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In today’s data-driven, electronic world, information is important across all industries. Automotive dealerships rely on their DMS for information about inventory, sales, financing, customers, and more.
The problem arises when the data becomes unreliable or obsolete because of human error or simply because customers have moved or changed numbers. A DMS might have duplicate customer records or a typo in the email address, which means marketing information doesn’t reach its intended recipient.
Obsolete data is an inevitable consequence of a large system, but that doesn’t mean every effort shouldn’t be made to correct it when possible. Dealership service departments are in a unique position to correct or update DMS data. They’re seeing those customers who purchased a vehicle last year and now need a vehicle inspection. They have contact with every customer who comes in on a recall. They see those customers who received a free oil change with their purchase and are coming in three months later.
It’s not the service advisor’s job to update the DMS. His focus is on the customers in front of him. But what if there was an easy way for him to update the DMS with new phone numbers and email addresses or additional vehicles owned by the family?
With a DMS-integrated service department software like Dealerlogix Service Workflow Suite, clearing out data “clutter” as new information becomes available is easy. The system integrates with nearly any DMS so updates to customer profiles are automatically pushed to the DMS. This two-way integration is paramount to data quality, as service departments typically receive the most customer updates.
Picture this: your service advisor conducts a vehicle walkaround and identifies several potential vehicle repairs, in addition to the customer’s primary concerns. Now he’s ready to send a list to the customer for approval. Because he’s working on a tablet and not paper, he can electronically send it to the customer’s phone. He pulls up the customer record and asks if it’s still the correct number or email. She provides an updated number or email, and Service Workflow Suite automatically pushes the new contact information into the DMS when the advisor types over the customer’s outdated email or phone number.
DMS integration also streamlines the customer check-in process and creates the following sales opportunities:
- Vehicle history. A DMS-integrated system not only shows vehicle service history, including past estimates, declined services and vehicle condition from past walkarounds, but history on the OEM side. When the advisor checks the customer in, he can see open recalls on the vehicle, any OEM communications to the customer, warranty information and more. All of this vehicle and customer history is vital to beginning a conversation about potential repairs, service contracts and warranty coverage. Armed with this information, the advisor can have a meaningful, intelligent conversation and suggest appropriate service.
- Priority service. Suppose your service department failed to fix a customer’s vehicle issue on the first try. Integrated data enables the advisor to alert parts and the service technician that the customer is back in the service drive with the same problem, so the order becomes a high priority.
- Parts availability and cost. Integration with the DMS enables the advisor to see all parts options and their costs, and present them to the customer. For example, many OEMs offer tire guides that include good, better, and best options, with pricing options and images of tire treads. This way, the advisor has all the sales tools at his disposal, and the customer receives all the information needed to make an educated decision.
Dealerlogix Service Workflow Suite not only works to make your service department more efficient and profitable, but improves DMS data for the dealership as well. We’d love to tell you more about this incredible system and how investing in it will provide a healthy ROI for your service department and dealership as whole. Contact us today.