Dealer Management Systems, Choosing The Best One
Are you having trouble deciding which is the best Dealer Management System for your dealership? You are not alone. During the past few years, DMS platforms have increased its complexity to keep up with new regulations, digital marketing trends, and other challenges that dealers have to face on a daily basis.
Redline Dealer Education compared and rated 3 Dealer Management System platforms, grouping their dozens of features into just a few key categories, thus facilitating your decision process.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The ability to access customer information, find or create leads, analyze prospects and communicate with your clients is an essential feature of any modern DMS software. In that regard, DealerCenter is the indisputable winner offering you the most feature-rich CRM of all.
Inventory Management
Managing the dealer’s inventory is another key factor to look for in your next Dealer Management System. There is a draw in this category between DealerCenter and AutoXplorer. Both let you review, update, and print inventory reports in real-time as well as adding several pictures and/or videos or each car.
Used Car Valuation
DealerCenter offers the most complete solution with support for used car valuation platforms such as NADA Rooftop, Kelley Blue Book, Black Book in all its versions and Manheim Market Report. AutoXplorer comes second and Frazer DMS occupies the third spot in this category.
Customer Financing Services
Managing Buy Here Pay Here (BHPH) financing, and credit Bureau services are common to all Dealer Management Systems in this comparison. However, DealerCenter is the only one able to connect to all Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion services not only to pull credit reports but also FICO and Vantage scores.
OFAC Check
All software solutions reviewed in this article can check OFAC compliance, which is an important step during the sales process.
Vehicle History Reports (VHR)
Even when all contenders are capable of connecting with Autocheck, and NMVTIS platforms as well as other VIN decoding services, DealerCenter is the only Dealer Management System that gives you the flexibility of choosing between the different Autocheck versions (Unlimited / on-demand).
Digital Marketing Tools
Nowadays, professional Dealer Management Systems go beyond offering typical administrative and sales support, they also include powerful Digital Marketing Tools. In this category, AutoXplorer shines with its plethora of online advertising options and third-party vendors.
Website Integration
Once again AutoXplorer outperforms other solutions with its theme-based website module. While all contenders are able to integrate DMS features within the Dealer website, AutoXplorer also employs a beautiful and convenient e-Commerce-centric website design able to boost your sales.
Mobile App
Technically speaking, only DealerCenter and Frazer offer native iOS and Android apps for managing DMS features such as Driver’s License Scanner, VIN decoder, inventory, and more. However, even though AutoXplorer does not have a dedicated mobile app, you can use many of its features through its responsive mobile website.
Pricing Models
How much are you willing to invest in a Dealer Management System platform? The 3 solutions reviewed today give you plenty of choices to choose from.
DealerCenter
DealerCenter has a unique pricing schema that combines monthly subscriptions for each of its modules with the Pay-as-you-go model for the third-party services it offers. This pricing model gives you the convenience of paying only for the modules you use. For a complete list of available modules and services visit DealerCenter official site.
AutoXplorer
AutoXplorer offers 3 DMS plans, the Standard plan doesn’t include the website or third-party Digital marketing integrations, while the Pro plan differentiates from the Ultimate plan because of its lack of contracts, or Ad Generator functionality. For more details about available plans check AutoXplorer official website. Be sure to mention Redline Dealer Education and receive a promotional offer from AutoExplorer!
Frazer
Frazer uses a simpler pricing approach, you have 3 options to choose from, monthly, quarterly, or annually payments. All options give you full access to Frazer DMS functionalities, no setup costs, no hidden fees. For more information regarding Frazer pricing options visit Frazer website.
What DMS is the Best for your dealership?
After reading this article you might think that DealerCenter is the overall winner, but that would not be completely accurate. Truth is, different dealers have different needs.
If you are the owner of a small car dealership then Frazer may give you a cost-efficient alternative to enjoy the benefits of a fully-featured DMS. If what you need is an incredible e-Commerce website portal with DMS functionality then AutoXplorer will deliver you the best experience. DealerCenter is a great option for medium-sized to large dealership willing to spend over $1000/month for a complete DMS solution.
