Conquer Operational Challenges With a Dealer Intelligence Platform

9/30/2024
Running an equipment dealership presents a unique set of challenges – spanning inventory management, customer engagement, sales pipeline tracking, workflow optimization, and other processes. The complexity of working with multiple departments is only increased by using disconnected systems, siloed data, and inefficient recording methods that bog down productivity and impede customer service. 
Enter the dealer intelligence platform, an end-to-end solution designed to optimize visibility and enhance management capabilities across dealership departments. As discussed in previous articles introducing dealership intelligence platforms and identifying essential features of this software, “dealer intelligence” is a leap forward in dealership technology, opening the door to a much wider variety of functionalities than most current systems can provide. 
The following features put dealer intelligence platforms in a higher tier from other systems when it comes to utility and added value for a dealership:
  • Integration with other systems (DMS, inventory management, quote management, etc.)
  • Centralized data and workspace
  • Automated tasks and reporting
  • Actionable insights via data analytics
In this article, we’ll explore how a dealer intelligence platform like Anvil Pro can help you overcome operational and management hurdles by connecting data and unlocking new efficiencies across all departments – ultimately benefiting your bottom line through cost savings, while enabling you to scale your operations and win more deals.
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Meet challenges in every department and process head-on

Whether it's sales and marketing, parts and service, used equipment, or accounting, every department of an equipment dealership faces its unique pain points. Unfortunately, many dealerships rely on outdated and disjointed systems that don’t communicate effectively with one another, leading to inefficiencies and gaps in data visibility. A dealer intelligence platform addresses these issues by offering integrations that bring together data and processes under one digital roof. 

What is system integration?

Simply put, system integration involves connecting different software solutions — such as your dealer management system (DMS), inventory management software, quoting systems, and customer communication platforms — into one cohesive ecosystem. Integration enables data-sharing between these systems, raising process efficiency, enhancing communication across departments, and informing decision-making. Read about the power of connected data for dealerships for a deeper dive on why system integration is crucial for visibility and management.

Specific dealership process challenges and solutions 

Now let's address some of the most common operational pain points dealerships face and learn how integrating business systems with a dealer intelligence platform like Anvil Pro can help alleviate these issues.
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1. Cumbersome purchase order and settlement process

Bringing purchase orders to settlement quickly and smoothly is a common challenge dealership teams face. Departments tend to complete each stage independently, which can lead to delays, errors, and a lack of visibility into the lifecycle of each order.
The purchase order and settlement process for equipment dealerships is a multi-stage, multi-department operation involving sales, accounting, service, and often manufacturers. While the process is underway, these various dealership departments need to frequently check each step and document to avoid causing delays. Any additional requests regarding delivery, service, and parts must be accounted for and confirmed, along with financing and warranty paperwork. After the PO has been issued and approved, order fulfillment must be confirmed and invoicing details need to be forwarded to the accounting department. Following delivery and final inspection, accounting and sales teams are involved in requesting and confirming payment and final PO settlement. 
This interdepartmental process requires a high degree of coordination to avoid any delays in settlement, and this can be tricky to pull off efficiently using multiple isolated systems, especially for busy or growing dealerships where all team employees are engaged in other important work.
Major pain points: 
  • Manual entry errors: Relaying purchase order and invoicing details manually often leads to mistakes like typos, misunderstandings, redundancies, or accidental omissions. 
  • Processing and approval delays: Managing purchase orders by hand can significantly slow things down. Each phase, from processing to getting approvals, consumes time and can create operational delays, especially when the next link in the chain isn’t aware of the PO status.
  • Lack of tracking and visibility: Manually tracking purchase orders is like working blind — it’s difficult to stay on top of things, deadlines are missed, and vendor relationships may suffer.
Dealer intelligence solution: A PO, invoicing, and settlement tool like Anvil Pro’s Order to Cash solution helps bring deals to settlement faster by doing the following:
  • Integrating order management with invoicing, payment tracking, and inventory updates in one system. 
  • Eliminating manual data entry and ensuring real-time visibility in the process with a visual Kanban board that presents every stage and current status in the workflow. 
  • Allowing teams to collaborate on tasks simultaneously instead of one person or department at a time, which can create bottlenecks.
  • Shortening the time to settlement with automations that notify the relevant dealership team members about next steps they need to take.
How this enhances your PO process: When a dealership uses a solution like Anvil Pro Order to Cash to manage its purchase order and settlement process, all relevant departments — sales, service, and accounting — can access the same data and view the status and any needed follow-ups on a visual Kanban board. Automations ensure that when a customer places an order, inventory status is automatically updated, and invoices are generated without manual intervention. This seamless and connected process reduces inventory time on lot and carrying costs, minimizes potential errors created by manual reporting, and helps foster collaboration and employee accountability for their roles in the process. 
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2. Inadequate engagement with customers and prospects

