Albany, N.Y. – June 20th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced the full agenda of speakers and presentations for its National Customer User Summit to be held September 19-21, 2016 at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center. All sessions offer practical "how to" advice from vendors that integrate with Auto/Mate's dealership management system (DMS), and/or actionable strategies that attendees can take home to improve dealership operations, marketing and sales.

"This will be our biggest and best customer user summit yet, and we are thrilled to be sharing best practices and new ideas from respected industry thought leaders," said Mike Esposito, Auto/Mate's President and CEO.

The National Customer User Summit session speakers and presentations include:

• David Villa, IPD (Keynote): "How to Set the Stage for Change and Win the Buy-In."
• Michael Roppo, WithumSmith+Brown PC: "The Power of Aligning DMS Best Practices & CPI Management"
• Ken Hill, 700 Credit: "Perform & Track Your Compliance Processes with Auto/Mate"
• John Furhman, Optionsoft Technologies: "Are Your People Ready for 21st Century Selling?"
• Dan Didier, GreyCastle Security: "Legality of Incident Response."
• Richard Keith Latman, CRMSuite: "The Death of Customer Ownership."
• Bob Lettis, 700 Credit: "See How...Soft Pull Credit Data with Auto/Mate's CRM."
• Jon Lincoln, etfile: "The In's and Out's of Electronic Document Management."
• Patrick Longo, Upaya Partners: "The 'Just' Disease."
• Todd Mason, RouteOne: "Consumer Expectations & Buying Preferences."
• Erik Nachbahr, Helion Technologies: "5 Technology Musts to Drive Sales and Service Revenue."
• David Ortega, Traffic Control CRM: "Employee Activity Management (EAM) and Why It's Vital to Exceeding Dealer Goals."
• Aaron Schinke, DealerSocket: "According to Google, 95% of Car Buyers Browse a Dealership's Website."
• Mark Tewart, Tewart Enterprises: "Death of the Traditional Dealership Salesperson."
• Stuart Zalud, NADA: "The Importance of Maintaining Your Customer."
• Mike Esposito, Auto/Mate: "Improve Customer Loyalty with the Net Promoter Score®."
• Dave Druzynski, Auto/Mate: "Social Media in Hiring & Firing."

Auto/Mate's 2016 Customer User Summit (#AMUserSummit) is a two-day, educational and fun-filled event designed for dealership executives and managers who want to learn more about Auto/Mate's DMS features and capabilities. In addition to attending the industry speaker presentations, customers will have the opportunity to network with peers and Auto/Mate executives and staff.

Additional highlights of the event include DMS new feature announcements, Rockin' 101 with Ken Rock, tutorial breakout sessions, town hall and more. There is no charge for Auto/Mate customers to attend the event, which includes a hosted happy hour and dinner, as well as daily breakfasts and lunches.

The deadline for attendee, sponsor and exhibitor registration is Friday, July 15th.

Additionally, Auto/Mate would like to thank the current sponsors of the National Customer User Summit, including: 700 Credit, CRMSuite, DealerSocket, etfile, Great America Financial Services, Halo Branded Solutions, myKaarma, CarFax, RouteOne and ScanIt Parts.

For more information, visit http://www.automate.com/usersummit

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.

Are you looking for ways to improve employee productivity and boost morale? Consider creating a culture of health in your dealership.

Many studies show the correlation between healthy employees and higher productivity. Research from the Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO), Brigham Young University and the Center for Health Research at Healthways shows:

• Employees who eat healthy are 25% more likely to have higher job performance
• Employees who eat 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables at least four times a week are 20% more likely to be more productive
• Employees who exercise for at least 30 minutes, three times a week, are 15% more likely to have a higher job performance
• Absenteeism is 27% lower for workers who eat healthy and exercise regularly

In addition to increased employee productivity, companies that offer wellness programs are able to negotiate better rates with their insurance providers.

From a personal standpoint, the employees at Auto/Mate have fully embraced a culture of health and root for one another's goals and successes. I have seen first hand how this helps to strengthen our team atmosphere and attitudes of "anything is possible," which also spills over to job performance.

A culture of health doesn't just happen automatically. Management buy-in and involvement is a must to help organize (and sometimes fund) events.

