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DrivingSales

Dec 12, 2015

New Premier Vendors Join DealerVault’s Premier Network: eLEND Solutions, Hynts by Sum-Ware, Prospect Vision, & Traver Connect

LA CROSSE, WI – DealerVault is proud to announce the newest members of its Premier Network – eLEND Solutions, Hynts by Sum-Ware, Prospect Vision, & Traver Connect.

DealerVault’s Premier Network allows third-party solution providers to actively support dealerships’ desire to take back control of their data. This platform creates a win-win for vendors and dealerships alike. Dealerships are empowered with control over their data while utilizing the DealerVault tool at no charge, and Premier Vendors are able to actively support this desired effort. DealerVault is excited to have eLEND Solutions, Hynts by Sum-Ware, Prospect Vision, & Traver Connect join them in their endeavor to revolutionize the automotive industry by putting dealerships back in control of their data.

“I would like to welcome eLEND Solutions, Hynts by Sum-Ware, Prospect Vision, & Traver Connect to the DealerVault Premier Network. I greatly anticipate the support these optimal partnerships will provide for the industry as a whole, and highly commend their courage in embracing transparency and dealer control in data movement. Thank you for joining the industry revolution, and welcome to the DealerVault Premier Network!” commented Stephen Cottrell, President and CEO of DealerVault.

About eLEND Solutions: eLEND Solutions is a technology company focused on providing a more efficient sales and finance process for the entire retail automotive industry. Integrating eLEND with DealerVault will provide clients faster and more accurate access to customer and sales data, enabling them to create a more efficient, connected buying experience that will ultimately result in more sales and higher customer satisfaction ratings. 

About Hynts by Sum-Ware: Hynts by Sum-Ware takes the guess work out of following-up with customers by automating personalized text and email messages for dealers. They provide their customers the ability to quickly build rapport, improve the full customer experience, and increase CSI scores while reducing labor costs. Integrating Hynts with DealerVault will help contain customer information within the dealership by eliminating the need for advisors to use their personal phones. 

About Prospect Vision: Prospect Vision is a full service solution (not a software) that helps dealerships increase sales, market share, and customer retention through customer data mining and equity marketing at a very low cost per sale. Integrating Prospect Vision with DealerVault will offer in-equity customers the chance to trade up to a new vehicle and retain their current payment with no money out of pocket. For more information, call 1-800-252-0868 for a special offer of free setup and database build to all DealerVault dealers.

About Traver Connect: Traver Connect is focused entirely on driving excellence to your service drive. Everything they do is designed around improving customer experience. And, instead of putting the burden on your dealership to hire, train and implement these processes, Traver Connect provides a turn-key solution that centralizes the inbound calls and frees up your Advisors to better serve your customers. Integrating Traver Connect with DealerVault means more time to sell with the right tools to take control of data sources by using better technologies and more efficient processes. cee28b4749a1ff9127d50179d8ca29d5.jpg?t=1

About DealerVault:

DealerVault is the first cloud-based system designed to empower dealerships with control over the syndication and distribution of their DMS data. Its’ easy to use, web-based platform allows dealerships to quickly setup, view, and modify DMS data feeds. DealerVault provides dealerships with a solution to all pressing issues including security, compliance, and the indemnification of a $20 million cyber liability policy. For more information, visit http://www.dealervault.com or call 877-834-2451.

 

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Media Contact

Kelly Flint, Marketing Manager

608.793.1282

marketing@authenticom.com

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Dec 12, 2015

eLEND Solutions Continues Expansion: Joins DealerVault’s Premier Network; Appoints Chief Sales Officer; Doubles Office Space

Company names Pogo Parr as Chief Sales Officer and doubles office space to manage extensive growth plans

2c63f9d1b965683280ffc90d874f19b2.jpg?t=1Mission Viejo, CA – December 2, 2015 – eLEND Solutions™, a technology company delivering integrated credit, identification and finance solutions to auto dealers, announced it has joined DealerVault’s Premier Network. DealerVault is a first-of-its-kind cloud-based system that empowers dealerships with control over the syndication and distribution of their DMS data – regardless of the DMS system they use.

 

“Vendor integration is vital to creating a connected car-buying experience for consumers – which means moving them quickly and seamlessly from the website or showroom floor into the F&I department – and DealerVault’s secure, DMS data feed provides a solution that makes this an affordable and easy-to-implement process,” said Pete MacInnis, CEO of eLEND Solutions.

