Comprehensive Study of 68 Dealerships using Gubagoo’s ChatSmart Platform Shows 77% Chat-to-Lead Conversion

West Palm Beach, FL - October 8, 2014 – A comprehensive study[1] of 68 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers using a next-generation “smart” chat solution versus old-school, passive chat has shown consistently high chat-to-lead conversion rates of 77%. Dealers who had used another chat product reported a marked improvement with Gubagoo’s managed chat solution, ChatSmart.

Unlike first generation “passive” chat, “smart” chat is powered by an “intelligent” platform that identifies website visitors and proactively engages them with relevant, targeted information, rather than simply interrupting and talking at customers with no knowledge of what the customer is actually interested in.

In recent years, dealers have refocused their digital marketing spend away from high-priced, low-closing 3^rd party Internet leads to driving traffic to their own websites with SEO, PPC and display advertising. However, these efforts often fall short because of a failure to engage car buyers once they land on the dealers’ websites. In fact, NADA data shows that 95% of the average dealership’s site visitors will defect from the site due to lack of engagement, meaningful information and relevant offers.

STUDY’S KEY FINDINGS:

TOYOTA – 74% Chat to Lead Conversion
LEXUS – 71% Chat to Lead Conversion
SCION – 84% Chat to Lead Conversion*

"Many dealers have adopted chat tools as a means of stopping the consumer from fleeing their websites but, too often, that chat is ‘passive’ versus ‘active’ – or ‘dumb’ versus ‘smart,’” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo Inc. “This study of Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers proves that smart chat can massively increase the effectiveness of their websites to drive qualified leads to their sales team.”

ChatSmart is proven to be more proactive and higher converting because it utilizes click activity, frequency of visits and predictive models to improve the consumer experience. It is the first chat platform to match vehicles of interest to website visitors, as well as serving up relevant incentives, offers and inventory in real time.

“Gubagoo’s ChatSmart is extremely effective at converting chat into leads because of all the data it collects and because, as a fully managed chat solution, it requires minimal staff involvement until a lead is generated,” said Internet Marketing Manager, Jesse Walker of Pembroke Pines Lexus. “Visitors to our website like that our chat operators are ‘smart’ enough to know what pages they are looking at and are then able to suggest relevant offers on both service and sales - it makes for much quicker and more productive chat sessions for our customers.”

Pembroke Pines attributes ChatSmart with 30 incremental car sales a month at an average cost of $33 per sale. “Obviously, we use a lot tools, but for ROI, you can’t beat Gubagoo,” said Walker.

Toyota of Renton/Toyota of Kirkland in Washington switched from another chat company to Gubagoo and, Mark Brushears, E-commerce Director, for O’Brian Auto Group, reports that “Twenty-six percent of our Toyota of Kirkland website sales are now generated by Gubagoo. The results are so good that there’s no comparison with the previous vendor.”

Gubagoo’s ChatSmart is based on an advanced, intuitive behavioral analytics platform called the BEAST (Behavioral Engagement and Scoring Technology), ChatSmart knows what each site visitor is doing, from the exact vehicles they are looking at, to how many times they have visited the site, to how long they are spending on each page. It then puts that rich data in motion: assigning each visitor a unique score based on their real-world behavior and using that score to precisely engage and re-engage individuals with calculated messages, chats and offers/coupons, about the right vehicle at the right time, as well as pushing relevant dealership inventory – and in real time. And, importantly, ChatSmart takes the onus off in-dealership staff by providing a fully managed chat solution and then delivering extremely detailed leads directly to the dealership.

Full case study can be found here: http://www.makingleadshappen.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Gubagoo-Toyota_Lexus-Case-Study-FINAL-09-12-2014.pdf

About Gubagoo 
Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and staffed by a team of veteran technologists and innovators in lead conversion, Gubagoo offers revolutionary behavioral engagement and scoring technologies for automotive websites. With a mission to provide a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to the old lead generation model, Gubagoo is the first dealership website solution that successfully makes anonymous traffic identifiable, and converts the 95% of dealer site traffic that traditionally defects. Incorporating smart predictive matching and the best chat technology available - and powered by its proprietary behavioral engagement and scoring engine, ‘B.E.A.S.T.’ - Gubagoo engages new and repeat dealer site visitors with unprecedented relevance. Over 1,000 dealerships, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups, as well as OEM-certified programs, already have adopted Gubagoo-powered websites. Gubagoo has been named a finalist for the DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award for the Most Innovative Dealership Solution of 2014.