Follow these recommendations to start building a culture of health in your dealership:

Organize Active Events

It's easy to find local active events that are linked to a cause, whether it's Walk for Alzheimer's, The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, or 5K runs. Teams from Auto/Mate participate in the Workforce Challenge, a local running event that benefits youth health programs, and the Tour de Cure, a cycling event that benefits diabetes. On National Walk@Lunch Day, we organized two groups of walkers for a brisk 30-minute walk at lunch.

Promote employee involvement in events by sending out emails and posting flyers in the break or lunch room. Set a company goal of how many employees you'd like to participate or how much money you'd like to raise for the event.

It also helps if your dealership's team has a T-shirt specially made for these events. The cost is small compared with the return in energy and goodwill that participating in these events generate among employees.

Start a Wellness Program

Once a month or once a quarter, bring in a local health professional to conduct a wellness workshop. At Auto/Mate, popular topics have been how to stop smoking and how to cope with and reduce stress.

Incent Employees to Reach Goals

If you have employees who are trying to stop smoking or lose weight, consider offering a small incentive when they reach their goal. This could be offering to pay for a gym membership for a year, a gift certificate to a grocery store or offering to pay their entry fee for a fun and active event.

Have Healthy Snacks Available

Do you have a vending machine filled with candy bars and chips? Consider replacing it with a vending machine that offers healthier choices, such as fresh fruit or granola bars. Or just make these types of snacks available in the employee break room.

Ditch the Birthday Cakes and Morning Donuts

Okay, I realize some employees may rebel at the thought of doing away with such time-honored traditions as donuts in the morning and birthday cakes on birthdays. But there are healthier choices available. How about once a month having a combined, "birthday lunch" for all employees with birthdays in that month? Have the lunch catered by a local food vendor that can accommodate requests for healthy fare.

Another idea is to contact a local food truck that offers healthy options. Have the truck park at your dealership on a weekend day. Both your employees and your customers will love it!

Health-Up Your Barbecues and Cook-Offs

Does your dealership occasionally host barbecues? Recruit several employees to make healthy salads and bring vegetarian or turkey burgers for these events. At Auto/Mate we host a chili cook-off competition among employees every year, and over the years the recipes have definitely trended towards healthy. Several employees now make vegetarian and turkey-based chilis that are delicious!

Install a Standing or Treadmill Desk

In dealerships, sitting at the desk all day isn't an issue for many employees in sales and service. But for those employees who do sit all day, consider installing a treadmill or standing desk they can take turns using for certain tasks (great for phone calls!) or while on breaks.

Get Managers Involved

With all of the above recommendations, it's highly recommended to have a principal and/or manager spearhead the events and set an example. First, it increases the participation rate of employees, and second, when managers don't participate, it's not exactly sending a "we're all in this together" message to the employees.

The bottom line: Healthy employees are happier, more productive and will take better care of your customers. What tips do you have for creating a culture of health?

Albany, N.Y. – April 25th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that it is releasing a free eBook for download, titled The Auto Dealer's 10-Step Guide to Using Mobile Tablets in Service, Sales and F&I. The eBook is designed to guide auto dealers through the process of selecting, implementing and using mobile tablets in dealerships.

"Many dealers don't realize all the steps involved and various considerations that accompany the transition to mobile tablets," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO. "We are frequently asked about how mobile tablets work with our DMS and which tablets are best. This guide is designed to answer every question that dealers have, including the ones they don't know yet, regarding the benefits and how-tos of using mobile tablets."

The eBook gives general guidelines and is dealership management system (DMS) agnostic, so it will be useful for every dealer regardless of which DMS they use.

The eBook gives a detailed step-by-step process of how to implement mobile tablets, from consideration to execution. Dealers will learn the advantages of using mobile tablets in sales, service and F&I; as well as which processes to use them for.

The Auto Dealer's 10-Step Guide to Using Mobile Tablets in Sales, Service and F&I Table of Contents includes:

1) Perform a Needs Analysis

2) Understand How Tablets Work With Your DMS

3) Choose a Mobile Tablet Platform

4) Upgrade Infrastructure

5) Adopt Mobile Tablets in the Service Department

6) Consider Design Updates to Your Service Lane

7) Adopt Mobile Tablets in Your Sales Department

8) Adopt Mobile Tablets in Your F&I Department

9) Training and Education

10) Maintain Your Mobile Tablets

The eBook is free to auto industry personnel, and can be downloaded at http://www.automate.com/resources/ebooks

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. – April 19th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced today that it has received a "Top Workplaces" award from the Albany Times-Union for the fifth consecutive year. Auto/Mate ranked as a "Top Workplace" in the mid-size business category in New York's capital region.

