations regarding the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; the Company’s success in obtaining, retaining and selling additional services to customers; the pricing of the Company’s products and services; overall market and economic conditions, including interest rate and foreign currency trends, and technology trends; adverse global economic conditions and credit markets and volatility in the countries in which we do business; auto sales and related industry changes; competitive conditions; changes in regulation; changes in technology, security breaches, interruptions, failures and other errors involving the Company’s systems; availability of skilled technical employees/labor/personnel; the impact of new acquisitions and divestitures; employment and wage levels; availability of capital for the payment of debt service obligations or dividends or the repurchase of shares; any changes to the Company’s credit ratings and the impact of such changes on financing costs, rates, terms, debt service obligations, access to capital market and working capital needs; the impact of the Company’s indebtedness, access to cash and financing, and ability to secure financing, or financing at attractive rates; the onset of or developments in litigation involving contract, intellectual property, competition, shareholder, and other matters, and governmental investigations; and the ability of the Company’s significant stockholders and their affiliates to significantly influence the Company’s decisions or cause it to incur significant costs.

There may be other factors that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements. The Company gives no assurances that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if any of them do, what impact they will have on its results of operations and financial condition. You should carefully read the factors described in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including those discussed under "Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors" in its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in its most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for a description of certain risks that could, among other things, cause the Company’s actual results to differ from any forward-looking statements contained herein. The Company’s SEC filings can be found on the Company’s website at investors.cdkglobal.com and the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

Media Contacts:
Tony Macrito
630.805.0782
Tony.Macrito@cdk.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Julie Schlueter
847.485.4643
Julie.Schlueter@cdk.com

Digital Dealership System to provide significant discounts to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep ® , Ram, and Fiat dealerships seeking customizable digital sign solutions through MarketCenter.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL., June 2, 2021 – Today, Digital Dealership System (DDS), leaders in dealer screen marketing, announced its addition as the newest MarketCenter supplier supporting Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep®, Ram, and Fiat dealerships. With over 1,000 installations completed throughout the United States, Digital Dealership System pre-integrated software enables ingenious messaging on digital signage and kiosks in real-time to distinguish the in-store customer experience, close more sales, produce double-digit service revenue growth and increase dealership profits. With stadium-grade screen management, DDS can source from any hardware provider best-suited for each dealership’s needs and support customizable content across the showroom, customer lounge, service lane, in addition to leaderboards and kiosks.

“Digital Dealership System provides dealers with the opportunity to increase service revenue
and closing ratios by personalizing the customer experience through screen technology,” said
Todd Katcher, founder of Digital Dealership System. “We are proud to be a part of MarketCenter
and look forward to servicing our dealer partners.”

As a MarketCenter supplier, Digital Dealer System offers Chrysler, Jeep ® , Dodge, Ram, Fiat U.S. dealers competitive pricing through Stellantis’ MarketCenter within the DealerConnect portal.

ABOUT DIGITAL DEALERSHIP SYSTEM
Established in 2008, Digital Dealership System is the premium digital sign solution for the modern
dealership. Digital Dealership System believes that dealers that invest in the in-store experience separate themselves from the competition by creating memorable experiences, giving dealers the most advanced, easy-to-use digital sign solution in the industry. Their expertise is widely known in the $100M/year dealership screen market, with over 1000 installations completed across the United States.

For more information, visit digitaldealershipsystem.com/marketcenter

Contact:
Craig Daitch
Telemetry Public Relations for Digital Dealership System

(248) 880-4403
craig@telemetryagency.com

Taps Field Leader to Connect and Align Teams to Deliver a More Consistent Client Experience 

ATLANTA—June 2, 2021 – Connecting physical and digital auction support services in a seamless and consistent way is vital to delivering a first-rate client experience. That is why Manheim has established a new Client Shared Services Group, part of its nearly $100 million investment announced earlier this year, to better align the varied needs of its clients. Dana Lowenthal has been promoted to vice president and will lead key support operations, with the goal of matching clients to the right expert to resolve their issues faster, while enhancing satisfaction.

New Client Shared Services Group

Prior to the rapid rise in Manheim’s digital transactions, many support services – such as arbitration and auction block duties – were handled onsite at the auction. But, as more clients moved to online channels, demonstrated by 80% of Manheim’s transactions occurring digitally, it became a challenge to provide consistent in-lane and digital sales procedures to meet diverse client needs.

“An extensive review of our auction processes, combined with client feedback, resulted in our decision to align all of Manheim’s shared services within one group,” explained said Grace Huang, president of Manheim. “This approach not only brings deep auction expertise to common client issues where solutions can be shared seamlessly, but also meets our commitment to delivering a more connected client experience.”