 

DealerVault’s Premier Network allows third-party solution providers to actively support dealerships’ desire to take control of their data, providing a win-win for vendors and dealerships alike. “DealerVault helps eliminate any data knowledge gaps that may happen as a result of an expensive or difficult to penetrate DMS system,” said MacInnis.

 

“eLEND Solutions is playing a unique role in changing the way the car-buying experience works for dealers and consumers alike and we’re thrilled to welcome them as a Premier Network partner,” said Steve Cottrell, President & CEO of DealerVault.

 

This partnership will help eLEND Solutions further transition from an industry leading product provider into the next generation finance platform. Leading its growth strategy, the company recently appointed Pogo Parr, a 18-year automotive industry veteran, to the newly-created role of Chief Sales Officer. Parr has extensive experience in building highly successful sales teams that have achieved dramatic revenue growth for multiple companies, including AutoTrader, CallSource, Century Interactive, and, most recently, DealerOn.

 

“We’re thrilled to welcome Pogo to our team and know that he will build an effective and focused sales team that will bring eLEND Solutions’ products to a much wider base of dealer customers,” said MacInnis.

 

eLEND Solutions has plans for aggressive growth over the next 1-3 years. To accommodate this, the company just moved into their new headquarters in Foothill Ranch, Ca., more than doubling their office space.

 

About eLEND Solutions:

eLEND Solutions is a privately held technology company whose patented platform offers integrated credit, identification and finance solutions that enable a connected buying experience for consumers and a streamlined sales and finance workflow for dealers and lenders that reduces the time to complete a vehicle purchase transaction from hours to minutes. For more information, visit www.elendsolutions.com

 

About DealerVault:

DealerVault is the first cloud-based system designed to empower dealerships with control over the syndication and distribution of their DMS data. Its easy to use, web-based platform allows dealerships to quickly setup, view, and modify DMS data feeds. DealerVault provides dealerships with a solution to all pressing issues including security, compliance, and the indemnification of a $20 million cyber liability policy. For more information, visit http://www.dealervault.com.

 

 

eLEND Solutions Media Contacts: 
mWEBB Communications
Melanie Webber, (424) 603-4340 or melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Crystal Hartwell, (714) 987-1016 or crystal@mwebbcom.com

 

 

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Dec 12, 2015

New Domains .Cars, .Car, and .Auto Launching Specifically for the Auto Industry

Cars Registry makes shorter and more memorable domain names available to trademark holders exclusively through January 12

07c4f9ac69b2915b40191988fe8107df.jpg?t=1Santa Monica, CA -- December 2, 2015 – Cars Registry, a joint venture between XYZ and Uniregistry, today announced the availability of three new domain extensions: .Cars, .Car, and .Auto. Between December 9th and January 12th, these domains will first be made available exclusively to trademark holders registered in the Trademark Clearinghouse. The new extensions provide the auto industry with a distinct marketing advantage over today’s expensive or often over-long, and consequently harder to remember, .com URLs -- a critical challenge in an increasingly mobile era. 

“With nearly 300 million domain names registered worldwide, it is increasingly difficult for businesses to find short memorable domains,” said Daniel Negari, CEO of Cars Registry. The top 25,000 most popular websites are, on average, eight characters long[1], while the average .com domain consisting of the word “cars,” “car,” or “auto” is an unwieldy 13 characters long.[2]

 

.Cars, .Car, and .Auto present a unique opportunity for businesses to secure valuable digital real estate that is shorter, more memorable, and more relevant to their online presence.  Dealerships can upgrade their existing domain name (i.e., ABCAutoGroup.com to ABC.Auto), establish a geographic presence (i.e., Seattle.Cars), and set-up promotional microsites (i.e., HolidaySale.Cars). As an early adopter, St. Louis Motorcars, a factory-authorized luxury car dealer, upgraded its web presence from STLMotorcars.com to the more mobile-friendly STL.Cars.

 

“I can’t think of a better or clearer domain name for my dealership than STL.Cars,” said dealership principal Graham Hill. “Buying the .com version of STL would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and STL.Cars works exactly the same way but looks better in advertising. I got a better looking name for a fraction of the price.”

 

Cars Registry also provides complimentary services to dealerships to transition their websites to the new domains and maximize SEO benefits: “The transition from STLMotorcars.com to STL.Cars by the Cars Registry white-glove team was extremely simple, and enabled us to maintain our search engine ranking, SEO, and emails in the process,” continued Hill.