Maintaining engagement with customers and prospects is critical to building lasting relationships and driving sales. Without the ability to efficiently communicate and manage all customer data and interactions, dealerships risk falling behind in customer engagement, which can lead to missed sales opportunities and eroded trust, as prospects may feel undervalued or underserved.
The “disconnected” process:
When a sales rep receives an inquiry from a prospect on a stock unit, they may need to search the DMS to see whether the stock unit is available and access an external or internal quoting system to generate a quote for a piece of equipment. Afterward, they must manually update the CRM to reflect the details of the conversation. On top of that, separate inventory management systems need to be updated to ensure the quoted equipment is marked as unavailable, preventing overselling.
This multipart process is further complicated when multiple departments are involved. Without integration between these systems, data can easily fall through the cracks. Sales reps may not have access to real-time inventory data, service departments may be unaware of pending sales, and accounting might not receive invoicing information in a timely manner. The result is a fragmented customer journey that lacks the personalization and responsiveness necessary to foster engagement, as well as a lack of customer visibility, both of which are crucial to dealership success. 
Major pain points: 
  • Lack of real-time communication: Dealerships often struggle to maintain timely communication with both customers and prospects due to reliance on outdated or manual methods, resulting in missed opportunities, lost sales, or dissatisfied prospects.
  • Fragmented customer data: Many dealerships operate across multiple platforms or systems, making it difficult to centralize customer information. This lack of integration makes it hard to keep track of a customer's journey, resulting in disjointed follow-ups or misaligned messaging.
  • Limited personalization: Dealerships that don’t have the tools or insights to tailor their communications may struggle to build strong relationships, nurture leads, foster customer loyalty.
Dealer intelligence solution: A dealer-specific CRM is vital software for any dealership that wants to optimize customer visibility. But by integrating with quote and inventory management systems, an “intelligent” CRM system enables dealers to do the following:
  • Record and quickly access all customer and prospect demographics and interactions (including purchase history, quotes, preferences, and more). 
  • Tie stock units to individual customers and accounts, decreasing errors and ensuring the right equipment is available and on the lot. 
  • Boost communication with customer text messaging and internal collaboration tools, keeping your dealership connected and ahead of the competition.
How this enhances customer engagement and visibility: With Anvil Pro, dealerships gain a 360-degree view of their customers and prospects, leading to more personalized and timely interactions. Sales teams no longer need to manually cross-check customer details across multiple systems or guess whether the equipment is still in stock. Instead, they can instantly access up-to-date customer profiles and inventory statuses, providing accurate information to customers and prospects on the spot. 
Additionally, automation allows departments to collaborate more effectively, whether it’s ensuring a customer’s service request is prioritized or follow-up messages are to specific customers based on preset conditions. By eliminating manual data entry and automating critical touchpoints, dealerships can respond to inquiries faster and better understand the needs of their customers, significantly improving customer satisfaction and driving long-term loyalty.
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3. Inefficient sales and marketing efforts

Failure to put into place a well-structured marketing and sales process can severely hinder a dealership’s growth. Without a streamlined and consistent approach to managing leads, engaging customers, and tracking opportunities, dealerships risk falling behind their competition. 
The “disconnected” process:
Sales and marketing activities can be fragmented with the use of separate systems for lead tracking, communication, and reporting. When a new lead comes in, a rep needs to switch between multiple platforms or spreadsheets to manage the sales cycle. Furthermore, marketing and sales teams may operate independently, using separate software to run campaigns and track responses. This lack of alignment can result in disjointed efforts, where marketing generates leads, but there is no clear handoff to sales, leading to late or missed follow-ups.
A lack of real-time communication between departments means that leads may go cold or fall through the cracks entirely. Additionally, manually tracking interactions via email or phone call can introduce reporting errors, making it difficult for teams to know which leads are progressing through the funnel and which require additional attention. This disconnected process not only delays customer engagement but also hampers dealerships’ ability to accurately measure campaign success, manage leads efficiently, and close deals promptly. 
Major pain points: 
  • Disorganized lead management: Sales teams often struggle to manage incoming leads effectively, often relying on siloed data and independent follow-up methods. With no central system to track each lead’s status, sales reps may lose track of opportunities, allowing potential buyers to slip through the cracks.
  • Delayed follow-ups and customer communication: Keeping up with customer inquiries and setting reminders for follow-ups can be overwhelming. Without using automation, reps rely on manual systems that can lead to missed communications or delayed responses.
  • Fragmented sales and marketing efforts: Many dealerships rely on separate tools for sales tracking, customer management, and marketing campaigns. Without an efficient and visualized sales pipeline, it is difficult to coordinate efforts, which leads to inconsistent messaging and a lack of cohesive strategies to nurture prospects.
Dealer intelligence solution: Solutions like Anvil Pro’s Sales Pipeline and Marketing Request tools provide a cohesive approach to managing leads, tracking customer interactions, and ensuring that each opportunity is handled with care from first contact to close with the following capabilities:
  • Visualize the sales pipeline with a Kanban board that captures, tracks, and displays every pipeline stage, segmented by quotes. 
  • Create and manage targeted campaigns based on real-time customer data, ensuring that prospects receive personalized messaging tailored to their needs and preferences.
  • Review big-picture insights using easy-to-search and sort functions, allowing you to reliably forecast sales numbers by month and quarter.
  • See a comprehensive view of all incoming traffic and opportunities to identify and convert leads into opportunities.
  • Filter views to see deals by individual salesperson, team, region, or the entire dealership.
How this enhances sales and marketing efforts: Anvil Pro revolutionizes sales and marketing by bringing all customer data and sales activities into one centralized location. Instead of using siloed methods and systems to capture and follow up on leads, sales reps can track every lead from the moment of first contact to closing the deal. Automated reminders ensure that follow-ups are timely and consistent, enhancing the likelihood of conversion. Whether it’s tailoring a sales pitch based on a customer’s previous purchase history or sending targeted marketing emails with relevant offers, this level of personalization strengthens customer engagement and builds trust.
Additionally, with a visualized board showing where a deal is in the pipeline, sales reps and managers can take proactive measures to engage their prospect or complete the needed actions to close a deal. When used alongside the Sales Targets solution, sales and marketing departments are fully equipped with the tools to set sales objectives, motivate sales reps, and gain actionable insights to revise strategies and enhance the effectiveness of campaigns, ensuring that marketing efforts are aligned with current sales activities.
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4. Low inventory turn and visibility issues