Gubagoo Media Relations: 

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com 

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

ALBANY, N.Y. – October 6, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (www.automate.com) announced today that it has become the first dealership management system (DMS) vendor to successfully install a new Infinitinet system, which replaces the legacy Infinitinet AS400 DMS and provides integration to Infiniti’s new Dealer Communications System (DCS). Infiniti dealers using Auto/Mate's DMS now enjoy a seamless communication path with their manufacturer and unparalleled flexibility to adopt third party applications.

Infiniti dealers have relied exclusively on the legacy Infinitinet for their DMS and DCS requirements since 1989. Auto/Mate has blazed the trail to complete development, testing, and installation of the new Infinitinet, which will enable sunset of the legacy Infinitinet architecture.

"We have been working closely with Infiniti to ensure that the migration to the new Infinitinet utilizing the Auto/Mate DMS proceeds smoothly, and additionally that the rollout of their new DCS goes flawlessly," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "We are excited to be leading the effort to enable Infiniti dealers to migrate to the new Infinitinet and believe that the Auto/Mate DMS in combination with Infiniti’s new DCS provides the benchmark for reliability and functionality at a compelling price point."

Gregory Infiniti in Libertyville, IL was the first dealership to benefit from the integration of Auto/Mate's DMS with Infiniti's new DCS. "Transitioning all our data from our old DMS to a new DMS was a daunting task, but Auto/Mate helped make the process manageable and overall it went more smoothly than I expected it would be," said Greg Mauro, President of Gregory Infiniti.

Infiniti's new DCS is the electronic pipeline through which the factory and dealers exchange data on sales, inventory, service, parts, warranty claims and other operating functions. Key integration points enable exchange of the following information:

Fixed Ops

• Parts inventory/shipper/order/return/master information

• Repair Order data

• Warranty Labor Time Guide

• Special service vehicle campaign

• Customer updates

• Service Appointments to Infiniti

• National service history vehicle and customer search to and from Infiniti

• Parts Activity

• ASR Parts Orders

• Parts ASR Stocking Guide

• ASR Parts Return

F&I Sales

• Vehicle inventory adjustment: inbound/outbound

• Retail delivery report

• Credit contracts

• Customer updates

Accounting

• Financial statements

• Warranty payments

• Customer Updates

Auto/Mate's DMS is a user friendly, comprehensive dealership management system with more than 20 integrated modules to help dealers manage their business. It supports an unlimited number of users, workstations and printers, and can be implemented in any size dealership or auto group. For more information visit Auto/Mate's solutions page.

About Auto/Mate

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems is a leading provider of dealership management system (DMS) software to retail automotive dealerships. Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) is a user-friendly, feature-rich DMS in use by more than 1,100 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate received the "Highest Rated DMS for Customer Satisfaction” in 2012 and 2013 in the annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Auto/Mate's employees have more than 900 years combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning their customers' business each and every month, which is why they require no long-term contracts and provide free software upgrades and training for life. For more information  follow them on Twitter @AutoMateDMS or visit www.automate.com

Mike Martinez’s presentation, “Smartphones and the Purchase Game,” was selected by a panel of auto dealers; joins an agenda that also includes keynotes from digital expert and best-selling author Brian Solis; SEO ‘Wizard’ Rand Fishkin; eMarketer’s lead digital auto analyst, Mike Hudson; Kellogg School of Management marketing professor Florian Zettelmeyer, and online marketing pioneer, Bryan Eisenberg

Daytona Beach, FL – September 30, 2014 – Mike Martinez, CMO of DMEautomotive, has been selected to present at the sixth annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), the most authoritative profit-building event for innovative dealers. Martinez’s presentation, Smartphones and the Purchase Game, joins an agenda that includes keynotes from digital expert and author Brian Solis, SEO “Wizard” Rand Fishkin, eMarketer’s Lead Digital Auto Analyst, Mike Hudson, Kellogg School of Management Marketing Professor Florian Zettelmeyer, and Managing Partner of Eisenberg Holdings Bryan Eisenberg. Martinez will present on Monday, October 13, 2014 at 3:25pm.

The DSES, which had record attendance in 2013, and has sold out every year since inception, is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda. This year’s summit will be held Sunday, October 12th through Tuesday, October 14th, 2014 at the Bellagio Las Vegas. 

“My presentation has a simple message:  Without a comprehensive, mobile-first digital marketing strategy, dealers are missing the boat. That’s why I’m am outlining a step-by-step game plan for helping dealers implement a comprehensive mobile marketing strategy guaranteed to generate returns in loyalty and revenue,” said Martinez.
 