The group’s structure is designed to simultaneously provide both a high-touch client experience and a high-volume delivery system. For example, complex issues such as arbitration will be handled by dedicated teams across Market Centers and regions and virtual block specialists will be focused on sale-day operations. This two-pronged approach produces greater consistency for clients, while driving highly efficient operations.

The newest addition to Manheim’s shared services is title processing. The Title Shared Services Center in Carmel, Indiana, is operated by Manheim and, while originally set up for commercial clients, its success led to offering a similar solution for dealers. Today, this centralized site processes nearly two million titles annually.

Leading the Group

With a career that spans several leadership roles within Manheim’s various business segments, Dana Lowenthal has been tapped to lead this new group. As vice president, Client Shared Services, Lowenthal and her team will support Manheim’s 24 Market Centers nationwide, including call center operations, vehicle arbitrations, virtual block clerks, title services and commercial pre-and post-sale operations. 

“Dana’s knowledge of auction operations and technology, and a passion for serving clients, made her the ideal choice for this new and important group within our business,” Huang added. “Her ability to manage high-performing teams toward a common service goal will greatly benefit our clients.”  

Lowenthal began her career with the Cox family of companies in 2008 providing guidance on new technologies to Cox Newspaper websites before transitioning to the digital space at Manheim where she held roles of increasing responsibility, rising to senior director of technology. In 2015, she transitioned into field operations as assistant general manager of Manheim Palm Beach. Most recently, she served as general manager of Manheim Central Florida where she achieved record-setting operational and business performance.

Flexible vehicle transport solves complex logistics problems with transparent, trackable, one-click scheduling to meet the explosive demands of the new digital auto retail economy

LOS ANGELES, May 19, 2021 -- HONK, the tech leader in the towing and roadside space, today announced that their newest technology solution, On-Demand Vehicle Transports, is transforming the automotive industry with one-click, same-day or advance scheduling vehicle pick-ups and deliveries. HONK's new short-distance (less than 100 miles) transport solution is gaining tremendous momentum as more auto retailers change how they buy and sell cars to scale their businesses and meet the explosive demands of the new digital economy. Increasingly, consumer preference is for touchless and contactless vehicle transport options.

According to a 2019 McKinsey report, approximately 17 million new cars and 40 million used cars are sold in the US annually, and the industry is ripe for disruption. The authors of the report write: "Online providers are beginning to dilute traditional used-car dealers' positions and drive growth by empowering digitally savvy customers via three major capabilities: complete end-to-end purchasing capabilities (desired by 59 percent of buyers), extensive vehicle data and photos, along with effective search tools (desired by 64 percent of buyers), [and] unique delivery options (desired by 28 percent of online buyers)."

Transport logistics for moving millions of cars has proven to be complex, costly, and time consuming. HONK has developed a plug-and-play, scalable, digital vehicle transport solution delivering operational cost savings and business efficiencies to several large auto retailers, with about 75% less human intervention over the past six months while providing more control over the logistics process.

HONK's On-Demand Vehicle Transport Solution supports:

• Scalable on-demand vehicle transport: Auto retailers need flexible and transparent transport logistics support to quickly pick up newly acquired car inventory.

• Touchless vehicle delivery of newly purchased cars: This high-value customer touchpoint is treated as an extension of the auto retailer's brand promise when selling a vehicle.

• Contactless service for pick-up & drop-off: Auto retailers can offer this as a value-added service for customers' vehicles that need routine maintenance and servicing.

• Emergency roadside assistance coverage: A value-added service to build stronger brand loyalty and customer retention.

• Collision repair facility logistics support: Schedule the transport of damaged vehicles to certified facilities and load-balance between locations to expedite cycle times.

"HONK provides auto retailers a completely digital integrated platform, eliminating valuable management time spent getting vehicles moved to and from a destination, so they can focus on sourcing and selling vehicles," said Rochelle Thielen, CRO at HONK. 

"Our clients simply click a button, and the vehicle just shows up where it needs to be. Their operations teams are no longer wasting time calling around, trying to track down, and figure out what was delivered or picked up from a multitude of other sources. Clients quickly access critical data about transports from HONK's real-time dashboard solving this time-consuming, logistical nightmare for top auto retailers." 

About HONK Technologies

HONK, a flexible on-demand mobility platform, helps top insurers, fleets, automotive OEMs and car retailers deliver modern, digital roadside customer experiences and meet scalable same-day vehicle transport demands. HONK's digital-first, modular approach is designed to optimize roadside assistance programs, auto claims processing, accident scene management, fleet maintenance, vehicle logistics and transport, so businesses can increase efficiencies through advanced digital tools, customizable integrations, and HONK's high-performing service provider network to build brand-defining retention and loyalty engines.

To learn more, visit HONK's Vehicle Transports webpage.

