Consider these points:

• Vehicle tracking via spreadsheet or whiteboard, while an improvement over sticky notes, is neither transportable nor shareable. In my experience, use of these tracking tools falls into disuse after a brief and energetic start.
• Misplaced vehicles can be taken out of the process temporarily while they await parts or repair authorization. The busy-ness of the day means these units are too easily forgotten about – or take time to locate again when ready to reenter the process.
• Misplaced communication between recon and the used-car manager slows repair approvals, causing delays that mount up and erode gross margin.
• Many compensation plans are based on time, not units of production

Each of these inefficient processes cost money – in time, labor and days in recon. 

The recon process should flow from point A to B in linear fashion. If that looks like an assembly line, it is. Your recon processes may not include each of the steps that this illustration shows, but running recon like a factory focuses on maximizing output and reducing cost.

More details here.

Gamification has come to the F&I office, where new technology is driving more interactive — and more productive — processes. Gamification employs video game technology to redesign complex, densely layered and annoying processes and transforms the way they are accessed, understood and transacted. 

F&I platforms that use gamification technology and this new approach to selling F&I products transform workflow into a visually clean, enjoyable, simple and very user-friendly process. This metamorphosis occurs through the sophisticated but easy–to-use presentation of graphics, sounds, movement and imagery that breaks down the processes into bite-size portions that are easily digestible for the consumer.

Read more here.

Dealers often ask how they should respond to people requesting information about why the dealership ran their credit. The nature of these requests is motivated by one of two things:

• Consumers demand to know why the dealership ran their credit, or
• Consumers are victims of identity theft.

The dealership may receive requests for information from a phone call, correspondence from the consumer, correspondence from an individual claiming to represent the consumer or law enforcement.

The response should be conditioned on whether the request is for identity theft information, or concerns previous credit inquiries by the dealership.

This article addresses the requirements the user of a consumer report must provide in response to consumer inquiries.