According to a DMEa consumer study, 65 percent of emails are opened on a mobile device and 75 percent of consumers simply won’t work with you if you don’t offer a mobile-first strategy. In Smartphones and the Purchase Game, Martinez addresses this and more, including:

* How to reach and maximize selling & retention results with mobile customers

* How to reach, capture and maximize results on mobile devices

* How millennials purchase differently and how to mobile market to them

“Mike Martinez’s presentation was chosen from a competitive group of applicants comprising some of the industry’s most innovative dealer executives and thought leaders.   Clearly Smartphones and the Purchase Game resonated with our dealer panel because it offers the kind of ahead-of-the-curve insights, actionable information, and profit-building practices that our attendees can take home and immediately implement in their dealerships,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder, Jared Hamilton.  “We are very proud to add Mike Martinez of DMeautomotive to our 2014 agenda.”

As a finalist for the DSES Innovation Cup, Martinez will also be presenting “Mid-Interval Communications” in the product enhancement category. Martinez is thrilled to represent DMEautomotive in the running for this honor after previously earning a place as a finalist for the 2012 Innovation Cup with Driver Connect, the dealer-branded mobile application. This year, Martinez will discuss the importance of Mid-Interval Communications and how it tackles the ever-lengthening service interval, saving dealerships thousands in missed revenue.

“The time between service appointments has increased from 140 to 145 days in the last year. Those seemingly insignificant five days are costing dealerships up to $91,000 in missed revenue annually, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down,” Martinez said. “Powered by predictive analytics that dive into customer data and statistical modeling that determines when and how to communicate with the highest-potential-revenue customers, Mid-Interval Communications gets those customers back into the dealership to spend on high margin, customer-pay services.”

Mid-Interval Communications has already shown tremendous results. In a DMEa dealership study, Mid-Interval Communications saw customer response improve by up to 38% over yesterday’s methods and service revenue increases of up to 11% per Repair Order (RO).

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and to register before the event sells out, go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com.  Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year. 

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and more information on speakers and presentations go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/agenda/breakout-speakers/

About DMEautomotive
DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. 

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida. 

About The DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES)

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is where the most progressive dealers gather to collaborate and learn forward-thinking trends in automotive operations. DSES features world-renowned experts on marketing, technology and retail operations from inside and outside the industry who provide the most valuable and actionable insights for today’s dealership professionals. The DSES agenda is dealer-driven, ensuring the content is 100 percent focused on the needs of progressive dealers.  Only the top 10 percent of speaking applications selected by DrivingSales members make it on the agenda.

To protect the quality of the event, seating is limited and always held at a 5-diamond venue.  DSES has sold out every year. For those interested in attending, securing seating as early as possible is recommended.  For more information, visit DSES.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.  Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has registered users in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

Media Relations:
Melanie Webber
melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com
mWEBB Communications
424.603.4340

Crystal Hartwell
crystal(at)mwebbcom(dot)com
mWEBB Communications
714.987.1016

New dealership survey from eLEND Solutions underscores pain points for dealers in Sales/F&I process; 80% report their Sales/Finance process takes two hours or longer

Mission Viejo, CA – September 30, 2014 – A new survey of dealerships* from eLEND Solutions underscores what most dealers know already, that the sales and finance process takes much longer than it should:  80% report their process goes on for two hours or longer and 40% report three hours or longer - while a whopping 82% of dealers say the ideal end-to-end process should take two hours or less.  
 

Survey of dealers shows disconnect between what they think ideal length of the sale/F&I s process should be and what it currently is:

While 75% of dealers begin the F&I process well after the test drive, nearly half felt that capturing more detailed information earlier in the process offered the biggest opportunity to streamline the sales and financing process.  Not surprisingly, 90% of dealers agreed that a quick, efficient sales/financing process leads to greater customer satisfaction and higher CSI scores (59% rated customer satisfaction as their store’s most important differentiator); and 80% think that the current process has room for improvement.

“The results of this survey come as no surprise to eLEND, nor, I am guessing, to dealerships,” said Pete MacInnis CEO of eLEND Solutions. “There are multiple disconnects in the sales and financing process that are costing dealerships time, money and, importantly, customer satisfaction. The message is clear: the time has come for our industry to provide dealerships with the technologies and systems that will help them reduce the sales/finance process from hours to minutes -- and with financing ranked as the first or second biggest profit center by the majority surveyed, it is a key place to start.”

Dealers agree that the F&I and negotiation processes are what consumers like least.  If they could streamline that process, 63% would dedicate the extra resources to sales/training to improving the quality of customer interactions.

Survey highlights:

• 80% of dealers reported that their current sales/finance process is two hours or longer/40% said it took three hours or longer.
• 8 out 10 dealers said that the current sales and finance process has opportunity for improvement.
• 82% of dealers say the ideal end-to-end process should take two hours or less.
• 90% of dealers agreed that a quick, efficient sales/financing process leads to greater customer satisfaction and results in higher CSI scores.
• 44% of dealers reported that capturing more detailed information, earlier in the process was the biggest opportunity for their dealership to streamline the sales & financing process/74% ranked it first or second.
• 75% of dealers begin the financing process after the test drive.
• 87% of dealers agreed that negotiation and the F&I process are steps in the purchase process that customers dislike the most.

