In a world where leveraging technology is the norm for growth and development, why should dealerships stay behind in the rat race? The importance of dealership management System software for automobile-selling businesses is undeniable.
From sales tracking to billing and, inventory management to CRM, all can be managed with dealership management software. It is a must-have for showrooms and workshops looking to improve their operations.
Often, dealerships struggle with finding software solutions catering to their needs. While there is a plethora of software options available, how would a dealership choose which one to go with?
If you’re also struggling with making an informed software purchase decision, you need to follow a few simple steps. These steps can help you filter and find the DMS solution best suited to your business.
Why does your business need a dealership management System solution? That’s the first thing you need to ask yourself. Introspecting on your need will help you get a better picture of your expectations from dealership management software.
It’ll also help you in identifying the key modules that you require out of a dealership management software, and accordingly, zero in on the product that suits your needs.
Think of this step as insurance against future pain and suffering, which can result from buying an unsuitable dealership management software.
How much money can you shell out to procure and maintain a dealership management solution? Set a realistic budget of how much you can afford to pay, which will help you in filtering solutions in your price range.
If your budget is limited, you can look at solutions that can be used on a ‘pay per module’ basis. However, if money isn’t a concern, you can look for comprehensive solutions with all the modules a dealership could and would need.
Aside from software, there’s also hardware cost to be considered. While dealership management software doesn’t need exhaustively large and complex hardware, there will always be a minimum amount that you’ll have to spend for the right infrastructure.
There are add-on costs like maintenance, upgrades, and consulting, which are often not considered when setting up a budget. To avoid surprises, it is recommended that you set the budget in a way where you have some money to spare later for software upgrades and AMC (annual maintenance costs).
This one is a no-brainer but if you want the best solution, don’t just buy the first product you see when you search on Google. Perform thorough research of available options, what each one of them offers, and, how suited they are to your dealership and its verticals.
Your research will be based on your need i.e. you’ll be looking for solutions that fit your requirement. For example, if you have more than one dealership outlet, you’ll need to look for solutions that can perform franchise management.
In such cases, solutions like Cogxim DMS would be a great fit, with its integrated franchise management feature. Cogxim DMS is a fantastic solution for dealerships looking for a product that can perform inventory management, spare parts handling, billing, bookkeeping & ledger maintenance, job card management, CRM, and more.
Having said that, you should also make it a point to ask vendors about demos. Demos/Trial versions of any software are great for familiarising oneself with the nitty gritty of a tool. You’ll also be able to make a better judgment of the dealership software and realize if it’s suited to your dealership. Most vendors will be happy to give you a free trial, so don’t forget to ask!
Unless you’re completely content with your dealership’s current state, you’ll probably be looking at ways to expand and grow your business. In this case, you should be looking for dealership management software that can be scaled up and is flexible enough to fit in with changing and expanding business functions.
Some of the key areas to assess, when looking for scalable & flexible dealership management software, are:
Finding the best solution consists of four steps: identifying the need, defining the budget, conducting research, and checking for scalability. Once you’ve mastered each of these steps, you’ll find solutions that are perfectly suited to your dealership.
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