May 17, 2021

WESTLAKE, T.X. — May 17, 2021 — Solera Holdings, Inc. (“Solera”) today announced that it will acquire Omnitracs, a complete fleet management platform, and DealerSocket, a leading SaaS provider to the automotive industry. These acquisitions will extend Solera’s position as the preeminent global data intelligence and technology leader serving all constituents engaged in vehicle lifecycle management.

Global Leadership in Vehicle Lifecycle Management

With operations in more than 90 countries, Solera is the global technology leader operating in a highly complex vehicle lifecycle management ecosystem. Solera’s software and unique data assets power the value-chain of a vehicle from purchase to claims, repair and resale. These acquisitions will build upon Solera’s strategy to minimize complexity and reduce friction at all touchpoints in the vehicle lifecycle with fully integrated intelligent technology platforms.

“Solera is the driving force behind the rapid digitization of the vehicle lifecycle, delivering intelligent, data-driven, mission-critical solutions for our customers,” said Darko Dejanovic, Chief Executive Officer of Solera. “These highly strategic acquisitions will enable us to expand into adjacent verticals and capitalize on emerging trends in our industry. Solera’s unique position in a large and growing market allows us to transform the industry through innovation, proprietary data assets, unmatched scale and deep customer relationships.”

With Omnitracs, Solera will offer a unified platform that encompasses safety, productivity and maintenance solutions for commercial fleets.

“By joining Solera, Omnitracs will be able to further extend our converged solutions, both in and on the vehicle, into fleet lifecycle management services while also extending our access to new markets,” said Ray Greer, Chief Executive Officer of Omnitracs.

The addition of DealerSocket’s cutting-edge platform completes an end-to-end suite of solutions for automotive dealerships, combining customer acquisition and retention solutions, inventory management, dealership management systems, e-titling and a unique service and maintenance platform.

“The combination of DealerSocket with Solera allows us to offer dealerships a fully unified platform to simplify workflows and enables us to become the digital backbone across all areas of a connected dealership, simplifying and improving the retail experience. We are thrilled to join the Solera team,” said Sejal Pietrzak, Chief Executive Officer of DealerSocket.

The acquisitions are expected to close during the second quarter of calendar year 2021, subject to definitive agreements that will include customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is advising Solera on the acquisition. Greenberg Traurig, LLP is serving as legal counsel to Omnitracs and Ropes & Gray LLP is serving as legal counsel to DealerSocket.

About Solera

Solera is a global leader in risk and asset management data and software, empowering companies across the automotive and insurance ecosystem with trusted solutions to support connectivity across the vehicle value chain. Solera’s solutions bring together customers, insurers, and suppliers, empowering smarter decision-making through service, software, enriched data, proprietary algorithms, and machine learning that come together to deliver insight and are designed to ensure customers’ vehicles and property are optimally maintained and expertly repaired. Solera serves over 235,000 customers and partners in more than 90 countries across six continents. By drawing on the market-leading solution capabilities and business process best practices from its technologies around the world, Solera provides unsurpassed scale and strength with superior performance while delivering innovation to move the industry forward.

About Omnitracs

Omnitracs offers the only complete fleet intelligence software platform. Serving the largest for-hire and private fleets in the transportation and distribution industries, Omnitracs’s best-in-class solutions accelerate business success, improve efficiency, and enhance the driver experience for nearly 15,000 customers who collectively travel 250 million miles per week. Omnitracs pioneered digital transformation in trucking more than 30 years ago, and today offers a one-stop shop for enterprise-grade, data-driven solutions across compliance, telematics, workflow, routing, and video safety in over 50 countries across the globe. For more information, visit www.omnitracs.com.

About DealerSocket

DealerSocket serves over 9,000 automotive dealerships with best-in-class solutions for customer relationship management, digital retailing/marketing, websites, inventory management and analytics solutions, as well as leading enterprise-level dealership management systems. DealerSocket solutions transform the automotive experience with innovations and unparalleled, award-winning customer service. For more information, visit www.dealersocket.com.

Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about: the expected execution of definitive agreements relating to, and expected consummation of, Solera’s acquisitions of Omnitracs and DealerSocket (together, the “Acquisitions”); the expected financial, operational and strategic benefits of the Acquisitions; the expected benefits and value of current and future products and services to Solera’s, Omnitracs’s and DealerSocket’s customers, either alone or in conjunction with the products and services of other Solera group companies; and operational efficiencies that may be achieved by the combined companies as a result of the Acquisitions. These statements are based on Solera’s current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to many risks, uncertainties and unknown future events that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Solera is under no obligation to (and specifically disclaims any such obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
Jed Repko / Ed Trissel
212-355-4449
Media@solera.com

SOURCE Solera Holdings, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.solera.com

Program Improves the Car Buying Experience by Solving Major Pain Points in the Deal Process

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (May 04, 2021), TrueCar, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRUE), the most efficient and transparent online destination to buy a car, today announced the launch of  a pilot program with digital sales platform, Roadster. For the first time, consumers using TrueCar will now be able to finalize their car buying deals digitally through an API that integrates directly into Roadster’s back-end software. This capability is currently available at over 650 dealers that work with both TrueCar and Roadster. 