*Survey conducted online among U.S. dealerships in September 2014.

About eLEND Solutions:

eLEND Solutions was founded in 2003 as DealerCentric, whose “Get Pre-Approved in Seconds” solution represents the auto industry’s leading online credit application product. The company has since expanded its mission by developing a comprehensive, next-generation consumer finance management system that will benefit dealers, lenders and consumers. eLEND Solutions technology platform will bring financing to the front of the sales process, and put the customer in the right vehicle and loan, at the point of sale, reducing the dealership financing process from hours to minutes. eLEND Solutions is headed by Pete MacInnis, who leads a management team with over 250 years of automotive, finance and technology experience. 

Media Relations Contact: 

mWEBB Communications
Melanie Webber, (949) 307-1723 / melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Cassandra Cavanah, (818) 397-4630 / cassandra@mwebbcom.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ALBANY, N.Y. – September 29th, 2014 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems (http://www.automate.com) announced today the integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with MaximTrak Technologies' F&I Suite. Auto dealers using both systems may now benefit from a real-time, bi-directional exchange of information that speeds up the F&I process, keeps transaction data and contact information accurate, improves customer satisfaction and increases profits.

"Our Open/Mate certification is easy, inexpensive and fast for third-party vendors, lowering costs and expanding vendor choices for dealers," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems.

"Our focus is on creating a better buying experience for the customers, which is accomplished by the professionalism and speed of our F&I menu and reporting solutions," said Jim Maxim, Jr., President of MaximTrak Technologies. "Having our product suite integrated with a dealer's DMS eliminates redundancies and errors caused by incomplete transfer of information."

MaximTrak's F&I Menu Platform enables F&I managers to quickly create custom menu presentations, navigate between screens with ease, and present multiple deal scenarios with a flexible interface. Plus, MaximTrak allows data to be saved as a presentation progresses, eliminating the need to re-type information, and allows for a branded presentation with custom graphics and color design.

Auto/Mate's dealership management system is a user-friendly, flexible solution with more than 20 modules to serve every departmental need. Auto/Mate received the "Highest Rated" DMS award in the 2012 and 2013 Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards, and is known for offering the best customer support in the industry.

Both Auto/Mate and MaximTrak are integrated with credit bureaus and offer advanced, easy-to-use reporting capabilities. For more information, visit Auto/Mate at www.automate.com or MaximTrak at www.maximtrak.com.

About MaximTrak

MaximTrak Technologies, Inc. is the automotive, motorcycle, boat, RV, and power sports industry's premier F&I Menu and Reporting Systems provider. MaximTrak is the F&I industry’s number one, full-scale e-menu, e-contracting and reporting suite for more than 30 years and services some of the most prominent dealerships and dealership groups. The MaximTrak platform is designed to transform the vehicle delivery process into a customer friendly program that converts conventional F&I wisdom into consistent, repeatable and sustainable results. For more information, call 1.800.282.6308 or maximtrak.com 

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 received the "Highest Rated DMS for Customer Satisfaction” in 2012 and 2013 in the annual Driving Sales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

This is a testament to the more than 900 years of Auto/Mate employees' combined experience working in franchised auto dealerships, the foundation of its “Designed By Car People For Car People^TM” slogan. Auto/Mate is committed to winning their customers' business each and every month, which is why they require no long-term contracts, free software upgrades for life and free training for life. For more information visit automate.com, follow them on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to their blog at http://blog.automate.com.

Free webinar on Thursday, October 2^nd at 2 p.m. EST offers a completely new way of measuring customer value, plus five things every dealership can do to increase retention NOW

Daytona Beach, FL–September 23, 2014– DMEautomotive (DMEa) announces the 10^th in a series of webinars the company is hosting with Automotive News. The 60-minute webinar, Your Service Retention Metrics: Lying Liars and the Lies They Tell offers a wake-up call for dealers on the service retention metrics they have been using for years - i.e. they are unreliable predictors of success and are not a true measure of the value of each customer – as well as a new process for developing the metrics that will create a foundation for increased loyalty and retention. The webinar takes place on Thursday, October 2^nd, at 2 p.m. EST.