"Being a top workplace is very important to us because your customers will never love your company unless your employees love your company, and we want to keep both groups happy," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate. "It has also been helpful in our employee recruitment efforts, which everyone knows can be challenging."

The Top Workplaces are determined based solely on employee feedback. The employee surveys are conducted by WorkplaceDynamics LLC, a leading research firm on organizational health and employee engagement. Companies were selected based on several criteria, including pay and benefits packages and organizational health factors, which measure how well employees are working together toward a common cause.

Auto/Mate’s exceptional benefits for its employees include:

• Company events and outings
• Involvement in and sponsorship of community events
• Company sponsored wellness programs with hosted speakers
• Body/Shop employee gym
• Employee discounts
• Paid volunteer day
• Company-wide contests and challenges (i.e. best-decorated cubicle award during the holidays)
• Food trucks and hosted breakfasts and lunches

Auto/Mate is currently seeking dealership professionals with experience in accounting, F&I, parts and service. Professionals will travel the country to help provide Auto/Mate's customers with exceptional levels of training and support.

"I made the transition to Auto/Mate and I love it because I work in a family and team-oriented setting," said John Carter, Accounting Support Specialist. "I also love the stress free environment, and I still get to experience the dealership atmosphere during my work travels."

Auto/Mate has also been named a Best Places to Work in New York’s Capital Region by the Albany Business Review journal six years in a row; and has ranked consistently as a highest-rated or top-rated DMS vendor in the DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards.

Esposito recently presented his workshop "Create a Top Workplace to Increase Customer Loyalty" at the 2016 NADA Convention & Expo in Las Vegas, NV.

Auto dealers interested in learning how to turn their dealership into a "Top Workplace" can send a request to have Esposito speak at their local ADA chapter or 20 Group by emailing media@automate.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.

Albany, N.Y. – April 11th, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today announced dates for its national customer User Summit, anticipated to be the largest event to date with more than 200 Auto/Mate customers expected in attendance. The 2016 User Summit (#AMUserSummit) will be held at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort & Conference Center from September 19th through September 21st. This year's summit will feature two and a half days of product enhancements, best practices, industry speakers and exhibitors.

"When we first started our user summits we had no idea how popular they would be with our customers, and every year the event has grown," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "Our goal is to make the time as productive as possible from an educational standpoint, but also to create a relaxed and fun atmosphere where people can network and have a lot of face-time with their fellow dealer peers as well as our team of executives and technical staff."

There is no charge for Auto/Mate customers to attend the event, which includes a hosted happy hour and dinner, as well as daily breakfasts and lunches. In 2015, over 100 Auto/Mate customers attended the User Summit and ten industry vendors exhibited.

For the first time this year Auto/Mate is issuing a Call for Speakers to Open/Mate and third-party integration partners, as well as to industry vendors and consultants. Speaker benefits include exposure to 200+ decision makers, complimentary registration, and a guest blog opportunity on Auto/Mate's blog, DMS Central. The deadline for speakers to apply is Monday, April 18th. More information can be found at http://www.automate.com/speakers

Additionally, Auto/Mate's User Summit has sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for industry partners and vendors. Benefits of sponsorship include online promotion, pre- and post-show email promotions and special email campaign, networking at the Happy Hour pep rally and a raffle prize game that encourages attendees to visit all booths. More information about sponsorship opportunities can be found at http://www.automate.com/sponsor-info/

Auto/Mate's national User Summit is geared toward dealership executives and managers who want to learn more about Auto/Mate's DMS features and capabilities. Highlights include:

• Introduction: Learn Auto/Mate's philosophy on how we do business differently and what our future plans are, from Mike Esposito.
• New Feature Announcements: Auto/Mate's software development and product knowledge experts will reveal in-depth features of our recently updated accounting module and brand new payroll system, designed to streamline procedures and shave hours off of routine office processes.
• Rockin' 101 with Ken Rock: High-level feature overview of every module in Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) dealership management system.
• Break Out Sessions: Each session covers a different module/department, where customers will receive tutorials and time-saving tips and tricks, featuring Auto/Mate's advanced tech support "Go Team"
• Town Hall: Customers can ask Auto/Mate's executives and technical experts questions and discuss ideas in an open forum
• Industry Speakers: For the first time in 2016 Auto/Mate is opening the floor to vendor partners to share industry best practices in educational workshops
• Networking: Attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers, Open/Mate partners and other vendors.

