What to Expect When Implementing Your Dealership Operations Software
11/14/2024So, you’ve decided on a new sales and operations platform to enhance your equipment dealership’s workflows. Now comes the hard part – implementing the platform so you can put your software to work.
When it comes to integrated software such as a dealer intelligence platform, leadership must take a thoughtful approach to implementation that takes into account technical and human-resource factors. From change management to data security, dealerships must navigate a few key aspects to ensure successful implementation and long-term employee adoption. This article outlines the main steps and challenges dealerships need to plan for when introducing integrated software into their operations.
What factors are involved in software implementation?
Implementing new software is a step-by-step process that includes migrating your data and integrating the new software with your existing systems, IT infrastructure, and workflows. Successful implementation also means preparing your teams to adopt new technology for daily use and providing sufficient training and support for them to use it to its full potential.
By anticipating important technical and workplace-culture factors and taking a phased approach, you and your software partner can make the implementation process as seamless and painless as possible for your dealership teams, allowing you to start seeing the productivity and revenue benefits of your new software that much quicker.
Why choosing a dedicated software partner matters
While dealership leaders should be aware of all the factors involved in implementation, they shouldn’t expect to conduct this technical process on their own. Robust customer support is absolutely critical, and you should expect your software provider to take a leading role in the implementation process – from discovery to laying out the conditions and timeline, to onboarding, adoption, and optimization to ensure your dealership successfully adapts to the platform. In other words, you need more than just a software provider – you need a software partner.
So, what does an ideal implementation plan look like? Your software partner should provide dedicated support for this process, while being available when needed to assist with technical guidance, ensuring proper use and understanding of all the ins and outs of your new platform. Here is an overview of the phases and types of implementation support you should expect from your provider.
Again, before purchasing any software or signing a contract, inquire whether your software vendor provides dedicated implementation guidance, as well as a roadmap for complete onboarding and ongoing support.
Factors to consider during the software implementation phases
While your software partner should be leading your implementation process, dealership decision-makers need to understand what to look for and what actions they can take to ensure the process is smooth and successful. Be aware of the following factors, and do further research where needed to stay aware and informed of what to expect from this critical process for your business – and to understand what actions you can take to make a positive difference.
Choosing internal implementation champions
Selecting the right internal champions to lead your implementation effort is essential for a smooth rollout. This means designating one or more internal champions within the dealership to work closely with the software vendor’s implementation lead. These adoption champions will act as liaisons between the vendor and dealership staff, ensuring that the software setup aligns with your dealership’s needs and existing workflows. They will also foster team-wide engagement by relaying feedback, overseeing training, and troubleshooting during the onboarding and early adoption stage.
Tips for choosing implementation leaders:
- Select internal champions who understand the dealership's operations and can clearly communicate the software’s benefits. A good champion will not only facilitate a quicker learning curve but also build trust and enthusiasm within the team, ultimately driving more effective adoption.
- Sales managers can be ideal champions due to their central role in several processes. On the other hand, your champion could also be your IT specialist, as they will understand your existing tech stack and be able to pinpoint any tech- or data-related integration issues. Whether it’s a general manager, sales rep, or even CEO, your champion should be highly engaged and aware of how your dealership operates.
- Consider your internal champion as a bridge between the software vendor and dealership employees, as they will have the most detailed information about the product.
Common challenge: Misaligned expectations and lack of vendor support
When the internal champion and the software vendor differ in their understanding of project goals, it can lead to unmet expectations and frustration. And unless your software vendor provides comprehensive onboarding guidance, you are likely to encounter difficulties getting your software running within a reasonable timeframe.
- Solution: Ensure early alignment between all stakeholders, including internal champions and vendor implementation teams, through a clear project roadmap and defined outcomes. This sets a common understanding and helps prevent miscommunication.
Change management and fostering employee buy-in
Securing or failing to secure team buy-in for new technology can make or break the success of your implementation process. This involves preparing employees for the transition by addressing concerns, setting expectations, and ensuring clear communication about the benefits of the new system for the employees who will be using the platform for their daily work. By fostering buy-in early in the process (even before the implementation stage), dealership leaders can ensure a smoother onboarding process and foster a positive attitude toward the software across the team.
Tips for fostering change management:
- Start by involving key stakeholders early on, gathering feedback, and planning which current workflows you will need to transition into the new system.
- Highlight for your teams how the software will simplify their tasks, make collaboration easier, and enhance customer satisfaction.
- Offer employees ongoing support and training to build confidence in using the software effectively. This also shows employees that management values their success within the new system.
Common challenge: Difficulties getting team members on board with using new software
When a dealership hasn’t sufficiently explained the purpose and benefits of using a new platform for daily workflows, employees can feel hesitant and even resist attempts at adopting the software.
- Solution: Start fostering change management well in advance of starting the implementation process. Explain how the software will benefit them directly in increasing productivity in their workflows and reassure them that they will have sufficient training and time to get used to using the software. Provide any materials and resources that will help them understand the capabilities and details of the new technology.
