Let’s start with an important reality about replacing your dealer management system; it is going to hurt. The goal as an owner or decision maker of a dealership is to minimize the hurt. Most dealerships do not have a strong internal change management process and most employees of a dealership are already operating at 100% capacity before any contemplated change. So, replacing your dealer management system is going to be a pain.
The reward is that, assuming you make the right choice in systems, your business will run more smoothly on the other end. After a learning/conversion period that can last from one to six months, you should start to see meaningful productivity gains. Less trumpeted but equally important will be a rapid improvement in employee and customer satisfaction. Employees appreciate when you invest money to make them more efficient at doing their job. Similarly, current and future customers will appreciate it when visiting your dealership doesn’t feel like stepping back into the 1980’s – the 80’s were only cool in music and movies, not technology.
So how do you choose a dealer management system? Some say you should build lists of requirements and gaps in your current system and this is great. But choosing a system based on existing features is always a backward-looking exercise. What about the next ten years of your dealership’s existence?
Even on the subject of supported manufacturers (has the vendor integrated yet with Walker, for instance), whether or not a vendor has completed the required interface is not all that important; a new interface to a manufacturer is very straight forward programming work. Most manufactures do not offer very much in terms of interfaces. Volvo, Peterbilt, John Deere, for instance, are exceptions but for the most part, interfacing with a manufacturer comes down to digesting monthly or annual pricing files and building report formats for quick cut and paste parts ordering – lame, I know – but that is where we are at.
The real reason you are contemplating a change in systems is that your current vendor’s offering still looks like it looked ten or twenty years ago. Yes. Spend time thinking about your “needs” list but what you really want is a better technology partner – one with some vision and energy.
Pick a dealer management system that is on the edge but not the bleeding edge of technology trends. Today that means a true cloud, SAAS (software as a service) offering. You know you are in trouble if during demos, or worse yet, contract negotiations, they start talking about “hosting” or “virtual servers” or “dedicated bandwidth” or things like that. This all means that the product is an old design and simply going to be hosted off your premises. There are multiple ways to do this and, in truth, they are better than a dealership managing their own hardware. But they are all signs that you are looking at yesterday’s DMS. At Flyntlok, we can start up a new customer instance in less than a minute – that is the same for a dealer with 30 locations as it is for one. Of course, this doesn’t include setting all the settings or uploading your current data. But it does mean that we are not worried about any infrastructure needs. Flyntlok is built like a true cloud SAAS system and is not a retrofit of some older technology.
Pick a dealer management software provider that knows what it like to be a dealer. Better yet. Pick one that owns a dealership. We at Flyntlok use our shared ownership of various dealerships to drive innovation and to test our offerings. We can’t relax because we are dealers just like you. And that makes all the difference.
Pick a DMS provider that is trended. By this we mean, find one that is constantly innovating. A trended software vendor, regardless of whether they are perfect today, will ultimately get there and will be there for you as the market continues to evolve. Flyntlok releases enhancements once per week. Our other partners are also iterating their offerings equally as fast. You want to choose for where the market will be, not where it was yesterday.
Pick a DMS provider with energy. Generally, after the founders and entrepreneurs leave a software company, the intensity and innovation declines. Look for a company still invested in being the best as opposed to one simply trying to stay alive. At our dealerships we look for employees that are always looking for the next task to complete. When it is quiet, they are checking inventory or following up on customer special orders or reaching out to new owners of equipment. We avoid employees that show little initiative or start thinking about their lunch at 10:00am in the morning. The same is true in a technology partner. We at Flyntlok are invested in running a high-octane software company.
Contact us and see why Flyntlok represents a new future for Equipment Dealer Management.
Anchorage, AK, October 1, 2023 — Flyntlok, the leading and only true SaaS cloud-based equipment and dealer management system built natively in the Cloud, is excited to announce the launch of its groundbreaking Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capability. With this innovative addition to its suite of services, Flyntlok continues to solidify its reputation as the foremost multi-tenant dealer management platform in the cloud.
Flyntlok has consistently pushed the boundaries of technological innovation within the power equipment sales and management industry. As businesses strive to optimize their operations and provide unparalleled customer experiences, Flyntlok has risen to the occasion by introducing an advanced CRM capability that seamlessly integrates with its existing suite of tools. Flyntlok’s CRM capabilities allow dealers to manage the full lifecycle of their customers and prospects, from managing the incoming lead to quoting, sales, and customer experience follow-ups.
Flyntlok will be at the Equip Expo in Louisville, KY from 10/17-10/20 at Booth #42024
Key features of Flyntlok's new CRM capability include:
- Integration with customers’ external marketing websites to automate the creation of leads into the DMS.
- 360-Degree Customer View & Interaction: Dealers can now access a comprehensive overview of customer interactions, purchase history, and preferences, enabling personalized interactions and tailored services. Customers are no longer required to pay for additional third-party systems to support direct customer interaction through text, email, phone, and chatbot.
- Efficient Lead Management: The CRM streamlines lead capturing, tracking, and follow-up, ensuring that no potential opportunity slips through the cracks.Intuitive Communication: Integrated communication tools enable real-time engagement with customers tied directly to existing inventory, parts, and other critical data to increase revenue and close rates. Automated messages sent in real-time keep customers informed about the status of the work being completed by their dealer.
- Data-Driven Insights for Dealer and Customer: Advanced analytics provide actionable insights into customer behavior, helping dealerships make informed decisions and drive growth.
- Native Cloud Integration: Being 'built in the cloud', unlike its competition who is often attempting to glue together legacy technology platforms under a private equity umbrella, Flyntlok's new CRM capability is fully integrated in the Flyntlok DMS.
"As the dealer management landscape evolves, customer-centricity and operational efficiency have become paramount," said Sean McLaughlin, CEO of Flyntlok. "Our new CRM capability is designed to empower dealers with the tools they need to exceed customer expectations, nurture lasting relationships, increase their sales, and decrease the time to close those sales."
"Since transitioning off our legacy DMS platform and onboarding Flyntlok, our monthly revenues have already increased over 25% due to the ease of tracking customer leads and responding immediately with Flyntlok SMS. We no longer have the delay of working in one system for leads, another system to manage inventory, and a third system to communicate through SMS!" said Eric Plagenza, President of SHX Specialty Hose Express. (www.specialtyhosexpress.com)
Flyntlok's CRM capability is fully integrated with its existing cloud-based dealer management platform, ensuring a seamless integration process for businesses already utilizing Flyntlok's solutions. By choosing Flyntlok, dealerships gain a competitive edge through enhanced customer engagement, streamlined operations, and data-driven insights that lead to smarter decision-making.
For more information about Flyntlok and its innovative CRM capability, please visit www.flyntlok.com/crm-software.
About Flyntlok
Flyntlok is a pioneering software company that specializes in delivering cutting-edge ERP and dealer/equipment management solutions. Built on Google’s cloud, Flyntlok's multi-tenant dealer management platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help its customers manage their sales, rentals, inventory, and maintenance.
