Dealer by Design - A blog for the Automotive Industry & Software

How to start a Dealer by Design Trial: Dealership Step-by-Step Guide

Written by Eric Richards | Feb 10, 2023 12:55:00 PM

Getting started with Dealer by Design is a simple and straightforward process, designed to make the transition to our platform as smooth and efficient as possible. In less than an hour, dealerships can be up and running and enjoying the benefits of our dealership performance software.

STEP 1: Schedule a Kick-Off Meeting

Dealerships can do this by filling out the trial form and receiving an email with a link to book the kick-off meeting. It is recommended to have department heads available for this meeting to ensure a unified understanding of the software from the start. During the kick-off meeting, the dealership will nominate a "DBD Champion" to spearhead deployment and act as the central point of contact for our setup team.


STEP 2
: Create an Account

After the kick-off meeting, the Champion will receive a link to create the dealership's Dealer by Design account. This is a quick and easy process that takes less than 5 minutes. During and after Account creation, the admin will be able to add users to assist with setup.

What you will need: Dealership's name, address, and logo.


STEP 3
: Set Core Tasks & Forms

The core tasks sometimes referred to as static tasks, are present for every scheduled vehicle. Core tasks are sorted by lists, which can be customized, but we recommend by position or department. The core tasks can also have status attached if you wish to have a more advanced coloring system.

In the Forms section, dealerships can review and edit the provided lists such as 'Required Work', 'Finance', and 'Accessories', or create their own. Forms are a powerful tool for capturing data specific to the dealership's process and a form item can have dynamic tasks attached, which are inserted into the specified task lists when the item is selected.

What you will need: Nothing is required here, you can launch with defaults and edit as required.


STEP 4
: Add Lienholders

The last step before launching is to set up the Lienholders by providing their name and address. The lienholder information is something you provide and control so if you make operational changes, these can instantly be reflected in Dealer by Design without support tickets.

What you will need: Lienholder names and addresses


STEP 5
: Add Deliveries and Employees. Launch!

With your Forms, Tasks, and Lienholders all set up, you're ready to add your existing deliveries and other employees. User management is simple and easy with Dealer by Design - just add their name and email and they'll receive a link to set up their own password. The software is intuitive and often requires little to no training, although we offer digital training sessions.

What you will need: Schedule of sold vehicles with add-ons and employee list with emails.


Getting started with Dealer by Design is a simple and straightforward process, designed to make the transition to our platform as smooth and efficient as possible. In just a few simple steps, dealerships can be up and running and enjoying the benefits of our software. We're happy to assist in getting you set up, just book the kickoff meeting on your end.