 

Immediately following the trademark period, a public priority registration period will begin on January 12th to give anyone - regardless of whether they are a trademark holder or not - the opportunity to register any available domains for a premium fee before they enter general availability. On January 20th, the domains become open to the public through Cars Registry’s many retailers, including Network Solutions and GoDaddy.

 

“Two letter and three letter .com domains are 100% registered, and can re-sell for hundreds of thousands and, in some cases, millions of dollars on the secondary market. On the other hand, all .Cars, .Car, and .Auto domains will cost the same standard registration fee,” continued Negari. “This represents the first and last expansion in automotive naming. Businesses of all types - from dealerships to manufacturers - can now establish an authoritative web presence using .Cars, .Car, and .Auto domains to drive their brand.”

 

To learn more about .Cars, .Car, and .Auto, visit http://www.Go.Cars.

 

About Cars Registry Limited

Cars Registry Limited is the registry operator for .Cars, .Car, and .Auto. Founded in 2015 by domain industry leaders XYZ and Uniregistry, the company provides authoritative internet naming options for the automotive industry. From car dealerships to car enthusiasts, Cars Registry Limited allows for anyone, worldwide, to secure memorable and relevant domains.

 

About XYZ

XYZ is the registry operator of .College, .Rent, and .xyz, the largest new domain extension. Founded in 2011, the company is led by Founder and CEO Daniel Negari. The innovative registry operator is unlocking new real estate on the web through its global domain extensions for the next generation of internet users. Learn more about XYZ at www.gen.xyz.

 

About Uniregistry

Uniregistry (2012) is best known for its 25 new top-level domain names including .lol. .mom, .link, .game and .click. Uniregistry operates modern infrastructure, a vibrant secondary marketplace and the industry's newest domain name registrar. Uniregistry is based in Newport Beach, CA and Grand Cayman where its founder Frank Schilling resides. Schilling has participated in all facets of the domain name industry during his 15-year career. The company he founded aspires to be the Apple of domain names, building beautiful infrastructure that makes domain names delightful and easy to use.

 

Cars Registry Limited Media Relations: 

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com 

Cassandra Cavanah, mWEBB Communications, (818) 397-4630, cassandra@mwebbcom.com

 

 

[1] According to Gaebler’s authoritative study “Does Domain Length Matter?” 

[2] According to Cars Registry’s proprietary research

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Dec 12, 2015

AutoAlert Acquires Customer Experience Software Leader MotoFuze

IRVINE, Calif.—December 01, 2015—AutoAlert, the automotive industry's leading data mining and trade-cycle management platform, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of MotoFuze LLC, the automotive industry’s first Customer Experience Management (CEM) platform. 

MotoFuze will be transitioned to a fully integrated product of AutoAlert.  MotoFuze CEO Mike Dullea and Co-founder Tom Walls have been appointed as AutoAlert’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and Chief Technology Officer, respectively.

Founded in 2013 by Walls and industry veteran Kendall Billman, MotoFuze has already generated significant attention in the industry through its cutting-edge CEM that provides dealers with the ability to receive, assess, and utilize relevant, real-time data in automation of sales and marketing efforts. The MotoFuze suite of products includes social media campaigns, content management, and predictive analytics. Tapping into these capabilities will allow AutoAlert customers to deliver increasingly customized offers to individual, in-market consumers. 

“Dealerships are increasingly looking to improve their online engagement with consumers by leveraging data from multiple channels, and MotoFuze quickly proved itself as the best technology solution available today,” said Brian Skutta, CEO of AutoAlert. “We saw first-hand that MotoFuze’s CEM made AutoAlert’s dealer solution even more powerful, and that can only grow when we are working as one organization.” 

AutoAlert and MotoFuze had previously announced a partnership in October of this year, during which pilot dealers used both products for a more comprehensive sales and marketing solution. 

“Early reports from dealers using MotoFuze alongside AutoAlert indicated that the combined solution was on track to account for as much as 20 percent of annual sales,” said Dullea. “Auto dealers are only scratching the surface of how integrating detailed customer data can impact sales, and it is very exciting to now become part of AutoAlert to deliver next-level marketing intelligence.” 

Dullea is a well-respected figure in the automotive community, having co-founded dealership software firm VinSolutions in 2006, and leading the company through a successful acquisition by AutoTrader.com in 2011. 

The newly combined company will maintain its offices in Irvine, CA and Kansas City, MO.

