Dealers cite high level of accountability, increased ROI and ease of use as deciding factors. ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/
Leading automotive CRM provider DealerSocket, named Best Overall Company in this year’s International Business Awards, and the 37th fastest growing company in the U.S. by Deloitte & Touche, continues its phenomenal momentum, announcing today that over 90 dealerships in 90 days have either replaced their existing CRM solution with DealerSocket CRM or have chosen to implement DealerSocket as their dealership’s first CRM solution.
“We are thrilled that our cost-effective and easy to implement CRM solution is enabling dealerships to quickly address and overcome the many challenges they are facing as a result of the current economic climate,” said Jonathan Ord, DealerSocket Co-Founder and CEO. “Every day, more and more dealers are discovering that utilizing their CRM can greatly reduce their dealership’s operating costs, and at the same time, help them quickly increase revenue and ROI by using resources they already have in place. This powerful tool not only ensures that their dealership will survive, but also will continue to thrive and grow during these difficult and changing times.”
DealerSocket is long accustomed to steady momentum, having experienced quarter over quarter growth in both company size and client base since its founding in 2001. However, as turmoil in the housing and financial sectors continue to heavily impact the retail automotive industry, the company has seen the number of customer inquiries it receives increase dramatically as dealers clamor for ways to recession-proof their businesses. In the past 90 days alone, DealerSocket has implemented its CRM solution at over 90 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada, with the majority of those implementations replacing existing CRM solutions that dealers have outgrown, referring to them as ineffective, difficult to use and lacking in functionality.
Charlie Swenson, General Manager of Walser Toyota, one of 10 Walser dealerships in the Minneapolis St. Paul area, is one of those dealers. Swenson recently moved to Walser Toyota after serving as general manager of Walser Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Hopkins, Minnesota. There, as the volunteer test pilot and main driver for Walser’s CRM program, Swenson made the decision to switch from what he called an “ineffective” CRM solution to DealerSocket CRM, although it meant paying for both solutions concurrently for a period of time.
“Navigating through our old CRM was extremely difficult, and their options for accountability tools had too many loopholes to make it effective,” Walser explained. “When I saw the DealerSocket demo, I was immediately struck by the ease-of use, powerful feature set and high level of accountability the solution offered compared to our old system, and although I was locked into a contract with another CRM provider, I decided it would be well worth it to make the change.”
Like Swenson, a large number of dealers reaching out to DealerSocket, including those implementing a CRM solution at their dealership for the first time, cited accountability or lack thereof as a critical factor in the overall success of their business and a main reason for choosing DealerSocket CRM.
“Our Toyota dealership alone has 1,500 customer inquiries or walk-ins per month. That’s 18,000 potential buyers per year who give us all of their information and trust us with that information because they’re interested in purchasing a vehicle,” said Swenson. “Of that number, 11,000-12,000 don’t buy. The question is where do they go? DealerSocket gives me the tool to answer that question and more importantly gives me the ability to get them back to the store.”
DealerSocket recently surpassed 25,000 system users, with over 500 automotive dealerships throughout the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia now leveraging the company’s comprehensive CRM solution to optimize and manage marketing activities, sales processes, customer satisfaction and retention, and service department operations.
About DealerSocket
DealerSocket provides the most comprehensive Customer Relationship Management solution available today in the automotive dealership market. More than 25,000 users at over 500 dealerships throughout the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia now leverage the company’s CRM solution to optimize and manage marketing activities, sales processes, customer satisfaction and retention, and service department operations. Based in San Clemente, California, the company has won numerous awards and industry recognition, including being named Best Overall Company in the 2008 International Business Awards. DealerSocket is recognized by Deloitte & Touche as the 37th fastest growing company in North America. More information is available at http://www.dealersocket.com
