Integrated Dealer Systems is the leading provider of software solutions for RV, marine and trailer dealerships. Founded in 1987 and trusted by more than 9,500+ dealers, IDS offers complete business management solutions from quotes to sales to delivery. The market for selling vehicles is currently more vibrant and cutthroat than ever. Dealerships may consider developing integrated dealer systems to surpass their competitors. Think about some of the ways that these systems may increase sales and make dealerships successful.
Inventory Management
Inventory management is the process of identifying, tracking, and managing stock. It includes moving goods from production to the warehouse, ensuring enough supply to meet customer demand. Consistent stock management reduces storage costs and minimizes the risk of backorders. It also helps businesses negotiate better terms with suppliers. Integrated dealer systems help dealers manage their inventory by collecting data on each customer and their purchase history, including service visits, trade-ins, upgrades, merchandise purchases, and referrals. They can then send customers tailored, relevant messages that will likely lead to sales.
Moreover, a good DMS can integrate with high-traffic sites that potential buyers browse as they prepare to purchase. It enables the dealership to conduct internal market research that helps establish fair acquisition and sales prices for equipment. It can also help identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. Lastly, the system can also track customer satisfaction, crucial in building brand loyalty and retention. It is accomplished through customer-facing features such as an online chatbot and an enhanced search capability.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Before dealer management systems were introduced, dealerships would operate with various software programs that weren’t fully integrated. It meant team members had to exit one program and log into another to retrieve customer information, see service history or schedule appointments. It was a waste of time and caused many issues to fall through the cracks.
Using a unified DMS with CRM tools gives teams the insights they need to make data-driven business decisions. For example, a dealership can use CRM to determine the terms and alternative deal structures that best fit their customers’ needs.
Using CRM, dealers can deliver the right message to customers through targeted digital marketing campaigns and journeys. They can also improve forecasting and sales performance by accessing a single view of every prospect and customer. Commerce teams can quickly launch and scale e-commerce for consumer shoppers and B2B buyers, and service representatives can address customer needs in any channel from home or the shop floor.
Parts Management
Integrated dealer systems provide an all-in-one platform for parts tracking and management. This system can help you improve your inventory management, reduce costs, and increase customer service levels. Parts management is a structured framework for what to store, how much to hold, and when to have it available, leveraging the bill of materials and barcode scanning to count what’s in your storeroom. It can mitigate risk to asset performance by increasing equipment availability and reducing schedule interruptions, and it reduces capital expenditure by providing the right parts at the best cost.
The data gathered by IoT sensors and devices are used by Next-Gen DMS to automatically track product movement between locations, establish reorder points for out-of-stock items, and more. It also enables you to better align demand forecasts with supply chain requirements by clustering dealer stocking areas with similar demand patterns. It uses policy approval review engines to automate ordering and parts replenishment for improved stocking accuracy and reactivity. It can also reduce individual dealership parts run-outs by utilizing forecasts and product lead times to identify the right time to place rush orders.
Finance Management
Integrated dealer systems are software platforms that provide dealerships with the tools they need to manage their operations from sales management, finance and accounting, parts and service. It includes inventory control software, CRM applications, point-of-sale invoice processing solutions and customer portals. A fully-featured DMS should also connect to OEM data processing systems so automobile merchants can receive vehicle records from their manufacturers. The financial department ensures the company has the proper cash flow to maintain daily operations and make future investments. It involves estimating the required funds and determining how they should be procured.
The financial department can also help companies save money by improving efficiency and reducing the need for staff. It can also assist with budgeting, creating a framework for the company’s expenses and profits over time. It helps the company to plan for future growth while minimizing risk and liability. It also includes deciding on investment decisions, financing decisions, and dividends. A company needs to make accurate financial decisions to stay competitive in the industry.
Sales Management
Managing the sales process is key to success in any industry. It includes operations, strategy and analysis. A good manager will set clear expectations and goals for their team, monitor performance and ensure all sales activities are aligned with business objectives. Creating a comprehensive database of customer information is another important sales management objective. It allows companies to handle leads and customers more effectively by cross-selling and upselling opportunities. A sales management system is designed to provide consolidated data for all departments in one location. It helps teams stay focused on sales, not administration. In addition, a good sales management system can automate workflows, like scheduling follow-up calls or sending form emails after meetings. It saves reps time to concentrate on higher-priority tasks that require human interaction, like identifying a lead and reaching out to schedule a product demo.