The majority owner of AutoAlert is HGGC, a leading middle-market private equity firm.

 About AutoAlert, LLC.

AutoAlert is the automotive industry’s leading data mining and trade-cycle management platform helping dealerships identify high-quality sales opportunities, increase gross margin and improve customer retention. With AutoAlert, dealerships build long-term client relationships that compound sales, provide better customer service, and make more informed marketing decisions. Founded in 2002, AutoAlert pioneered the equity-mining campaign and a new client engagement methodology through innovative software, marketing and training solutions. www.autoalert.com


About MotoFuze, LLC.

MotoFuze L.L.C., a division of FuzeCast, is revolutionizing how automotive dealers find, engage and market to consumers and engage brand advocates with the industry’s first Customer Experience Management (CEM) system. Its all-in-one CEM solution drives content marketing, reputation management, social selling and employee engagement with supporting Social CRM, digital marketing and search marketing tools, website enhancement products and sales force automation. This cloud-based platform offers complete mobile integration and is accessible from any smartphone with an Internet connection.  www.motofuze.com

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Nov 11, 2015

Recall Masters Launches New Website: A One-Stop Source of Automotive Recall News, Data, Training and Communications

San Francisco, CA -- November 24, 2015 -- Recall Masters, Inc.,  a leading provider of automotive recall news, data, training and communications, today announced the launch of a brand new website for the automotive industry. The company recently expanded its solution to multiple automotive businesses, including automakers, factory authorized dealers, pre-owned car dealers, fleet operators, rental car agencies, auto auctions, marketing agencies and other potential vendor partners. The website has been redesigned and expanded for more efficient navigation and to better explain all of the company’s solutions and product offerings. The site has also been built to fill a void as far as information and resources concerning automotive recalls. It is designed as a one-stop source of automotive recall news, information, marketing, training and other resources.

Automotive businesses can visit the site to leverage the industry’s most comprehensive source or recall owner information for most every major auto make, get updated on all the latest news, and even request a free open recall report, tailored for their market area.  Other educational resources include a recall communication sample, recall estimate by distance, recall summary report, Recall Masters Academy best practices curriculum, and company’s may request a free trial of the software services including API access and Inventory VIN Check.

“We have redesigned the site to be a true resource for automotive recall information for automotive businesses and consumers alike,” said Chris Miller, President of Recall Masters. “Our company is dedicated to helping automakers and their dealers expedite the repair of recalled vehicles and make the roadways safer for everyone. Greater recall awareness and proactive management helps automakers protect their brand and build trusting relationships between automotive dealers, rental car agencies, auto auctions and consumers alike. In this way, everyone wins.”

Future enhancements to the site will include self-service recall program enrollment and the Recall Masters Academy Online, the automotive industry’s most complete online recall program for dealers and BDCs.  It will provide best practicesproductivity tools and proven processes to achieve superior results.  

For a free list count of open recalls in your area, please visit: http://www.recallmasters.com/free-recall-counts, or call: 888-651-4480

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About Recall Masters:

Recall Masters is a leading provider of automotive recall news, data, training, and communications. The company is dedicated to helping automakers and their dealers expedite the repair of recalled vehicles and make the roadways safer for everyone. Greater recall awareness and proactive management helps automakers protect their brand and build trusting relationships between automotive dealers, rental car agencies, auto auctions and consumers alike.  Recall Masters is privately held and based in the San Francisco Bay Area. www.recallmastefadce5cab4473cee6ed1c929b6f0f8f2.jpg?t=1rs.com  

 

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Nov 11, 2015

Vboost Customercials Help Lunde’s Peoria Volkswagen Drive Unprecedented Social Media Interactions

c84a68969dd8a71fb180efdf9b82b54c.jpg?t=1Huntington Beach, CA – November 17, 2015 — Vboost Inc., (www.vboost.com), a viral marketing company focused on the auto industry, today announced that its highly successful marketing program has helped Lunde’s Peoria Volkswagen produce share rates of 150% and an overall viral lift of 1,500% for its innovative “customercials,” video/photo packages captured at the time of vehicle delivery and sent onto customers to share with family and friends. The customericals also have a 36% click through rate and help drive a high volume of traffic back to the dealership’s digital properties, including its website, review sites and social media pages.