“Classic service retention metrics determine the percentage of customers who return for another service visit within, typically, 12-18 months. The problem is: classic metrics treat each customer with equal weight, regardless of their actual service spending potential,” said Mike Martinez, CMO of DMEautomotive. “In this webinar we will share GRO, or Gross Revenue Optimization, which is a new and mathematically proven method for predicting customer retention. We will also provide the evidence that it works: results from a study of dealers show that GRO is 70% more reliable than traditional metrics in predicting service revenue growth. That kind of difference can quickly put any dealership on the road to increased retention.”

Your Service Retention Metrics: Lying Liars and the Lies They Tell features DMEautomotive’s CMO Mike Martinez and is moderated by Phil Nussel, Online Editor at Automotive News.

Backed by DMEautomotive research, the webinar includes:

• The new math that will ramp up your customer value
• The link between service retention and sales
• Five things you can do NOW to increase retention

For more information, or to register for the Your Service Retention Metrics: Lying Liars and the Lies They Tell webinar, click here: https://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/Server.nxp?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=21522

DMEautomotive / Automotive News webinars have received strong attendance that has

generated exceptional feedback. Visit http://www.autonews.com/section/WEBINAR to

download previous webinars in this series.

About DMEautomotive

DMEautomotive (DMEa) is the industry leader in science-based, results-driven automotive marketing, and provides turnkey marketing to the largest and most innovative automotive organizations, from automobile dealerships to many of the largest aftermarket companies in the U.S. DMEa's uniquely panoramic view of the complete automotive sales and service market, combined with its cutting-edge, science-based marketing programs, increases customer yield, conversion and retention. 

DMEa does not take marketing performance on faith, and each product and service is measured by a simple, precise scientific approach: Is it true? Prove it. Will it work? Test it. Does it generate results? Show it! Supported by DMEa’s proprietary, cloud-based Red Rocket Technology Platform, the DMEa product suite includes science-based, data driven, multi-channel customer acquisition and retention marketing programs; best-in-class campaign reporting; data management and analytics; auto-focused Customer Interaction Center solutions, and complete on-site mail and email fulfillment services. Headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida, DMEa also has major operations in Jacksonville, Florida. 

Contact: 
Media Relations 
Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (424) 603-4340, melanie@mwebbcom.com 
Elizabeth Johnson, mWEBB Communications, (213) 713-4865, elizabeth@mwebbcom.com

New Feature Alerts Dealers to Best Online Leads in Real-Time

Clearwater, FL –  9/22/2014 – AutoLoop, LLC, announced today that its Essentials product now includes Instant Online Leads, a new feature that alerts sales personnel when ready-to-buy prospects are generated from dealership web traffic, in real-time.

“As more and more people turn to the internet for car shopping, dealers need the ability to engage them immediately,” said Matt Rodeghero, AutoLoop’s Chief Product Officer. “They are a dealership’s most viable customers because they’ve already expressed interest in a specific vehicle online. If sales reps aren’t alerted to inquiries in real-time, however, they can’t follow up…and the sale may be lost.”

The potential sale begins with a customized form that allows online shoppers to easily request follow-up through the dealership website. When a customer submits an inquiry, the Instant Online Leads feature immediately notifies a specific salesperson via phone and email. Dealerships have the ability to prioritize their contact lists, determining which sales rep is alerted to an online lead first; if that person is unavailable, the system automatically contacts the next one on the list.

“The Instant Online Leads feature makes Essentials even more efficient, putting your best sales personnel in touch with your best prospects at the most crucial moment,” said Rodeghero. “It’s one more way we help you turn browsers into buyers.”

About AutoLoop: 

Since 2005, AutoLoop's commitment to "Retention Through Engagement" has helped automotive dealerships nationwide increase sales, improve client retention and achieve overall higher satisfaction ratings. With an all-encompassing platform that monitors customer DMS activity in real-time, AutoLoop automatically triggers personalized custom messages through voice, email, SMS and direct mail to precisely targeted customers. An Inc. 500 company with over 35 million names in our database and nearly a billion individual communications initiated, we're passionate about making AutoLoop America's best customer retention partner for progressive dealerships.

‘Gubagoo Behavioral Engagement & Analytics Technology (BEAST), and Chat and Call Centers’ selected by dealers as DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award finalist; Gubagoo to present onstage at DrivingSales Executive Summit

West Palm Beach, FL and Salt Lake City, UT – September 22, 2014 – ‘Gubagoo Behavioral Engagement & Analytics Technology (BEAST), and Chat and Call Centers’ has been named a finalist for the DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award for the Most Innovative Dealership Solution of 2014. Gubagoo’s solution was selected by a panel of dealer judges from a very competitive field and will be presented onstage at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), held October 12-14, 2014 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.

