The Importance of a Digital Backend Process for Automotive Dealerships

Digital retail automotive innovations of recent years have revolutionized the way people shop for cars. From online vehicle browsing and research to virtual test drives and remote vehicle delivery, digital technologies have changed the face of the automotive industry These recent front-end innovations have made a facelift of the backend process of preparing sold vehicles more important than ever. The preparation of a sold vehicle involves many manual processes, such as ensuring the vehicle is in fit condition, has all the required add-ons, transferring ownership, insurance, and necessary paperwork. With the rise of digital retail, the preparation process must be streamlined and efficient to ensure that the customer's vehicle is ready for delivery in a timely manner. This requires a centralized backend system that can automate and manage all the necessary tasks involved in the preparation process. 

A centralized backend system can bring together different departments involved in the preparation process, such as the sales team, finance department, and service department. This can ensure that all tasks are completed efficiently and in a coordinated manner, from the initial inspection of the vehicle to the final delivery to the customer. By digitizing the process, one advantage over traditional methods is the connectivity and accountability that are created. Employees are able to request and receive information at a faster rate with less wasted time using a centralized system like Dealer by Design.

In addition, a centralized backend system can help address some of the challenges that arise from employee turnover and time off. When employees leave, they take with them their knowledge and expertise about the preparation process, making it difficult for new employees to quickly get up to speed and existing employees to keep things going. A centralized system can help mitigate this risk by having an intuitive and simple design, where the tasks and information is captured and communicated consistently. By reducing the friction, it's easier for new employees to learn and follow the established processes.

Another advantage of a centralized backend system is scalability. A centralized system can help automate and manage the preparation process, making it easier to handle a large number of vehicles without sacrificing quality or efficiency. Quite often as volume scales, revenue growth is eaten by the need to hire additional staff to maintain and coordinate the process. Minimize the impact of scale through the use of a digital backend system, like Dealer by Design.

Overall, a centralized backend system is crucial for ensuring the preparation process for sold vehicles is efficient, scalable, and can withstand employee turnover. Without such a system, the preparation process can become a source of daily problems, and the dealership may struggle to keep up with the demands of the digital retail automotive market. By investing in a centralized backend system, dealerships can improve the customer experience, increase efficiency, and stay competitive in the digital age.

With years of experience working to improve the process, and with over 11,000 vehicles delivered we're happy to share some of our experience. Book some time to chat with us, we're happy to answer any questions you have and brainstorm solutions to your problems! Dealer by Design is a dealership performance software enabling you to optimize!