According to Xavier Brizar, Digital Marketing Manager at Lunde's Peoria Volkswagen, the dealership had been using another company to boost referrals but it was too complicated for salespeople and customers to use, was very expensive, and after a year and a half produced only about 1-2 referrals per month. “I could see that taking photos with customers, which they then shared for us on their social media, was a very simple and effective process. Everyone in the dealership caught on really fast, it was not at all confusing and really made sense.”

Brizar uses UTM codes to track every marketing source, medium and campaign. This enables Google Analytics to tell him where searchers came from as well as what campaign directed them to the dealership, so he is able to see how effective Vboost is. “Once we email the photos and videos to our customers and they share with their family and friends via text, email and social media, we can track back and can see how many came from the app to our website. We can see how long they visited for and did they go to service, parts, etc. We track all page views and traffic and our VDP views have increased 30% year-over-year,” Brizar shared.

Since using Vboost, the average time spent on the dealership’s site if the visitor clicks over from Facebook is 14 minutes. This is substantial when compared to 3.5-4 minutes for visitors that click over from the Volkswagen factory site, and 3.5-4 minutes for AutoTrader.

“Vboost is driving better quality customers that are spending more time on our website. It is building a stronger online presence for us,” Brizar stated.

The process in the dealership is very simple. Once the customer has completed the vehicle purchase and exits the finance office, during the walk around the salesperson asks the customer if they would like their picture taken with their new vehicle. The dealership uses a Vboost branded IPad to take the photos and video, rather than one of the salespeople’s personal phones. This puts the customer at ease and over 70% of customers are happy to have their photo taken. The photos and video are then texted or emailed to the customer.

The salespeople also get creative when taking photos, such as capturing customers jumping in the air, or hugging their new car. “The customers get very excited about receiving these photos. Not too many of our customers ask us to take photos with their phone, they are comfortable with us capturing images for them. If they do not get the email or text, they contact the salesman and ask us to resend them. These emails get over an 85% open rate and produce up to 90 page views for each opened email,” said Brizar. “We post a lot of our customer pictures to Facebook and get a great response. In fact, our weekly page views are over 100,000, which is really high for this industry. Our customers, and even our vendors, look at our Facebook page to see how busy we are any given weekend,” said Brizar.

Lunde’s Peoria Volkswagen is part of the Rydell Group, which is recognized as the largest dealer group in the US. Collectively, the Rydell Group currently has over 60 locations representing more than 100 franchises with over 2,000 employees. 

The Volkswagen dealership prefers to take a relaxed, rather than high pressure sales approach. None of the salespeople are commissioned, which is highly unusual in this industry.  This approach reflects in high customer satisfaction scores and the Customer 1st Award from Volkswagen two years in a row (2011 & 2012). The award is based on customer survey scores in both sales and service. The dealership ranked #1 out of more than 600 Volkswagen stores in America. Lunde’s Peoria Volkswagen also has unprecedented high ratings across all online review sites – 4.9 stars at Google and 5.0 Stars at Yelp, Cars.com, DealerRater and Edmunds.com.

According to Brizar, as the dealership is based in Peoria AZ, which is near Phoenix and Sun City, AZ, an area full of retirees, it has to reach a broader customer base. Vboost helps reach more of the millennial generation on social media and greatly increases the dealership’s digital footprint.

A recent Vboost upgrade enables the dealership to get instant customer consent and it now receives consent to post customer photos 70% of the time. “The main thing with Vboost is that we capture that emotional high of buying a new vehicle and enable the customer to share it with their family and friends. And, even bigger, we are bringing the dealership to them multiple times and on many levels. With branding you can spend all kinds of money. But this costs very little, is incredibly simple and stays in front of the customer. And the results speak for themselves. I don’t know of anything else that produces share rates of 150%,” said Brizar.

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About Vboost:

Based in Huntington Beach, CA, Vboost, Inc., is the first process to bring more referral business to dealers by creating positive viral marketing that is delivered quickly and gets shared. It involves a streamlined process, via a mobile application and three unique technologies, which collect customer photos at the time of vehicle delivery, convert them to custom music videos and send directly to the customer. By sending these branded messages to customers during the emotional highpoint of the buying process, it has been found that most buyers are compelled to upload and share these videos with family and friends via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, email and other social media platforms. Best of all, results from each viral marketing campaign are monitored, quantified and reported back to the dealers. For more information or a demonstration call 800.799.3130 or visit www.vboost.com.

