On December 1st the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) goes into effect. Most dealers have by now identified employees that make less than $47,476 and therefore will be eligible for overtime pay. And most dealers have already decided how they will stay compliant, whether it's raising base salaries, converting salaried employees to hourly employees and limiting hours worked, or other options.

If one of your best options is to eliminate overtime pay for employees, take heart. One recent study showed that employee productivity falls sharply after a 50-hour work week. Then there are those well-known adages such as "Work contracts or expands to fit in whatever time you allot to it," and "If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do."

You may be pleasantly surprised when you eliminate overtime and discover that just as much gets done as before. There's a good chance that some employees will be so thrilled to be free of the expectation of overtime, that they will be extra motivated to get everything done before they can go home.

But if productivity does begin to suffer, there are some things that leadership can do. Here are nine tips to help boost employee productivity:

1) Keep employees happy. Happy employees are 12% more productive, according to a study published in the Journal of Labor Economics. To keep employees happy, invest in their support and satisfaction. The efforts are worth it, as happy employees will take better care of your customers.

2) Promote a health and wellness culture. Many studies show the correlation between healthy employees and higher productivity, and absenteeism is 27% lower for employees who eat healthy and exercise regularly.

3) Offer training. Ongoing training helps to keep employees engaged and motivated, especially if they are working towards a new career goal.

4) Promote work-life balance. Eliminating overtime will go a long way to creating work-life balance, but in addition dealers should encourage employees to attend important family events and take all their vacation days. The idea here is that employees will be grateful for your support and therefore more productive while at work.

5) Have a "Productivity Day." Do you have company-wide projects that have been sitting on the back burner? Are your employees stressed out because they're falling behind? Designate one day per month as "Productivity Day." The goal is for employees to be as productive as possible and to bring ideas to the table on how to do so.

Have employees identify one project they want to accomplish. Ban meetings and encourage employees to schedule blocks of uninterrupted time to complete the project. Distribute employee-contributed "rules" that support productivity such as, "No stopping by co-workers' cubicles or offices to chat," or "Earbuds allowed." Have employees track their productive hours.

There's no better way to increase productivity than to turn employees into enthusiastic productivity hacks!

6) Get to know your employees. If upper management hasn't taken the time to get to know employees on a personal level, make this a mandate. Once a month schedule lunches with one senior management member and a small group of employees, for the sole purpose of getting to know each other on a personal level. Your employees will feel appreciated and become more engaged.

7) Share your company's vision and core values. Does your dealership have a mission statement and a plan to get there? Do you have a list of core values your brand represents? Do your employees know about it? If not, it's time to do a little work. You can't expect your employees to help you get where you're going if you haven't communicated your vision.

8) Ask employees to help solve problems. When problems arise, don't be dictatorial about solving them. Involve your employees, form teams and assign them the task of solving the problem. You never know, you may get a brilliant solution that you never even thought of. And because it was your employees' idea on how to solve said problem, their motivation to implement and compliance to the solution will be greater.

9) Become a best place to work. Find out if your local business journals or newspapers sponsor a "Best Places to Work" award program. Ask an employee to nominate your dealership. The anonymous survey results will give you a great benchmark of how well your dealership is perceived by your current employees. They will help you to identify organizational changes that need to be made, as well as strengths and weaknesses.  Make it a goal to get on that list--and stay on it. Best places to work attract and retain highly-qualified employees, who also tend to be more productive.

What are your tips for boosting employee productivity?

Albany, N.Y. – November 7th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems has been recognized as one of the 36 “Best Places to Work” in New York State’s Capital region by the Albany Business Review. It is the seventh straight year that Auto/Mate has won the award. Auto/Mate was ranked in the medium-large category, defined as companies with 50 to 149 employees.

"The first few years we won this award we ranked in the small-business category, so it's nice to know that as our company grows the focus is still where it needs to be, which is on employee satisfaction," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers."

The Albany Business Review honors just 36 companies every year with the “Best Places to Work” distinction. The business journal partners with Quantum Workplace, a Nebraska based research firm, to conduct anonymous employee engagement surveys.  The companies with the highest scores are ranked on team effectiveness, retention, employee alignment with company goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement and people practices.

