CRM, ILM, Chat, Desking, Emails, Phone, SMS

# Summary Automotive dealers discuss the concept of integrating social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) directly into CRM systems to unify customer communication and relationship management. Key proposed features include tracking social interactions within CRM records, monitoring brand mentions, posting dealer promotions to social channels, and sending personalized messages via customers' preferred social platforms rather than traditional mail. The thread reveals strong enthusiasm for the idea among dealers, with the main debate centering on which features should prioritize customer privacy (like automatically finding customer social profiles being rejected) versus practical business benefits (like consolidated communication history and reputation monitoring being embraced).

# Summary Dealers discuss methods to prevent "skating" (salespeople poaching leads assigned to others) through CRM systems and dealership policies. The consensus emphasizes that technology alone cannot solve skating—success requires ironclad corporate policies with clear consequences (termination, pay docks, etc.) combined with strict CRM logging requirements and manager enforcement. A secondary debate emerges challenging the relevance of skating between internet and floor departments, with some arguing that organizational structure should evolve to train all salespeople to handle all lead sources rather than maintain departmental silos.

An automotive professional seeks guidance on becoming manufacturer-certified with GM, specifically asking where to start with GM One Source and requirements for certified ILM and CRM systems. The post indicates a business shift from independent and RV dealerships toward GM-certified dealership operations, requiring compliance with manufacturer technology standards.

# Summary The thread debates whether manufacturers should lower CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) expectations for dealerships operating with reduced staffing due to economic pressures. While John Scott argues that fewer employees inevitably impact service delivery metrics that require manpower (like detailing turnaround times), Jerry Thibeau and others counter that dealerships should optimize processes rather than lower standards, ultimately pointing out that John himself maintains a 10 CSI rating, undermining his premise that staffing cuts necessitate lower expectations.

# Summary A dealer asks about implementing touch-screen kiosks to streamline CRM customer logins, and the community advises that specialized kiosks are unnecessary and overpriced. The key insight is that a standard PC with an optical scanner (which auto-populates customer data from driver's licenses) is far more effective and affordable than touch screens, allowing customer entry in 15 seconds while avoiding the typing difficulties of touch interfaces. Multiple dealers confirm this simpler approach works well for their operations.

# Summary The thread addresses a critical operational problem: dealerships invest heavily in marketing to drive phone calls but fail to answer them promptly, frustrating customers and costing significant revenue—potentially up to $150,000 annually in lost service appointments. The post highlights the disconnect between expensive customer acquisition efforts and poor call handling execution, questioning how many profitable opportunities dealerships miss daily by leaving callers on hold or unanswered.

Dealers discuss their early impressions of iMagic's new chat feature, which is set to launch the first week of February at $299/month plus $499 startup. The consensus is highly positive, with users praising its seamless CRM integration, features like co-browsing and agent transfers, and automatic chat history logging directly into customer records. The key takeaway is that while the chat tool itself isn't proprietary, iMagic's integration of it into their CRM platform makes it a valuable addition to their existing software.

# Summary A Honda internet manager raises concerns about competitors using deceptive price quote disclaimers that hide true costs, and asks how to handle this ethically. The consensus from experienced dealers is to avoid matching these tactics and instead compete on transparency—including all fees upfront, clearly stating what's included (freight, destination, incentives), and using honesty as a differentiator that builds long-term customer trust. One suggestion emerges to create educational content showing customers how to spot competitor games and compare quotes accurately.

# Summary The thread addresses a widespread dealership problem: salespeople and managers often dismiss follow-up with unsold prospects, believing they've already identified who can and cannot buy. The original post challenges this assumption by highlighting that management frequently underestimates how many lost sales opportunities exist due to poor follow-up practices, and begins exploring the common reasons salespeople use to justify not contacting prospects again.

A Toyota dealership seeks recommendations on essential CRM/ILM features to evaluate at NADA, explicitly requesting feature lists rather than product endorsements. Community members provide practical must-haves including DMS integration, mobile accessibility, inventory integration with full details, internet lead functionality, showroom traffic tracking, desking integration, and ease of use for salespeople. The thread demonstrates that successful CRM selection requires evaluating technical integrations and user adoption features rather than relying on vendor recommendations.

# Summary The thread addresses how to properly route and track phone inquiries generated by a dealership's website when there's no dedicated BDC and only an Internet Manager at each location. Key recommendations include implementing a phone bank system open to all certified sales staff (rather than funneling calls exclusively to the internet team), using tracking numbers to identify website-sourced calls, and establishing call quality standards—with the central insight that while internet teams drive web traffic, routing all calls to a single person creates availability issues, so the best approach involves making phone-up duty a privilege earned through demonstrated competence in call handling.

# Summary Jerry Thibeau solicited feedback on Facebook guidelines for his dealership training manual, proposing that individual salespeople create separate professional Facebook accounts to build customer relationships, with the dealership retaining password control to prevent customer poaching when staff leave. The discussion revealed divided opinions: some supported personal salesperson accounts as more effective for relationship-building, while others advocated for dealership-level Fan Pages instead, and IT concerns were raised about security risks from Facebook usage in business environments. The thread ultimately highlighted the tension between leveraging Facebook's relationship-building potential at the individual salesperson level versus maintaining institutional control and security protocols.

