The customer before the vehicle
The DMS holds the vehicle file, the CRM holds the customer’s: their enquiries, their test drives, their follow-ups. The two read each other rather than copying each other.
01 — STRATEGIC CONTEXT
One vehicle file, from arrival in stock to the invoice
A dealership runs several trades under one roof: selling new and used vehicles, taking trade-ins, the workshop, the parts counter, invoicing. Each has its own tool, and the DMS is meant to be the one that holds them together.
In practice, stock often lives apart. A vehicle that has been sold still shows as available on another channel, a trade-in is keyed from one screen to the next, and the invoice does not always find the order it belongs to. Teams make up the difference by hand, and the gap shows at month end.
The point is not to add one more tool. It is to give the vehicle a single file, from the moment it enters stock through to its invoice, that sales, the workshop and sales administration connect to rather than each keeping their own copy.
Our solution: a DMS connected to the rest. The CRM reads the customer history from it, the configurator pushes the order into it, the workshop attaches its jobs to it, and the network portal sees the real stock.
This solution belongs to the Business Operations & ERP family.
02 — VALUE LEVERS
Challenges holding back your performance
The Transformation Opportunity:
Stock, orders, trade-ins and invoicing live in separate tools. A vehicle that has been sold still shows as available elsewhere, a trade-in is keyed in twice, and the invoice does not always find its order. The gap gets closed by hand, at month end.
03 — THE APPROACH
Our Technical Approach
The DMS holds the vehicle record: identification, specification, condition, location, price, and the status that says whether it is available, reserved, sold or delivered. That status is unique and it governs every channel, the website as much as the showroom.
Around that record sit three chains. The order, which turns an approved configuration into a commitment, with its options and its schedule. The trade-in, which brings a used vehicle into stock with its valuation and its history. Invoicing, which produces the document from the order and from what was actually delivered.
Permissions are set by role: the salesperson sees their own pipeline, the manager sees their site, management sees the network. Every stock movement leaves a dated trace, so it is possible to reconstruct after the fact why a vehicle changed status.
Record and stock
One file per vehicle, new or used, with its condition, location, price and a single status for every channel
Orders and trade-ins
The approved configuration becomes an order; the trade-in brings the used vehicle into stock with its valuation and history
Invoicing
The invoice is built on the order and on what was delivered, then goes through to accounting
04 — ARCHITECTURE & TECH
Technical Architecture
Enter once, let the rules schedule, read a single view: this foundation is shared across the family — you will find it in Property Management Systems (PMS) and in Order Management System (OMS).
- Record and stockOne file per vehicle, new or used, with its condition, location, price and a single status for every channel
- Orders and trade-insThe approved configuration becomes an order; the trade-in brings the used vehicle into stock with its valuation and history
- InvoicingThe invoice is built on the order and on what was delivered, then goes through to accounting
Automotive CRM and lead management
From configuration to order
The configurator builds the vehicle and works out the price; the DMS receives the approved configuration and turns it into an order, with its options and its schedule.
What became of the vehicle
Workshop jobs attach to the vehicle file. A used car goes back on sale with its service history instead of a blank page.
The slot and the resource
Appointment booking writes into the workshop schedule and reserves the demonstrator. The DMS knows it is unavailable for that time.
Stock seen from above
The network portal reads real stock, site by site, rather than a copy sent the day before. Orders to the manufacturer start from the same state.
05 — DEPLOYMENT METHODOLOGY
Smooth and frictionless integration
The DMS does not replace your sales tools, it is the source they read from. The CRM reads stock and customer history from it, appointment booking writes into the workshop schedule, the configurator pushes the approved configuration into the order, and the network portal reads real stock rather than a copy.
Trade-ins travel both ways: valuing a used vehicle brings it into stock with its file, and it leaves again for sale with its service history once the workshop is connected.
Deployment follows what exists rather than the other way round. We start with the vehicle record and stock, then connect orders, trade-ins and invoicing as the teams begin to use them.
01
Vehicle record
Inventory of what exists, migration of new and used stock, and definition of the statuses that govern every channel.
02
Orders and trade-ins
Bringing the order and trade-in chains into service, with options, schedules and the entry of used vehicles into stock.
03
Invoicing
Attaching the invoice to the order and to what was delivered, then connecting through to your accounting in the format it expects.
04
Connections
Connecting the CRM, the workshop, appointment booking, the configurator and the network portal. Connecting to other software is done if you wish.
06 — KEY BENEFITS
Measurable results for your organisation
- One vehicle status : The same state on the website, in the showroom and across the network
- Orders and trade-ins followed : From approved configuration to delivery, without re-keying
- Invoicing attached : Every invoice finds its order and what was actually delivered
07 — FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Clarifying your decision-making
We already have a DMS imposed by the manufacturer. Can you work with it?
Yes, when it exposes its data. The work then covers what is missing around it: trade-ins, used vehicles, invoicing or the link with the website. When it exposes nothing, we say so before committing to anything.
Our used stock is kept on a spreadsheet, with photographs in a shared folder. What happens to it?
If you wish, we take that spreadsheet over, incomplete rows included. Anything that cannot be attached to a vehicle stays viewable separately rather than being discarded, and the photographs follow the vehicle file.
Who decides that a vehicle is no longer available?
The status is held in one place, and every change is dated and attributed. A vehicle reserved in the showroom disappears from the online channels without anyone having to think about it.
Does the DMS invoicing replace our accounting?
No. The DMS produces the invoice and attaches it to the order; it then goes through to your accounting in the format it expects. We do not offer to replace the accounting tool.