 

 

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Nov 11, 2015

Auto/Mate Announces Open/Mate Integration with Kaarma, Streamlining Service Payments and Communications

f8b77f4fbc74f932db266aaf127990f8.jpg?t=1

Albany, N.Y. – November 16th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that Kaarma has completed integration with Auto/Mate's Dealership Management System (DMS). Auto/Mate's Fixed Ops Suite in its DMS now seamlessly integrates and sends customer payment and communications records to Kaarma's service applications.

 

"Auto/Mate makes it easy and inexpensive for vendors to integrate with our DMS because we like to encourage companies like Kaarma, that are producing new and innovative applications that keep dealership service departments on the cutting-edge," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "An open standards integration keeps costs low for both vendors and dealers."

 

The integration automatically transfers customer data from Auto/Mate’s DMS to the Kaarma App to allow Auto/Mate dealerships to seamlessly use Kaarma’s industry leading communication and payment solutions.

 

"Our service applications have been shown to drastically improve customer satisfaction and retention, and can save dealerships thousands of dollars," said Ujj Nath, CEO of Kaarma. "Our tools allow service departments to simplify communication with the customer and enable transactions in a way that works best for them."

 

Kaarma offers the following service applications:

 

eBridge is a full payment software system for the service department, enabling mobile payments so that customers can pay their bills online before coming into the dealership to pick up their vehicles; eliminating customer wait time and allowing them to pick up their vehicle after hours.

 

DirectConnect is a bi-directional communication tool for the service department. Research shows that text messages are answered ten times faster than voice mails. With the Kaarma app, the service adviser can text or email the customer instead of calling to leave a voice mail; and all texts, emails and phone calls are aggregated on one screen to keep communications organized regardless of which channels the customer and service adviser are using.

 

Auto/Mate's Fixed Ops Suite is a full-featured solution that offers the following benefits to further streamline processes:

 

  • One-screen access allows all service merchandising functions to be accessed within one screen via user-friendly pull-down menus and buttons
  • Automated dispatch and electronic RO capabilities enable hands-free, customized and flexible dispatching
  • Graphics-rich calendar allows service managers to view color-coded appointments on a daily, weekly or monthly basis "at-a-glance"
  • Instant merge feature that merges duplicate customer information with a single click of a button
  • "OEM Button" to access manufacturers’ online information at any time within Auto/Mate's DMS

 

Auto/Mate offers low-cost, seamless integration for third-party vendors with its Open/Mate program. Auto/Mate is an advocate of open standards integration as a way to increase competition, lower prices and improve the quality of products offered by all vendors.

 

Auto/Mate's DMS is an industry-leading solution designed for single and group franchise dealerships, proven to increase efficiencies and boost dealer profits. For more information call Auto/Mate at 877-340-2677.

 

About Kaarma:

 

Kaarma is a startup software company that focuses on enhancing the retail experience for the service departments of car dealerships.  The Kaarma pplication gives the dealership the ability to offer 21st century technology such as, a digital point of sale system, mobile payments, and bi-directional texting/calling/email all in one application that is integrated with their current software systems. Enabling the dealership with the conveniences of the Kaarma Application have proven to drastically improve retention by increasing customer satisfaction, and have saved dealership’s thousands of dollars by removing inefficiencies in the dealership.  The tools that Kaarma provides are pioneering a space called Customer Interactions Management, which focuses on giving the customers the experience they want while they are actually at the dealership, rather than solely directing energy to bringing the customer back after they have left.

 

Kaarma's philosophy of integrating technology to help build trust with the customer has resonated with the franchised dealership community, this has led to Kaarma's customer base now representing major leading dealership groups, as well as a preferred partner relationship with Mercedes Benz USA. Kaarma is based in Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.mykaarma.com or call (310) 982-7707.

 

About Auto/Mate

 

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships, typically saving dealers thousands of dollars per month from their current provider. Our Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

 

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 940 years of combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car PeopleTM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning its customers’ business each and every month with no long-term contracts and free software upgrades. For more information, visit www.automate.com

 

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Nov 11, 2015

New app aims to redefine the car buying process with speech and image recognition technology

Englewood, FL – Wilson Software Corp has launched a smart phone application that utilizes speech and image recognition technology for swift, intelligent automobile identification and searching. Their new DealerSearch.com app removes the hassle associated with finding nearby vehicles conveniently, resulting in the fastest and most efficient way for car buyers to find their next vehicle and connect directly to dealerships. The application has two main functions that both deploy advanced smart search technology produced exclusively for this trailblazing app.