“We are very honored to have been selected as a finalist for one of our industry’s most coveted awards, especially as we were selected by those who benefit from our solution - auto dealerships,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo Inc. “We look forward to sharing how Gubagoo’s ‘BEAST’ puts a ‘brain’ behind dealership websites, turning them into supercharged conversion zones and identifying the 95% of visitors that are usually lost to dealers.”

Gubagoo is the fastest growing chat and website engagement provider for dealerships with over 1,300 dealership customers. Its technology makes anonymous website visitors identifiable, tracking every website action 24/7 (cars/pages they look at) - and decodes all those URLs/clicks to build an ever-changing visitor score -- and then targets visitors with precise/personal offers and inventory displays – and super-informed chat and call center conversations.

“For each of the past four years, The DrivingSales Innovation Cup has introduced game-changing and realistic dealership innovations to our industry, each selected by a dealer panel, and each armed with a solution designed to change our industry for the better.  We congratulate Gubagoo for joining this impressive and elite group with ‘Gubagoo Behavioral Engagement & Analytics Technology (BEAST), and Chat and Call Centers,’” said DrivingSales Founder and CEO Jared Hamilton. “We look forward to sharing Gubagoo’s progressive solution with attendees at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit.”
 

DrivingSales created the Innovation Cup Awards to recognize solutions introduced or enhanced in 2014 whose innovative approaches have produced significant results for dealers.  Dealership solution-providers submitted applications online, vendor names were blanked out, and a panel of dealer judges selected the finalists.  Finalists will present their solution onstage for the dealer panel and attendees at the DSES on Monday, October 13th.

The Innovation Cup Award competition is part of an exciting DSES line up this year, which includes high-profile keynotes from digital expert and best-selling author Brian Solis; SEO ‘Wizard’ Rand Fishkin; eMarketer’s lead digital auto analyst, Mike Hudson; Kellogg School of Management marketing professor Florian Zettelmeyer, and online marketing pioneer, Bryan Eisenberg, as well as dealer-selected breakout sessions from industry experts and dealers on topics which offer actionable strategies designed to improve operations, effectiveness and profitability in six distinct categories: Advanced General Marketing, Dealer Operations, Mobile, Search, Website Optimization, and Social Media, and include topics ranging from wearable technology to improving dealership culture.

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and more information on speakers and presentations go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/innovation-cup/.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit and to register before the event sells out, go to www.drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com.  Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year.

About Gubagoo 
Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and staffed by a team of veteran technologists and innovators in lead conversion, Gubagoo offers revolutionary behavioral engagement and scoring technologies for automotive websites. With a mission to provide a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to the old lead generation model, Gubagoo is the first dealership website solution that successfully makes anonymous traffic identifiable, and converts the 95% of dealer site traffic that traditionally defects. Incorporating smart predictive matching and the best chat technology available - and powered by its proprietary behavioral engagement and scoring engine, ‘B.E.A.S.T.’ - Gubagoo engages new and repeat dealer site visitors with unprecedented relevance. Over 700 dealerships, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups, as well as OEM-certified programs, already have adopted Gubagoo-powered websites.

About The DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES)

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is where the most progressive dealers gather to collaborate and learn forward-thinking trends in automotive operations. DSES features world-renowned experts on marketing, technology and retail operations from inside and outside the industry, who provide the most valuable and actionable insights for today’s dealership professionals.  The DSES agenda is dealer-driven, ensuring the content is 100 percent focused on the needs of progressive dealers.  Only the top 10 percent of speaking applications selected by DrivingSales members make it on the agenda.

To protect the quality of the event, seating is limited and always held at a 5-diamond venue.  DSES has sold out every year.  For those interested in attending, securing seating as early as possible is recommended.  For more information, visit DSES.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.

Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has a registered user in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

Media Relations:

Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

Innovation Cup recognizes the most innovative dealership solutions of 2014; finalists CarWars, DMEautomotive, Gubagoo, LotLinx and Pearl Technologies to present their solutions at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit

Salt Lake City, UT – September 16, 2014  - DrivingSales today announced that five finalists have been selected for the fifth annual DrivingSales Innovation Cup Award, which recognizes the most innovative dealership solutions of 2014. The finalists will compete onstage for the Innovation Cup Award at the 2014 DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES), which will be held Sunday, October 12^th through Tuesday, October 14^th, 2014 at the Bellagio Las Vegas.  

The DSES, which had record attendance in 2013 and has sold out every year since inception, is unique in the industry because auto dealers determine the speakers and agenda, as well as the finalist and winners of the Innovation Cup Award.  