 “A great company culture doesn't happen by accident; we put a lot of time and effort into creating a special environment that promotes growth, communication and fun,” said David Druzynski, Director of Human Resources for Auto/Mate. "The effort is definitely worth it as we attract highly-qualified job candidates and our employee turnover rate is very low."

Auto/Mate offers the following perks to its employees:

• The Body/Shop: in office gym
• Tuition reimbursement
• Casual dress work environment
• Paid time off for volunteering
• Wellness program
• Discounted home, auto and pet insurance; discounted cell phone plans
• Discounted new car purchases and auto maintenance
• Employee outings to carnivals, amusement parks, wine tours & more
• Bagel Thursdays, cupcake trucks and random acts of ice cream

A celebratory luncheon will be held to honor "Best Places to Work" award winners on Friday, December 2nd at the Hilton Garden Inn Troy. The top companies will also be profiled in a special supplement of the Albany Business Review be issued on the same date.

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 1,200 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

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 follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.

You've probably heard the term "Doing good is good for business." Many studies support this statement. Companies that become involved in their communities and support good causes enjoy tangible benefits, including:

• Increased employee engagement, morale and retention
• Positive impact on employee recruitment
• Positive corporate branding
• 82% of consumers--Moms and Millennials in particular--consider social responsibility when deciding where to shop

Most dealerships do support local and charitable causes. But not all dealerships have a high employee participation rate. Getting your employees involved is critical if you want to create a positive team culture. And, the more of your employees that are out in the community representing your brand, the higher your brand recognition will be.

At Auto/Mate, employee volunteerism is promoted and encouraged. We don't make it obligatory but we do make it easy. The results speak for themselves: I believe that our community involvement programs are one of the top three reasons why employees want to work here, and one of the reasons why we have been voted a 'Top Workplace' and 'Best Place to Work' for so many years.

However, just hoping your employees become involved doesn't automatically make it happen. What does make it happen is a sustained and coordinated effort by senior managers. Here are some tips to increase employee volunteerism in your dealership:

Let Your Employees Choose the Cause

Sometimes a dealership principal or manager will choose one or two causes that are dear to their heart and those are what they support, year after year. Nothing wrong with that, except that employees aren't getting much say into how they are spending their time and effort.

Encourage employees to select and participate in a cause, charity, event or fundraiser. If an employee loses a family member to Alzheimer's, suggest they organize a team for Walk to End Alzheimer's. If an employee loves animals, let them choose a pet shelter or rescue group to help. Employees who have a personal stake in a cause will be motivated to rally their co-workers, further increasing involvement.

Put a Manager in Charge

Any employee may choose a cause, but a manager should be in charge of every team. Managers tend to have management skills that will make the event go smoothly. Managers know how to delegate. And having someone in a position of authority actively involved in the event increases employee involvement. An employee may not think twice about blowing off an obligation to a co-worker, but they might think twice about doing that to a manager.

Mix It Up

Events and fundraisers are a great way to promote and foster a sense of teamwork in your organization. When putting together a team for an event, include members from different departments of your dealership. Don't let the same groups of friends or people who work together all day always be in the same group. This is another reason why a manager should be in charge; so the employees will respect the manager's organization of teams.

Give Employees Paid Volunteer Days

From an employee's perspective, having paid time off to volunteer is a big perk. If you really want to increase employee participation rate in community causes, this is one of the most effective things you can do.

Match Dollars Donated by Employees

Another way to rally the troops in terms of involvement is to match employee donations, dollar for dollar.

Make it Fun

One of the ways we get employees enthused at Auto/Mate is to make t-shirts for specific events. This helps to boost team pride and depending on the design, is always something that can pique interest or generate a few laughs. Be creative and brainstorm ways to make the cause fun for your volunteer team.

Recognize Employees Who Volunteer

It's important to recognize employees who volunteer their time. It can be in the form of an award or small gift certificate; just something that lets them know their time is appreciated. Recognition of this type also has a positive impact on employee participation rates.