Innovative search technology for the automotive industry

At its core, the DealerSearch.com app brandishes a profound smart search text or speech input system for searching local vehicle listings which returns accurate results with blinding speed. The second searching option calls upon cutting edge image recognition technology; simply take a picture of any vehicle with your smart phone and it will be identified by the DealerSearch.com app. After recognition, you’re instantly shown vehicle listings from participating dealers near your location who have that exact or similar models on their lot at that very moment. All of the vehicles found within the search results are live, current listings.

According to Google, 82% of purchasers are in-market for three months or less before making a final purchase decision. While the DealerSearch.com app caters to car shoppers during every phase of the buying process, its hasty delivery of live market vehicles and direct connect with GPS directions are the prime features that showcase this app as the definitive tool to use when a shopper is prepared to make their purchase and drive away in a new car that very same day.

This targeted user experience occurs at a breakneck pace by eliminating cumbersome steps that are required by similar apps and websites, such as selecting makes and models from drop down menus. The entire process is then further streamlined by bridging the gap between shoppers and dealerships via telephone, directions and e-mail. By providing a highly intelligent, yet straightforward application that presents fast and decisive information on the fly, the DealerSearch.com app establishes engagement between dealers and in-market buyers expeditiously, at any time and from any location during the buying process.

Speed and convenience backed by powerful mobile technology, it’s all here.

Improving the shopping experience through dealer participation

The true beauty behind DealerSearch.com lies within the manner by which dealer participation has a positive impact on the culminating user experience. Vehicles listed by participating dealers are not highlighted at the apex of the search results such as the typical “sponsored listings” that have become commonplace on other vehicle listing websites and mobile apps. Instead, search results are always populated from the user’s current (or selected) location outward, presenting them with the closest vehicles at all times.

Wilson Software Corp fully understands that no two cars are the same, so the price that other vehicles recently sold for should not govern the cost of those that are for sale today. Following that mindset, the DealerSearch.com app is utterly devoid of references to market values based on previous sales as well as price evaluations and direct comparisons. It’s that simple.

Not surprisingly, a market survey done by Lab42 shows that 83% of all car shoppers now do research online prior to making a purchase, and according to the Detroit Bureau, more than half of millennials are turning exclusively to their smart phones to find their next car. Given the fact that these millennials accounted for 25% of all new cars purchases from dealerships in 2012 with that number expected to double by 2022, the future of this automotive shopping trend becomes undeniably clear. Vehicle searching smart phone applications are rapidly becoming the preferred method for buyers to locate vehicles, with speed and convenience being the most desired features, not comparison shopping.

The DealerSearch.com app trumps all other similar applications in both said categories.

Did you know that two out of the top four main frustrations that car buyers unanimously face are “finding the right car” and “spending time on the process”? The DealerSearch.com app design philosophy focuses on combating these grievances by placing a strong emphasis on speed and precision. Displaying the right vehicles to the user as quickly as possible is paramount, and that remains a staple mentality at Wilson Software Corp as their new startup gains momentum.

The DealerSearch.com app also holds great value to auto dealers as a rapid and precise research tool through the capability to compare the live inventory of their competition prior to deciding which vehicles to stock their own shelves with. Now that’s power in your pocket.

Searching for vehicles at an electric speed and connecting dealers with buyers instantly. That’s the DealerSearch.com app in a nutshell. Download it now:Download on Android : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dealersearch  

Coming soon to iOS

About DealerSearch.com

The DealerSearch.com app and is powered by the DealerSearch.com website and has been developed by Wilson Software Corp, a leading developer of Dealer Management Software for the automotive industry since 1991. The company’s headquarters is located in Englewood, FL. 

Contact

For press and media questions or other inquiries, please contact:

Don Wilson - Wilson Software Corp - donwilson@autodealers.net - (877) 670-7836

 

References:

http://www.lab42.com/a-closer-look-at-millennials-and-transportation

http://www.cnbc.com/2014/08/13/how-millennials-are-reshaping-car-buying.html

http://www.dealerrefresh.com/buying-a-car-study-infographic

https://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/digital-drives-auto-shopping_research-studies.pdf 

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Nov 11, 2015

Ricart Automotive Reduces Time to Market to Cut Erosive Holding Costs

Auto dealers who speed the flow of vehicles through reconditioning to get them frontline-ready faster reduce holding cost erosion, said Jared Ricart, Service Operation Manager, Ricart Automotive, who has reduced recon time there from 12 days to four. 