TrueCar’s experience is flexible and aims to enable consumers to have as much or as little of their car buying experience online as they prefer. Consumers can research and find the right car online, and get real pricing on an actual vehicle. They can also get a cash offer on their trade-in to put toward their new vehicle. With this program, consumers can now extend the car buying experience even further online by completing their deal terms digitally through the integration with Roadster.

“The ability to finalize the terms of a car deal online is critical to creating a great retail experience,” said Mike Darrow, President & CEO of TrueCar. “Through our pilot program with Roadster, TrueCar consumers at select dealerships now have the ability to build real car deals digitally, including finance terms.”

The TrueCar and Roadster program marks the first step in TrueCar’s journey to leverage data exchanges and technology integrations with digital retailing providers such as Roadster to improve the car buying experience. This approach modernizes data exchanges via API integrations built by partners like Roadster as opposed to limited legacy email methods currently being utilized. This enhancement addresses pain points for both consumers and dealers that make car buying easier, removing unnecessary friction between buyers and sellers.

Consumers who use the TrueCar and Roadster integration can now pick up on the dealer’s Express Storefront right where they left off on TrueCar, without having to repeat any steps. The consumer will see the same vehicle price, qualifying incentives, and lease / finance deal terms that they configured and were presented on TrueCar (subject to validation of the information provided by the consumer). For dealers, this ensures they not only have all the pertinent deal structure inputs from the consumer, but also makes the process even more efficient by passing the information directly into the dealer’s Roadster Admin sales tool for easy follow up.

“Consumers want their car buying experience to be as easy as anything else,” said Andy Moss, CEO of Roadster. “Through the development and use of robust retail APIs, like the one we are implementing here, we will now be able to create a seamless car buying experience for marketplaces like TrueCar. We are proud to work alongside such great partners like TrueCar to offer a modern end-to-end car buying solution that consumers have been waiting for.”

 How it works:

●      Once a car buyer has built and personalized their deal on a vehicle on TrueCar, they have the option to enter into participating dealers’ “Express Store” powered by Roadster, to finalize the terms of their deal.

●      All the vehicle deal-building work configured by the TrueCar shopper is carried over from TrueCar into the “Roadster Admin” for easy follow-up. The dealer no longer has to cross-reference or ask customers questions they've already answered on TrueCar. This puts customers and dealers on the same page, reducing friction.

●      The consumer can finalize their deal terms with the dealer either online or offline.

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About TrueCar

TrueCar is a leading automotive digital marketplace that enables car buyers to connect to our nationwide network of Certified Dealers. We are building the industry's most personalized and efficient car buying experience as we seek to bring more of the purchasing process online. Consumers who visit our marketplace will find a suite of vehicle discovery tools, price ratings, and market context on new and used cars -- all with a clear view of what's a great deal. When they are ready, TrueCar will enable them to connect with a local Certified Dealer who shares in our belief that truth, transparency, and fairness are the foundation of a great car buying experience. As part of our marketplace, TrueCar powers car-buying programs for over 250 leading brands, including AARP, Sam’s Club, and American Express. Nearly half of all new-car buyers engage with TrueCar powered sites, where they buy smarter and drive happier. TrueCar is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with an office in Austin, Texas.

For more information, please visit www.truecar.com, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter. TrueCar media line: +1-844-469-8442 (US toll-free) | Email: pr@truecar.com

About Roadster

Roadster is the auto industry’s leading digital sales platform, modernizing the way customers buy cars and the way dealers sell them. Its flagship Express Storefront product comes with everything that’s needed to transact both online and in the showroom, creating one seamless Omnichannel experience for all. Express Storefront is powered by hundreds of data sources to enable customers to configure near penny-perfect deals that factor in incentives, trade-ins, service plans and accessories. It also features the tools and insights dealers need to engage customers and guide them to complete their purchase online, or seamlessly continue it in store. As a result, dealers who use Express Storefront report 2x more engagement, 70% more sales efficiency and 2x higher customer satisfaction than the industry average. Roadster was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.Roadster.com

TrueCar Public Relations Contact:

Shadee Malekafzali

shadee@truecar.com

424.258.8694

Roadster Public Relations Contact:

Rachel Rogers

rachel@roadster.com