There are scores of good causes, charities and events to participate in. Try raising teams for sporting events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure®, Walk to End Alzheimer's or the Tour de Cure for Diabetes. Organize volunteer teams for worthy charities and organizations such as the Ronald McDonald House, your local humane society, food shelters or Meals on Wheels.

Your help is needed. Getting your dealership's employees involved is a win-win situation for everyone: the employees, the cause itself and your dealership brand.

Albany, N.Y. – September 27th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that its National Customer User Summit was its largest yet, spanning two full days and offering many new events, classes and workshops for the auto dealership employees and managers who attended. This year's User Summit was held September 19-21, 2016 at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center.

"The energy and feedback from everyone at this event was amazing," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "One of my favorite sessions was the presentation from our DEV team. Our customers could not believe they were actually talking to the people who develop the software and that those people were listening to them and taking notes. All of our employees who worked so hard to make this event happen are absolute rock stars."

Auto dealership employees and managers from all over the United States attended the User Summit. Previous User Summits were smaller, regional events but for Auto/Mate's first National User Summit the event was extended to two full business days plus a half-day check-in and registration.

Auto/Mate offered dozens of classes and presentations for customers to attend, including workshops on new DMS features and break out sessions for individual departments. According to the post-event customer survey, the most popular events were the "Unified Name Database Management," "Applied Accounting Update," Open Accounting Lecture and  "History of Payroll & Its Future." Attendees also enjoyed the User Summit Introduction with Mike Esposito, the Monday happy hour and Tuesday night dinner.

"I am very excited to return to Shenandoah Ford, Buick & GMC to share my knowledge with all my team members," said Angela Burnett, Customer Care Manager with Shenandoah Ford & Shenandoah Buick GMC in Front Royal, VA.

"You have great people, they are the best, just so you know," said Bob Vine, Controller with Valley Sales, Inc. in Apple Valley, MN. "I especially liked the two-day format and the outside speakers that gave us updates on a few topics outside of Auto/Mate software. Have a great year, and see you next year!"

For the first time this year Auto/Mate included industry speakers in the line-up. Fifteen speakers presented on a variety of topics ranging from sales training and digital marketing to information technology (IT) issues and customer loyalty.

Seventeen industry sponsors supported the event, including the following eleven exhibiting sponsors:

• etfile
• CRMSuite
• RouteOne
• DealerSocket
• Innovative Programming Systems (Parts Scan It)
• DealerOps
• CarFax
• myKaarma
• 700Credit
• One-View
• Total Customer Connect

Additional, non-exhibitor sponsors included:

• Traffic Control
• Vantiv
• Halo Branded Solutions
• Miller Printing
• AIB Integrated Dealer Services
• Great America Financial Services

For information on the 2017 National Customer User Summit, send an email to jjoralemon@automate.com or call 877-829-7020 and ask for Jessica Joralemon.

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 1,200 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

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 follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.

Albany, N.Y. – September 19th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that its dealership management system (DMS) is fully integrated with QuickScreen from 700Credit, a prescreening tool that allows auto dealers to instantly access customers' credit profiles, right from within their CRM. Auto dealers using Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) and 700Credit's consumer credit reporting and compliance products will benefit from the convenience and increased customer satisfaction that the integration offers.

"Having access to a customer's credit information before the deal means the salesperson doesn't have to ask intrusive questions, which increases customer satisfaction," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "The QuickScreen button is now visible in our CRM and with a simple click, a customer's credit information can be pulled and saved into that record."

"With QuickScreen integrated into Auto/Mate's CRM, salespeople no longer have to jump in and out of applications, which significantly speeds up the sales process," said Ken Hill, Managing Director of 700Credit. "If you're trying to reduce your store's purchase time from four to two hours, or even one hour, a prescreening tool is a must."

With just a name and phone number, QuickScreen performs a soft pull on the customer's credit data. No social security numbers or date-of-birth are required. A soft pull does not register on the customer's credit report as an official credit check, so there is no adverse affect on their score. However, to stay in compliance 700Credit does send the customer a firm offer of credit informing them they have been pre-qualified for a loan.