“We thought we had good insight into how long it was taking us to get vehicles frontline ready, but when we turned on Rapid Recon it showed us we were at 12 days!” he said. “That long process was killing gross.” 

“The issue is holding costs,” said Dennis McGinn, president of Rapid Recon. “Holding cost is each vehicle’s percentage of dealership overhead, which accumulates daily, from acquisition to retail. Faster time to market reduces holding costs’ margin erosion.” 

NCM Associates notes from its 20 Group studies that daily holding cost is an average $32 per vehicle. 

“Where used car and service and parts managers aren’t aware of how holding costs add up as the recon clock ticks, they’re erasing dollars from gross on every vehicle,” McGinn said. Rapid Recon time-to-market reconditioning software applies the science of workflow accountability to vehicle reconditioning. 

Ricart agreed. 

“With Rapid Recon we found a way to track every step of our recon process. It has helped us finely tune recon and reduce time to market by eight days, to just four days,” he recalled. 

“Looking at the first seven months on Rapid Recon, we’ve retailed 5,000 used cars. By cutting down the days in service by eight days, at $32 a day per vehicle, you can do the math on the savings we’ve collected,” Ricart said. 

Understanding how holding costs erode gross, a parts manager, for example, can better decide whether to buy a more expensive part to do the repair now versus waiting for a less expensive part that takes a day or two to arrive. 

Dealers can calculate their holding costs here using Rapid Recon’s Holding Cost Calculator.

Ricart said the Rapid Recon process can help technicians better appreciate recon economics. “Techs who understand recon is a production-based service work to move vehicles through inspections and repairs faster. At Ricart, recon technicians work a three-day week, with the compressed time to earn their hours incenting them to work faster and push more vehicles through their phase of the reconditioning process. 

“As a communications tool, Rapid Recon has helped everyone involved eliminate wait times and work faster toward our common time-to-market goal - and not point fingers,” Ricart noted. 

Rapid Recon is the leading time-to-market reconditioning software for new and used car dealerships. Rapid Recon benchmarks and best practices help GMs, used car managers and service managers fine-tune their reconditioning practices to achieve faster time to market to retain vehicle gross. www.rapidrecon.com

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Nov 11, 2015

Auto/Mate Receives a “Best Places to Work” Award from the Albany Business Review Six Years Running

154faf399b76232a0defc2065554d18e.jpg?t=1Albany, N.Y. – November 9th, 2015 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today that it has been named a "Best Places to Work" in New York State’s Capital region by the Albany Business Review. Auto/Mate was one of nine companies honored in the medium-large category (companies with 50 to 149 employees). It is the sixth year running that Auto/Mate has received the award.

 

"Many business leaders focus on customer satisfaction, but at Auto/Mate we focus on employee satisfaction," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "When employees come first and you have happy employees, you will always have happy customers."

 

This year the Albany Business Review honored 36 companies in four categories. The winners are chosen based on results of an anonymous employee survey conducted by Quantum Workplace, a Nebraska based research firm. This is the 12th year of the award, which allows companies to showcase their work environments and is highly competitive.

 

 “Our hiring process is very thorough because we want to make sure we hire people who are a good fit for our culture and who are passionate about their work, so that we can deliver on all of our promises to our customers," said David Druzynski, Auto/Mate’s Director of Human Resources.

 

Some of the benefits of working at Auto/Mate include:

  • The Body/Shop: in office gym
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Casual dress work environment
  • Flexible work hours
  • Wellness program
  • Discounted pet insurance, cell phone plans, home and auto insurance
  • Discounted new car purchases and auto maintenance
  • Company events including large holiday party, Hawaiian Day BBQ, as well as employee outings to amusement parks, wine tours & more
  • Bagel Thursdays and regular visits from food trucks
  • Paid time off for volunteering with a philanthropy committee that actively seeks out volunteer opportunities
  • Company paid health and life insurance plans

 

The “Best Places to Work” winners will receive their awards at a special luncheon on Friday, December 4th at the Hilton Garden Inn Troy.

 

For information on career opportunities with Auto/Mate, contact David Druzynski at (877) 340-2677 or visit http://www.automate.com/careers/

 

About Auto/Mate

 

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships, typically saving dealers thousands of dollars per month from their current provider. Our Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

 

Auto/Mate’s employees have more than 940 years of combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car PeopleTM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning its customers’ business each and every month with no long-term contracts and free software upgrades. For company updates, follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS

 

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