Data migration, data-clean up, and system integrations
Integrated dealership software works by connecting data from multiple isolated systems (including DMS, quote, and equipment inventory management) into one accessible platform. However, the “integration” phase usually includes migrating current customer, inventory, and sales data to account for all information and ensure the new system doesn’t disrupt daily operations. For dealerships, this means moving data like customer purchase histories and service records to equipment inventory details and pricing information into the new platform, which will act as a central source of truth. Data migration (or “data ingestion”) preserves data integrity, so teams can access reliable, up-to-date information and ensure continuity in customer service and sales.
The process also involves cleaning and organizing existing data, mapping it to the new software’s fields, and testing for accuracy. Because integrated software relies on high-quality data to facilitate analytics insights and customer relationship management, a careful approach to data migration is essential to maximize the software’s potential and support seamless operations across departments.
Tips for preparing to migrate and clean up your data:
- Get a head start on data clean-up by checking for duplicate accounts in your current system. Eliminating redundant data will speed up the process by eliminating errors in your data inputs.
- If your dealership is currently using pen-and-paper methods for recording, move your data to a spreadsheet where it can easily be archived and cross-checked during the data migration stage.
- Request a data clean-up checklist from your software partner so you can be aware of what you can do on your end to make the implementation process seamless.
Common challenge: Poor data quality or mismatches between old and new systems
When your data is incorrect, redundant, or missing in one or more systems, it can make migrating the data to your new system difficult and slow down implementation.
- Solution: Conduct a thorough data audit and cleaning before migration to ensure compatibility and reliability. Consult with your software partner before implementation to get instructions on how you can start organizing your data to ensure a smoother implementation.
Training and support
Effective training and ongoing support are crucial to the adoption of new software. And as we mentioned above, your software provider should include this training in their software offering. This will ensure that employees understand how to use the software’s features, from tracking customer interactions and managing inventory to running sales reports and analyzing performance metrics.
An initial training phase will typically include separate sessions tailored to each department’s specific needs, ensuring that sales, service, and operations teams all grasp how to use the system effectively. Thorough training with a reliable support team empowers dealership teams to use the software to its full potential, leading to better productivity and user satisfaction.
Tips for optimizing your training sessions:
- Invite associated team members to join training sessions with your software partner to foster team learning and speed up adoption.
- Record training sessions to share them with other team members, or use as references when you have questions later.
- Check that your software partner provides onsite training as needed and confirm any additional costs. In-person training can instill hands-on experience and speed up time to adoption.
- Check that your software partner will go beyond initial training and provide ongoing support — whether through help-desk services, technical resources, or in-app guides.
Common challenge: Lack of preparedness among project teams and employees
When your software vendor doesn’t provide comprehensive training or ongoing assistance, it can make it nearly impossible to get your software running within a reasonable timeframe. Choose a software vendor that provides this training, but help fill in any gaps by understanding what you can do to foster preparedness.
- Solution: Involve teams early in planning and provide clear timelines and responsibilities. Allocate sufficient time for training and provide resources to make it easier for employees to adapt to the new software. Direct employee training with your software partner’s implementation specialist can help ease this transition and speed up learning.
Onboarding timeline and progress monitoring
Establishing a structured timeline helps manage expectations, allocate resources, and ensure each phase is coordinated to reduce downtime and unanticipated costs. If your software integrates with multiple systems, a phased approach will be needed to prevent disruptions and allow teams to gradually adapt to the new platform. Although estimated timelines can change due to a number of circumstances, your software partner should provide a timeline for different sub-phases of the onboarding process before you even sign a contract, and they should keep you updated with any changes to this schedule as they occur.
Monitoring your implementation progress and making adjustments as needed will help you stay on track with your timeline and ensure that your new system is being properly integrated and calibrated to your performance expectations, helping you foster a seamless transition.
Tips for keeping your implementation and onboarding timeline on track:
- Look for your software partner to set milestones for data migration and integrations. Monitor the percentage of milestone completion for each relevant solution and feature in the software.
- Check for software configurations that meet your dealership’s specific needs (including standard configurations and dashboard setup).
- Confirm initial training and ongoing support as employees begin using the system. Check user adoption rates periodically to make sure all users understand the functions and features before moving on to the next stage.
Common challenges: Declining productivity during onboarding
Implementation can divert some vital resources from daily workflows, which may temporarily slow down productivity as staff adjust to new processes.
- Solution: Schedule phased rollouts and set realistic productivity expectations to minimize disruption. Monitor your progress with milestones and make a plan to review these weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
Choose a dealership software partner that listens to you
Getting dealership operations, inventory, and customer management processes up and running requires more than just software – it requires a partner who truly understands your business. What sets Anvil Pro apart from the competition is our best-in-class Tractor Zoom Success Team, providing your dealership’s internal champions with dedicated managers who will create a detailed implementation roadmap and provide ongoing training (both online and onsite) to ensure your entire team is equipped to start using the platform as soon as possible.
With solutions for every process, our end-to-end integrated platform centralizes all your business and operations data in one place, enhancing all processes and giving your dealership a single source of truth. Anvil Pro also provides additional configurations tailored to your dealership’s processes down the road as you need them.
Partnering with Tractor Zoom makes the entire process – from discovery and onboarding to employee training and technical support – as seamless and pain-free as possible. Read some of our customer success stories to learn how our core value of “listening to the customer” has been crucial to fostering dealership success and trust.
Book a demo with a member of the Tractor Zoom team today to learn more about how our dealer intelligence platform can boost your operations and provide a real return on investment for your dealership.