Auto/Mate's CRM, Customer/Mate, is a comprehensive CRM solution that allows dealers to track prospects, respond to internet and OEM leads, plus create and implement all the follow-up plans needed to connect with customers. Customer/Mate also has CarFax®, AutoCheck®, and NADA Book Out® integrations.

For more information, visit http://www.automate.com or call 877-829-7020.

About 700Credit

700Credit is the automotive industry's leading solution for credit reporting and compliance products and services. Products and services offered include credit reports, OFAC compliance, adverse action, fraud detection, score disclosure, online credit applications and more. 700Credit exists to provide its clients with the highest quality data in the most time efficient manner possible. For more information, visit: www.700credit.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 1,200 auto dealers nationwide. Auto/Mate has received DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

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 follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.

Imagine two candidates for a sales position. One has a great attitude and great people skills, but doesn't have the greatest sales record. The other candidate could sell snow to an Eskimo, but has a prima donna attitude and an obnoxious personality. Who would you hire?

Hopefully you would hire candidate number one. Herb Kelleher, former CEO of Southwest Airlines, once said, "You don't hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.” It's possible and even fairly easy to teach sales skills and a sales process. It's nearly impossible to change someone's personality.

Now imagine that you have a top-producing salesperson who sells an average of 20 to 30 cars every month. He sure can produce, but he's also difficult to work with. He expects everyone else in the dealership to be working to support him and his goals, because he's the top producer. He knows it all.

As a result, the turnover in your sales department (except for him) is incredibly high. Nobody wants to work with him, and nobody feels they have a chance to succeed while he is Top Dog. Would you fire this person?

Unfortunately many dealers would not. What I would argue is that if you let this person go, your sales department will produce the same, if not better results. Customers are coming in the door whether or not that person is on staff, and when you let that person go, morale among the rest of your sales team will improve. More than likely, you'll have one or two other salespeople instantly step up to produce the same sales volume. It's hard for flowers to bloom when they're kept in the shade.

How to Hire for Attitude

To find and hire people with a great attitude, the first step is to define your dealership culture. Is it fast paced or leisurely? Family oriented or urban hip? Formal or casual?

Take a look at your all time best employees; those who performed well AND had great attitudes. Did they possess common personality traits? Common values? If so write them down, and then create interview questions designed to find out if job candidates possess these same traits and values. For instance, if your dealership is focused on providing the best customer service, you probably want to hire people who are other centered. Ask candidates if they have ever volunteered for an organization or if they participate in community events for good causes. If a candidate has not, they're probably not going to be a good culture fit, no matter how great they seem to be in the interview.

I highly recommend testing for personality and skills. A poor sales record doesn't necessarily reflect poor sales skills. The situation in the candidate's previous dealership may have been counter-productive, or the person never received adequate training, or they may have been dealing with other challenges.

In order to succeed at sales, a person needs good people skills, good communications skills and they must know how to manage their time. Also, decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as a critical factor that sets star performers apart.

Low cost assessment tests can be used to identify personality traits and necessary skills. These specialized tests are surprisingly accurate screening tools that can and should be used by every company. Examples include:

• CRI Achiever Assessment (Personality)  - www.criw.com
• DiSC - (Personality) -  www.discprofile.com
• Myers Briggs Type Indicator -  (Personality) -  http://www.myersbriggs.org
• Brainbench (Skills) - www.brainbench.com
• eSkill (Skills) - www.eskill.com
• Book: Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (includes do-it-yourself EQ tests)

What is your experience in hiring for attitude versus hiring for experience? Do you agree it's easier to teach skills than to change an obnoxious personality?

Albany, N.Y. – August 22nd, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced the integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with the award-winning Dominion Dealer Solutions’ Sales Center CRM. Dealers using both Auto/Mate and Dominion’s automotive solutions will benefit from enhanced customer insight expedited by real-time updates of customer, vehicle, service and deal information in both systems.

"In today's competitive and fast-moving environment, it's critically important for dealers to have accurate and actionable information when responding to customer inquiries and to leads," said Mike Esposito, president and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "That's why it's important for the DMS and CRM to be integrated with bi-directional updates, as opposed to one-way data extracts delivered via batch deliveries."