The 2014 Innovation Cup Award finalists are (alphabetically):

• Gubagoo Behavioral Engagement and Scoring Technology (B.E.A.S.T.), and Chat and Call Centers from Gubagoo
• Lead Launch from CarWars
• LotLinx Vehicle Display Network from LotLinx
• Mid-Interval Communications from DMEautomotive
• NewCarIQ from Pearl Technology Holdings, LLC
   

“The 2014 Innovation Cup Award finalists offer compelling evidence that innovation is alive, well and thriving in our industry! We had more applications this year than ever before -- and one of the toughest decision years ever for our panel of dealer judges,” said DrivingSales CEO and Founder Jared Hamilton. “Analytics, dealership-control, and eye-popping results are what all five of our finalist solutions have in common, along with truly intelligent, implementable and forward-thinking technologies. For the past four years, the Innovation Cup has introduced game-changing and realistic solutions to our industry from some of its best-known and least-known companies, each armed with a solution designed to change our industry for the better.  We could not be more proud to introduce 2014’s impressive group of innovators to our 2014 DSES attendees. Congratulations Innovation Cup finalists!”

The five Innovation Cup finalists will present their solutions onstage at the DrivingSales Executive Summit on October 13th. A panel of dealer judges will ask questions of each presenter and score each product. The solution with the highest score will be presented with the Innovation Cup Award for “Most Innovative Solution of 2014” on the final day of the Summit.

The Innovation Cup Award competition is part of an exciting DSES line up this year, which includes high-profile keynotes from digital expert and best-selling author Brian Solis; SEO ‘Wizard’ Rand Fishkin; eMarketer’s lead digital auto analyst, Mike Hudson; Kellogg School of Management marketing professor Florian Zettelmeyer, and online marketing pioneer, Bryan Eisenberg, as well as dealer-selected breakout sessions which offer actionable strategies designed to improve operations, effectiveness and profitability in six distinct categories: Advanced General Marketing, Dealer Operations, Mobile, Search, Website Optimization, and Social Media, and include topics ranging from wearable technology to improving dealership culture.

For the full DrivingSales Executive Summit agenda and more information on speakers and presentations go to http://drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com/agenda/breakout-speakers/.

For more information about the DrivingSales Executive Summit and to register before the event sells out, go to www.drivingsalesexecutivesummit.com or contact dses@drivingsales.com.  Stay tuned for DSES news as it develops on www.twitter.com/drivingsales and on facebook.com/drivingsales. Participate in the conversation using #DSES as preparations continue throughout the year.

About The DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES)

The DrivingSales Executive Summit is where the most progressive dealers gather to collaborate and learn forward-thinking trends in automotive operations. DSES features world-renowned experts on marketing, technology and retail operations from inside and outside the industry, who provide the most valuable and actionable insights for today’s dealership professionals.  The DSES agenda is dealer-driven, ensuring the content is 100 percent focused on the needs of progressive dealers.  Only the top 10 percent of speaking applications selected by DrivingSales members make it on the agenda.

To protect the quality of the event, seating is limited and always held at a 5-diamond venue.  DSES has sold out every year.  For those interested in attending, securing seating as early as possible is recommended.  For more information, visit DSES.com

About DrivingSales

DrivingSales is a professional network serving the auto industry with dealer-driven news and information, online training, and performance data, all to enable dealers to make critical business decisions at their dealerships.  DrivingSales’ mission is to connect progressive dealership professionals to the people and information they need to maximize their success.

Founded by a third-generation car dealer, and opened up to the industry in 2008, today DrivingSales has a registered user in over 50% of new car dealerships in the US and is active in several other countries around the globe.  To learn more about the DrivingSales community, training or performance analytics visit DrivingSales.com, DrivingSalesUniversity.com and DrivingSalesData.com

DrivingSales Executive Summit Media Relations:

Melanie Webber (melanie@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 949.307.1723

Crystal Hartwell (crystal@mwebbcom.com), mWEBB Communications, 714.987.1016

TalkSmart integrates advanced telephony into Gubagoo’s analytics-driven website chat and communications platform

West Palm Beach, FL – September 16, 2014  – Gubagoo Inc.’s new TalkSmart^sm is designed to drive ‘smart,’ high-converting phone leads. Integrated into Gubagoo’s analytics-driven website chat and communications platform, TalkSmart closes the loop on customer communications via dealership websites. TalkSmart caters to the large percentage of consumers who say that talking to a live person is still their top communications preference, while also helping dealerships ensure that they never miss a car sale because they have missed a call (research shows that at least 20% of a dealership’s call go unanswered).

“In the rush to make websites function at their best, it is important that dealers don’t forget about the oldest kind of chat – the good old-fashioned phone call.  TalkSmart is designed to help transform a dealership website from a ‘dead-zone’ into a conversation-packed, lead-generating arena,” said Brad Title, CEO of Gubagoo Inc.