Maintaining optimal inventory levels is crucial for a dealership’s success. Inefficient or disconnected inventory management can result in significant problems such as overstocking, stockouts, increased time on lot, and delayed customer orders. These inefficiencies not only tie up capital in unused equipment and associated carrying costs but can also lead to lost sales and dissatisfied customers when the right equipment isn't available at the right time. 
The “disconnected” process
An isolated inventory management system creates problematic gaps in communication and visibility. For example, when a sales rep checks the availability of a stock unit, they will switch between at least two systems (including an inventory management system, DMS, and CRM system) to gather information and update the database. When these systems don’t share information with one another, inventory levels may not reflect recent sales or service orders, leading reps to quote unavailable units or miss opportunities to upsell.
A lack of integration across departments further hinders dealers when it comes to restocking and forecasting demand into the future. Service teams may be unaware of parts shortages, and UEMs may not have an accurate picture of inventory valuation. A disconnected inventory process creates delays, errors, and inefficiencies that can slow down turn rate and annoy customers.
Major pain points
  • Overstocking or understocking: Without real-time inventory updates, dealerships may overstock equipment or parts that aren’t in high demand, or understock critical equipment, which can lead to missed sales opportunities and longer customer wait times.
  • Manual tracking of stock: Many dealerships still rely on spreadsheets or manual methods to manage inventory. This process is time-consuming, prone to human error, and lacks the efficiency needed to keep up with modern customer expectations.
  • Inefficient forecasting and ordering: Without visibility into sales trends and demand forecasts, dealerships may struggle to order the right stock at the right time. This can lead to delays in fulfilling customer orders or excess inventory sitting idle on the lot.
Dealer intelligence solution: Anvil Pro Inventory Manager helps overcome these challenges by centralizing all your inventory data from external and internal systems into one platform, maximizing visibility across departments. Whether it’s tracking equipment in stock, managing sold units, or forecasting upcoming service needs, Anvil Pro ensures that the right information is accessible to the right people, at the right time:
  • Instantly view a customer’s purchase history, current equipment, and service history.
  • Use automated inventory searches to run background checks for inventory and sends notifications when matching inventory is found
  • Get real-time updates on available units, those undergoing service, and any pending customer orders. Avoid over-ordering or running out of popular inventory so you can improve turnaround times for customer orders.
  • Share and collaborate with the team right on the inventory record.
How this enhances inventory management: Anvil Pro improves inventory tracking while driving operational efficiency by connecting inventory data to sales and service systems, enabling dealerships to streamline their processes and improve visibility, empowering informed decision-making. With real-time updates on equipment availability, sales teams can ensure which units are available, which are in service, and which have been sold so they can provide accurate quotes and avoid selling units out of stock. 
Eliminate manual data entry with automations for stock tracking and reordering. Dealerships can set up automatic alerts for low stock levels, ensuring that equipment is reordered before they run out. By understanding which equipment is selling fast and which parts are frequently required for service, dealerships can adjust their inventory levels to meet customer demand more effectively. With inventory data centralized and accessible to all relevant teams, sales, service, and accounting teams can collaborate, ensuring alignment on inventory levels and customer needs. This connected approach smoothens the process from quote to order fulfillment.

Get the most out of all your dealership systems with Anvil Pro’s dealer intelligence platform

By integrating all your dealership’s critical systems into a single platform, you can enhance efficiency, improve data visibility, and provide a better experience for both employees and customers. The Anvil Pro dealer intelligence platform offers the integrated, centralized solution your team needs to overcome operational challenges and achieve long-term growth. Use our software ROI calculator to estimate the potential savings and return on investment of using a dealer intelligence platform at your dealership.
Discover the full range of solutions offered by Anvil Pro today by booking a demo and take the first step toward building a fully connected operation. 

Ready to see how Anvil Pro can transform your dealership? Book a demo today.

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