“We’re excited to partner with Auto/Mate DMS to provide our mutual dealers with a low-cost, highly efficient integration,” noted John Hardacre, product manager for Dominion Dealer Solutions’ Sales Center CRM.  "The integration process was fast and inexpensive, helping keep our CRM solutions affordable for our automotive dealer customers."

Since 1998, Dominion Sales Center has been used by thousands of automotive professionals.  Its speed, ease of use and accountability tools make it a quickly adopted CRM tool.  Leads of virtually every type (showroom, internet, phone, service, etc.), are funneled into a single CRM system to drive processes and results in both fixed and variable operations.  In addition, Sales Center features campaign management and services to facilitate targeted marketing needs.

Auto/Mate's dealership management system, Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS), is a comprehensive solution offering robust functionality for any size dealership or auto group. AMPS is intuitive, easy to use and provides dealers with advanced reporting capabilities along with the best customer service in the industry.

For more information, visit http://www.automate.com or call 877-829-7020.

About Dominion Dealer Solutions

Dominion Dealer Solutions helps car dealers attract, retain, and service customers for life. Dominion's Progressive Retail PlatformTM includes customer relationship (CRM) and dealer management systems (DMS) with actionable intelligence from the Microsoft Dynamics platform.  The Progressive Retail PlatformTM also contains lead management and equity mining technology, inventory management analytics, social media marketing and reputation management solutions.  Dealers nationwide purchase custom lead generation and digital marketing tools from Dominion including: responsive design websites, SEO, SEM, digital advertising, multi-channel marketing, specialized data aggregation, mobile apps and market reports. OEMs and auto dealers nationwide utilize Dominion Dealer Solutions' technologies to solve their marketing challenges. Dominion Dealer Solutions is redefining automotive retail by delivering first-class customer experiences for local car buyers. For more information, visit our website, like us on Facebook, Pinterest or YouTube, or follow us @dominiondealer.

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 1,200 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 follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.

Want to know the best way to increase customer retention? It's not rocket science. It all comes down to the relationships that your employees have with your customers. If your employees take good care of your customers, and your customers like your employees, chances are good those customers will come back again.

However, building successful customer relationships is easier said than done. Like any relationship, a little effort and patience is required. In fact, it's not so different than building a relationship with that wonderful and most important person in your life: your spouse (if you have one). 

When it comes to relationships, there are a few eternal truths that stand the test of time. And who better to give relationship advice than marriage therapists? I researched the most prized advice from marriage therapists, and strangely their words of wisdom sound similar to advice that many customer loyalty experts dispense. Read on and let me know what you think:

1) Communication is Key. Marriage therapists place a lot of emphasis on communication. They teach that words are very powerful. The words you choose have a much deeper impact than you can imagine. Kind words make your spouse/customers feel comfortable, while criticisms or judgments can make them feel angry or insecure. When your spouse/customers ask a question or make a statement you don't understand, repeat it or ask for clarification. Choose your responses thoughtfully.

Also, pay attention to non-verbal communication. Make sure your tone of voice and body language convey the same thing. If your spouse/customer is sending you mixed messages, do not assume they have bad intentions. Just ask them what they mean. To develop respect and trust, you must learn to communicate openly and honestly.

2) Respect is a Two-Way Street. In marriages, loss of respect can lead to contempt. Marriage therapists pretty much agree that when this happens, the relationship is doomed. It's the same with your customers. Dealership employees should always treat customers with respect, while trying to earn theirs in turn.

3) Trust is Fragile. Is your spouse reliable and dependable? Trust is about being able to count on someone, and it's no different with your customers.

If you want your spouse/customers to trust you, you must be reliable. If you say you will do something, do it. If you cannot do it, be up front and honest about why not. Never leave your spouse/customer questioning your intentions. To gain trust, you must be trustworthy. If you can place your spouse/customers' best interests ahead of your own, you will gain their lasting trust and loyalty. If your spouse/customers discover that you've lied to them, that bond of trust is broken and can be very difficult to repair.

4) Conflict Resolution is Important. Couples with poor conflict resolution skills typically engage in fight, flight or freeze behaviors. They fight and stay mad, sometimes holding grudges for years. They flight by sweeping issues under the rug. Or, they freeze emotionally and shut down. Someone who freezes may go through the motions on the outside, but they have stopped caring on the inside.