"Auto/Mate's User Summit is a great way for dealers to see coming attractions for their DMS," said Mark Everly, Controller with the Donley Auto Group in Ohio. "The summit is a wealth of information not only from Auto/Mate staff, but also from the sponsor vendors that take part in the summit. I would highly recommend that dealers and their managers take part in a user summit...the time invested is well worth it."

For more information visit www.automate.com/usersummit or contact Jessica Joralemon, Manager of Events and Marketing Communications, at usersummit@automate.com, or 877-340-2677.

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. – March 22nd, 2016 – Auto/Mate Dealership Systems today introduced a completely redesigned payroll application for auto dealers, located within the Accounting Suite of its dealership management system (DMS). The new payroll application includes a host of new features that streamline and expedite the payroll process.

"We asked our customers and prospects what their biggest challenges were when they process payroll, then set about to build a brand new payroll application that would solve those challenges," said Mike Esposito, President and CEO of Auto/Mate Dealership Systems. "After two solid years in development, we are incredibly proud of how intuitive and fast this payroll app is. As always with our upgrades, our dealership clients will get the new payroll application for free."

Auto/Mate's new payroll application includes the following features:

Automated State and Federal Tax Tables

Auto/Mate's Automotive Management Productivity Suite (AMPS) maintains all state and federal tax tables automatically. At the beginning of every calendar year, AMPS automatically updates all rates so the correct amount is withheld from each paycheck, in accordance with local law.

Predefined Setups

Office personnel can predefine setups for various types of payroll that are commonly run; whether weekly, monthly, bonus checks and more. Deductions, exclusions, liabilities and tax rates can all be assigned on a per employee basis.

"Creating the setups requires a little time up front, but once the setups are established it make running the payroll a breeze," said Esposito. "The app is very flexible, giving prompts to help staff create setups for every possible scenario."

The ability to predefine setups expedites payroll processing by making it a simple one-step, one-screen process. Office personnel can view a list of employees in a left sidebar panel, and when they click on an employee's name the payroll details appear on the right side of the screen. New data can be entered on the same screen, and changes are reflected immediately in the details screen.

A print preview of each paycheck can also be viewed from within the screen, and a PDF version of every paycheck is archived into every employee's file.

On-the-Fly Deposit Changes

Auto/Mate's new payroll app makes it easy to make changes to deposits on the fly. Many direct deposit employees have several bank accounts and direct a percentage of each paycheck to be deposited into each account. The new payroll app supports direct deposit splits into 15 different bank accounts.

In addition, it's simple to create live checks with partial direct deposit, or direct deposit with partial live checks. Changes can be made on the fly based on last-minute employee requests, with little effort required for the accounting staff.

Increased Security

Auto/Mate's new payroll application includes built-in checks and balances for increased security. The accounting office often allows several employees and other departments to have access to the payroll system. Now functions within the system can be limited and defined on a per user basis.

For instance, the office manager may want to give only one or two specific people permission to add new employees to the system, access the general ledger, or approve the payroll.

Validation Tools

Occasionally errors are made when running payroll, such as when an earnings code is missing a GL account number, or an extra digit is added to a paycheck. Auto/Mate's payroll application allows parameters to be set up for each employee so the system will intuitively sense errors.

Once the payroll is ready to run, the user simply hits the "Validate" button, the system checks for errors, identifies the location and allows the user to make changes right in the screen, so they don't have to slog through multiple screens and steps to correct the error and repeat the entire process.

To see a demo of Auto/Mate's new payroll application, stop by Booth #1853C at the 2016 NADA Convention & Expo. Make an appointment here: http://www.automate.com/nada

For more information visit http://www.automate.com/DMS or call Auto/Mate at 518-371-4331.

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.