# Summary Automotive dealership professionals debate the merits of web-based versus locally hosted CRM systems, with web-based solutions emerging as the clear industry preference due to superior features, easier integration with third-party vendors, and automatic updates. Key concerns about web-based systems—internet dependency, security vulnerabilities, and lack of transparency about hosting infrastructure—are addressed by vendors highlighting redundancy investments and high security standards, though some traditionalists still prefer local hosting for speed and control. The consensus indicates that web-based CRMs represent the industry's future, despite locally hosted solutions offering certain advantages for dealership autonomy.

# Summary A dealer using iMagicLab CRM asks how to properly track ROI when their dealer website has multiple form submission types (ePricer, credit applications, trade-ins, etc.) that fragment their sales data across different lead sources. Alex Snyder provides two solutions: either consolidate all website leads under one source name (simpler but loses granularity), or allocate the monthly website cost proportionally across each form type in iMagicLab's lead provider settings. The consensus recommendation is the cost-allocation approach, with experienced dealers noting they supplement CRM reporting with their website platform's backend analytics tools (like Dealer.com's Form Submissions and Interactive reports) to maintain data integrity across their dealerships.

A small used car dealer seeking a CRM in the $200-400/month range receives realistic feedback that true CRM solutions typically start around $800-1500/month minimum, with additional setup fees, while entry-level products at their budget would be limited to ILM (Internet Lead Management) tools only. Recommended solutions mentioned include AVV Webcontrol as a budget option, along with iMagicLab and Dealer Socket, though multiple experienced dealers emphasize that investing in a quality CRM is worthwhile since switching systems later is costly and disruptive. The consensus is that dealers should prioritize long-term capability and ease of use over short-term savings, as a proper CRM becomes essential for managing customer relationships across sales and service.

A Romanian dealer seeks an open-source ILM (Internet Lead Management) solution for a single dealership before expanding to five locations. The responses indicate that turn-key open-source ILM platforms don't exist for dealers, and U.S. franchise requirements for certified ILMs make implementation expensive and require frequent recertification, suggesting paid solutions may be necessary despite higher costs.

# Summary GM dealers are frustrated with GM 1Source's strict response-time requirements, which start a clock on incoming leads 24/7 regardless of business hours, forcing dealers to respond within tight windows or suffer penalties. The thread explores various workarounds—including staffing overnight shifts, using smartphones to send personalized emails, and hiring overseas companies to send template-based responses—but reveals that only personalized emails (not auto-responders) officially stop the clock. The key insight is that dealers feel GM's expectations are unrealistic and that some competing OEMs like Honda and BMW handle lead response metrics more fairly by partnering with ILM solutions that account for actual dealer business hours.

# Summary This thread discusses strategies for improving internet lead response times, centered on the lead bucket system—assigning new leads to a shared pool rather than pre-assigning them to specific salespeople to incentivize faster responses. Participants debate implementation details, particularly whether management should actively control lead distribution to prevent top performers from hoarding leads and neglecting proper follow-up, versus allowing free-for-all competition among reps. The key insight is that while lead buckets drive faster initial responses through competition, dealerships must actively monitor performance and manage lead distribution to maintain quality follow-up and prevent aggressive reps from cherry-picking easy sales while neglecting harder-to-reach customers.

# Summary A GM dealer seeks advice on accessing the GM One Source Lead Management tool via BlackBerry to respond to leads faster, but encounters timeout errors and browser compatibility issues. Community members suggest switching to the Opera Mini 5 browser as a solution, noting that BlackBerry's built-in browser performs poorly for this application. The thread does not reach a definitive resolution, as the final reply from Brent Palen is cut off mid-sentence.

# Summary Dealers discuss how automotive manufacturers have historically required dealerships to use proprietary ILM (Internet Lead Management) systems to respond to internet leads, though this landscape is shifting. Most major OEMs now allow dealers to use their own CRM/ILM tools or have approved vendor lists, with Hyundai and VW being notable exceptions—though Hyundai offers workarounds like auto-export to third-party systems. The key insight is that manufacturers are gradually recognizing that specialized third-party solutions often outperform factory-built ILM tools in follow-up and sales processes beyond just initial response time.

Automotive professionals discuss strategies to humanize their email communications with customers beyond using profile pictures, including personalized writing styles, staff bio pages, video introductions, and social media presence. The consensus that emerges is that customers respond better to genuine personal touches—whether through conversational tone, transparency about who they're emailing, or detailed staff bios—because it builds trust and comfort in the digital sales relationship. Sales professionals who embrace this personalization and willingness to share authentic information consistently convert more leads than those who maintain a purely transactional approach.

A Chevrolet dealership owner in Ohio seeks guidance on selecting a CRM and ILM platform for his recently hired internet manager and sales team, expressing confusion while evaluating options like VinSolutions, Dealer.com, and iMagicLabs. Community members provide encouragement, recommend specific vendors, and advise him to involve dealership staff in demos, prioritize ease of use, and consider integrated solutions rather than separate tools. The consensus emphasizes that seeking help is a sign of good judgment rather than ignorance, and that staying current with technology is essential for dealership competitiveness.