If a conflict arises with a customer, it's important to focus on taking care of the issue and not attack the person. They may be lashing out at you but remember that it's not really about you personally, it's about how they feel. Maybe they feel taken advantage of. Maybe they feel like you're not really listening to them. Maybe they have a lot of issues and something you said just happened to hit a nerve.

But if you let them stay in fight, flight or freeze mode, they will not be a repeat customer. Explain your position without getting defensive, and ask them what kind of resolution would make them happy. Then, if possible, try to make it happen. Once the matter is resolved, forgive and forget. Holding a grudge is unhealthy, both for yourself and for your relationship.

5) Don't Insist on Being (Always) Right. Anyone who has been married knows that you have to pick your battles. We all know that sometimes, the other person is just plain wrong. But if you insist on proving that you are right and they are wrong, it can escalate the situation. What good comes from that? You may prove a point but now your spouse is mad at you. Sometimes, it's better to just let them think they're right, or at least, agree to disagree.

It's the same with your customers. Remember the old saying, "The customer knows best?" As we all know, sometimes the customer doesn't know best. Customers can be misinformed or even plain ol' nasty. If you encounter someone like this, don't react in kind. You can set boundaries politely and firmly, and you can make your case with facts and drawing upon your experience. But try to avoid telling a customer they are wrong. What does it prove? It may make you feel better but chances are that customer won't be back.

Developing relationships of any kind can be hard work. But the efforts are rewarding and can make life a lot easier. If you have a good relationship with your spouse, you can go home to a happy household every evening. If you have great relationships with your customers, you will earn their loyalty, trust and repeat business.

What tips do you have for building successful relationships with your customers?

Albany, N.Y. – August 15th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced the integration of its dealership management system (DMS) with Unotifi, a pioneer in mobile relationship marketing and customer retention for auto dealers.

Benefits to dealers using both Auto/Mate's DMS and Unotifi solutions include increased data gathering and intelligence about a dealership's customers, the ability to automatically text customers when their vehicle is ready or special parts order has arrived, the ability to set up a personal information page (PIP) for each customer, and more.

"Unotifi's solutions make it easy for dealers to communicate with their customers the way customers prefer to be communicated with, which these days is mostly by text and using mobile devices to access information online," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "Integration with our DMS creates a seamless experience and provides greater visibility into customer history and probability of purchasing."

"Auto/Mate has been great to work with, providing a complete integration for a very low cost which helps to keep our prices competitive for auto dealer customers," said Fred van der Neut, founder and President of Unotifi. "Additionally, Auto/Mate provides world class customer support and their software is very intuitive and user friendly, making it even easier for our customers to implement and benefit from our solutions."

Auto/Mate's dealership management system, Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS), is a comprehensive solution offering robust functionality for any size dealership or auto group. AMPS provides dealers with advanced reporting capabilities along with the best customer service in the industry.

For more information, visit http://www.automate.com or call 877-829-7020.

About Unotifi

A pioneer in Mobile Relationship Marketing, Unotifi is the most advanced customer retention and mobile relationship management service for the automotive industry. Founded in 2010 by Fred van der Neut, Unotifi is based in Houston, Texas and supports franchise dealers and aftermarket service centers throughout the U.S.

Unotifi introduced its fully integrated system in November 2011, and launched its industry standard-setting Communicator text messaging platform a few months later.  As a pioneer in Mobile Relationship Marketing and customer engagement, Unotifi continues to introduce CRM tools like Mobile Alerts and its Service Business Development Center program that deliver more sales and higher customer satisfaction levels.

By offering its customers state-of-the-art and value-based technology, Unotifi has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to increase customer satisfaction and retention, while improving dollars per Repair Order (RO) and frequency of customer visits.

For more information, visit www.automotivemarketingcrm.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 1,200 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 follow us on Twitter @AutoMateDMS and subscribe to our blog at www.automate.com/blog.

Company culture is a hot topic recently, and with good reason. Companies with a great workplace culture enjoy increased employee and customer retention rates, as well as higher profits.