A 24/7 phone concierge solution with a ‘brain,’ TalkSmart, like Gubagoo’s chat solution, ChatSmart, is powered by an innovative analytics/tracking engine and inventory-matching platform. And, like ChatSmart, which is showing huge conversion, lead and sales increases for dealerships, TalkSmart is already driving significant results.

Larry H. Miller Used Car Supermarket of Sandy, Utah has been utilizing TalkSmart. Says Internet Sales Manager, Doug Webb: “TalkSmart is vital for any store that doesn’t have the proper staffing in place to handle the call volume. Additionally, for bigger stores with BDC’s, it’s an essentially backstop tool to make sure you’re able to set the appointment.” 

According to research, plenty of customers still want to talk with a real, live person (71 percent of consumers say talking with a live agent over the phone was still the top preference*).  And, with smartphones increasingly dominating the digital universe, phone calls are on the rise in dealerships.  According to ADP, phone calls are now outpacing e-mail or form leads by a 4:1 ratio (a rise from 2:1 in January).  And, in the last two years, phone leads are up 46% versus Internet leads.

With TalkSmart, when a dealership website visitor wants to connect on the phone, he/she will be talking to someone who already knows what he/she wants because Gubagoo agents have a transparent window into the exact cars or dealer services that the website visitor was already researching. The phone agents can then intelligently discuss, automatically display, and send offers / incentives on relevant dealer inventory. Dealerships can use TalkSmart as their first-ring, 24/7 call solution or just for after-hours; either way the U.S.-based agents set sales and service appointments, and after each call the TalkSmart platform seamlessly delivers back to the dealership (CRM systems) these extremely hot, information-packed leads, for follow-up.

More on How TalkSmart Works:

• Before a dealer site visitor dials, Gubagoo’s Behavioral Engagement and Scoring Technology (the B.E.A.S.T.) has already relentlessly tracked that visitor’s site behavior (the exact cars they looked at, pages visited, etc.). So, no matter who takes the call, whether in-dealership staff or outsourced TalkSmart call center agents, that customer’s rich profile is always right in front of them - ensuring efficient, relevant, high-converting conversations out of the gate.

• TalkSmart also identifies if incoming calls are for sales or service and can screen callers to transfer to the right department. Additionally, all dealership info is baked right into the platform: hours, location/directions, etc.

• Because TalkSmart integrates Gubagoo’s patent-pending Inventory Control and Vehicle Matching platforms, which predictively match the right in-stock dealer inventory to that customer, dealer salespeople and call center agents can discuss and share online, live, relevant inventory feeds/views (with pictures and vehicle details) all married to the right offers/incentives. This vehicle-matching technology also helps dealers move the oldest inventory, because it puts the relevant, aged vehicles first in line. In general, because agents are informed and can be instantly responsive to consumer questions, the likelihood of gathering contact info, and setting test drive and showroom visits, rises dramatically.

• During or after the call TalkSmart’s system allows agents to send emails displaying relevant inventory, with the right incentives/offers, with just a click – again, spotlighting the aged inventory first.
   
• After every call, the dealership is sent all these highly motivated leads, with the caller’s contact info, the vehicles they’re interested in, and a complete transcript of the call. The TalkSmart platform seamlessly inserts all this data into a dealer’s CRM system to make following up on these sales opportunities easy.
   
• Dealers have total flexibility in set-up: they can choose to use the TalkSmart call center for all incoming calls – turn it on for just after-hours – or to take every showroom and service department call after the fourth ring, to protect against missed opportunities and frustrated customers.

• Every TalkSmart agent is U.S.-based, and for both of Gubagoo’s telephony and chat channels, operators that speak numerous languages are available, and instant translations are built into the platform.

About Gubagoo 
Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, and staffed by a team of veteran technologists and innovators in lead conversion, Gubagoo offers revolutionary behavioral engagement and scoring technologies for automotive websites. With a mission to provide a smarter, more cost-effective alternative to the old lead generation model, Gubagoo is the first dealership website solution that successfully makes anonymous traffic identifiable, and converts the 95% of dealer site traffic that traditionally defects. Incorporating smart predictive matching and the best chat technology available - and powered by its proprietary behavioral engagement and scoring engine, ‘B.E.A.S.T.’ - Gubagoo engages new and repeat dealer site visitors with unprecedented relevance. Over 700 dealerships, including some of the nation’s largest dealer groups, as well as OEM-certified programs, already have adopted Gubagoo-powered websites.

Gubagoo Media Relations: 

Melanie Webber, mWEBB Communications, (949) 307-1723, melanie@mwebbcom.com 

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

* http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Editorial/Magazine-Features/Should-Your-Company-Abandon-Phone-Support-88201.aspx