When it comes to CRM reporting in the automotive industry, there is no shortage. The idea that you can get a report for any one piece of data in your CRM system that you are using. However, just because we have all of these reports does not mean it will have a positive impact and or change the way you do business on the dealer level. In fact, arguably, each time we get lost in a new report, it can, in many ways, distract you from getting anything accomplished. That said, here are two things to consider when using reporting. 

Not All Reports in the CRM are One Size Fits All. 

It seems simple, you get a report emailed to you every day at 8AM on the dot. It looks to be perfect, but it is no secret that looks can be deceiving. One of the biggest frustrations with a lot of the CRM report subscriptions is that by the time you have reviewed the report, the data has changed. In that, depending on whether or not your sales consultants or BDC Agents have updated the leads, merged leads, or reconciled data, the numbers will change. So instead of focusing on what is pertinent, you wind up spending more time reviewing leads/notes that are otherwise taken care of. 

So instead of wasting time by reviewing several reports in your email, here are some of the best ways to get that data. 

Sold Leads. Merge the CRM & DMS Sold Deals. 

It happens, the customer fills out a coupon lead in the showroom for a gift card. The spouse/partner filled out a lead inquiry awhile back - or there was a lead for the credit application - all of which means you could easily have five or six leads pertaining to one customer. And while there is a lot of conversation surrounding lead attribution, which is essential, but it is also just as important as having a clean database. That said, start by cleaning up all of the duplicate leads, ensuring that all of the lead sources remain within the CRM. For those CRM's that enable you to choose multiple lead sources, you can easily notate which lead was the last submitted, or better yet what lead led to the showroom visit or appointment. 

By cleaning the above data points (leads) up in your CRM, you are already looking at a more accurate picture. Wherein, if you are continually looking at set and show rate versus sold rate, a five to fifteen lead swing can have a significant impact on those rates. Namely, the whole point is that data in the CRM changes by the minute, so if we do not take that into consideration while reviewing these report subscriptions, you lose focus on what is actually happening; or customers that you can still work with. 

In Bound Call Reporting. The Same Phone Number Is Not Two Leads. 

So many of the reporting subscriptions - regarding what the phone vendor sends out - do not remove duplicate callers. In that, if I were to call a dealer twice in one day, it would count as two phone leads, and let's say I got one appointment on the first call, which is great. In essence, I would not then get credit for having already booked the appointment on the second call. Therefore, the lead count would be off for the set, show, and sold rates. All of which can cause a lot of frustration. Or worse, the GM or manager reviews the 'one' call that showed not having an appointment set, calls the BDC Manager or Employee in - catching them off guard - ripping them a new one for not having an appointment - all while they DID have an appointment. This happens far more than you would think, and it was all due to reviewing an inaccurate, otherwise irrelevant report. 

So before you use the report as the only means of reviewing numbers, take the time to look at the actual data - that is, reviewing the CRM to see if the customers call had already been logged in the CRM. 

Bottom Line: this is not to say that reports are not important, but what this is offering is that simply review a report subscription does not, by any means, always paint the whole picture. And rather than only review the report, it is best to review the actual data and outcomes. All of which enables your team to focus on what is important, which is increasing sales through effective correspondence with the customer.