But how do you know if your dealership's culture is helping or hurting your bottom line? Take a look at this list and see if any of these warning signs are pervasive at your dealership.

1) Low employee morale

If your employees are often in a bad mood, unmotivated or walk around with glum faces, you probably have a morale problem. If the majority of your employees are happy at their jobs, the general work atmosphere will be one of enthusiasm, joy and camaraderie.

2) Lack of work-life balance

It's fine to expect employees to go the extra mile on occasion. It's not okay to expect it all the time, at least not without proper compensation and/or appreciation. Besides, studies actually prove that the more hours employees work, the lower productivity goes.

Many employees don't feel like they can set boundaries to have a healthy work-life balance, so it's up to the dealership principals and managers to develop this initiative and culture. Encourage employees to attend important family events and to use their vacation time.

3) Many new hires are unqualified

Does nepotism rule at your dealership? In a rush to fill an empty seat, do your principals and managers hire the first warm body they interview, without regard to the person's qualifications? If so, a toxic culture can develop due to resentment from other employees who now have to pick up the slack for a favored employee.

It's okay to hire family and friends, as long as they are well qualified. In a healthy culture, family and friends will start at the bottom and work their way up like everyone else. In fact, they may have to work twice as hard to prove themselves, because they will be under close scrutiny from fellow employees who are looking for signs of favoritism.

4) It's the boss's way or the highway

In a healthy culture, principals and managers ask their employees, "How do you think we should proceed?" and "How should we solve this problem?" In a toxic culture, the boss makes all the decisions with little input and doesn't care about others' opinions or experience.

5) Secrets and gossip are pervasive

I've long advocated that it's important to share company news and be transparent with employees. If you don't tell employees what's going on with your business, they'll start making stuff up. I recommend holding "town hall" type meetings on a monthly basis where you share your company vision and goals, setbacks and successes, and challenges you're dealing with. Ask employees for input and suggestions. This will help to eliminate gossip and secrets, and your employees will feel valued.

6) Employees are walking on eggshells

Do your employees live in fear of getting yelled at or criticized by their managers or co-workers? If your employees don't perform well, are they put down or fired without trying to address the reasons? Does your culture ignore bullying, lying, smear campaigns and other demoralizing tactics? If your employees are walking around on eggshells, trust me, they'll be walking out the door--permanently--the first chance they get.

7) Employee turnover is high and nobody cares

I realize there are probably a few dealers and managers out there who have the attitude that employees are expendable, and one is as good as the next. But the vast majority of managers do not really believe this. A great employee is worth their weight in gold and turnover is very expensive. If your employee turnover is high, I recommend conducting exit interviews to find out what the real problem is.

8) Low customer loyalty and retention rates

Happy employees take better care of customers. Empowered employees take better care of customers. Your customers will never love your company unless your employees love your company. Period.

9) Employees who use questionable tactics to achieve goals are praised as long as they perform well

Have you ever received complaints about one of your top-performing salespeople, managers or service advisors? Have you ever dismissed these complaints because the employee is a top-performer? Or perhaps you reprimanded the person, gently, but could not seriously consider letting them go because you believe they're irreplaceable.

Toxic employees can create toxic workplaces. They make their co-workers miserable, which lowers productivity, increases employee turnover, hurts customer loyalty and in the long run, reduces profitability. If an employee doesn't reflect your dealership's core values, they should be let go, regardless of how well they perform.

10) One or more managers do not set a good example

If your dealership management team promotes good communication, trust and teamwork, they must walk the talk. If your managers can't or won't live by your values, they shouldn't be in that position. If you have a manager with poor communications skills, a bad attitude, or who points the blame at employees for their own under-performance, it's time to look for a new manager.

Do you really, truly care about your business and employees? If so, you should do everything in your power to create a healthy, happy and productive workplace culture.

Turning a culture from toxic to terrific takes hard work and patience. If you're not sure where to begin, I outline a process in my eBook, "The Auto Dealer's 10-Step Guide to Creating Customer Loyalty."

Have you ever worked in a toxic culture? What are other warning signs of a toxic culture?

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