We’ve heard the horror stories about other fleet management software providers: crashing, buggy apps with infrequent updates; days without a response to issues and requests for help; and solutions that involve cheating around software weak spots.
At Dealerware, we know that technology is half the value dealers want from fleet management systems. The other half is confidence that software will work well, can be continually customized as the business grows, and that someone will answer the phone when a problem arises.
With an average 24 minute response time (in an industry that normally measures response time in days), Dealerware delivers that confidence for our customers. Plus, our support team are experts at translating business data into on-the-ground strategies that increase cost recovery, improve critical KPIs like utilization and help Dealerware customers get more out of our platform.
Once you’ve signed up with Dealerware and successfully completed your virtual onboarding with the implementation team, you can count on Dealerware Support to be your partner in success.
Answering calls for help
When something isn’t working, it shouldn’t cost you a day. Dealerware’s support team starts the day early to make sure help is just a phone call away from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time. The team also holds themselves to a one hour response window for any emailed requests received during workday hours, and they typically answer email support questions in about ⅓ that time.
Many of the calls we receive are new users getting used to the product, or even longtime customers looking for a refresher on certain functionality. To help accelerate the re-learning process or path to a solution, Dealerware’s support team built a robust, searchable Support Center that typically has an answer to every question we hear.
You can explore the Dealerware Support Center at support.dealerware.com, and within Dealerware Mobile by clicking “FAQ” from the Settings screen. Along with answers to specific questions like “How do I use Dealerware for pickup and delivery?” or “Is my customer’s information secure?” you can also access training materials, get information about product updates and find links to other helpful Dealerware resources.
Advising on dealership strategy
Dealerware’s support team most often hears from customers looking to tweak and perfect their strategy.
“A lot of our time as support is usually related to us customizing what Dealerware can do for a customer based off of the details they provide about on-the-ground realities at their dealership and their goals,” said Customer Success Account Management Specialist Alexis Cisneros.
She said that at the most basic level, dealerships that experience the most success with Dealerware have very well-defined roles for each employee and their responsibilities within the platform.
“When workflows are really clear-cut, the process of serving a customer becomes almost automatic. Really successful dealerships take the time to delegate duties, and it pays off in better customer experiences that can increase dealerships’ CSI scores,” Cisneros said.
Their experience guiding customers through strategic shifts as they modernize service operations has also equipped the Dealerware support team to respond quickly to unexpected or novel needs. Especially since many customers were forced to slow business during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been an increase in unique requests for advice.
For example, Fox Valley Auto Group in Chicagoland needed their VW stores’ courtesy loaner agreement to cover Buick and GMC vehicles they pulled out of inventory to donate to medical workers at the Lurie Children’s Hospital. Dealerware’s support team helped them add Buick and GMC vehicles to their Dealerware fleet, fit them with Connected Car Devices and ready contracts, all within a half hour, while the cars were en route to the hospital for delivery
Optimizing cost recovery tools
Dealerware can help fixed ops departments slash thousands in fleet costs, and the Dealerware support team is an ally in that fight against unnecessary expenses. The support team regularly helps customers balance fuel recovery settings and address unsettled balances for fuel, tolls and damage. These are some of the most common factors to loss for service departments, and as we work to identify, understand and automate the recovery of lost revenue, many Dealerware customers are surprised by the volume of unrecovered costs affecting their dealership’s bottom line.
With fuel recovery, understanding the human element is key.
“Some dealerships will view fuel cost recovery options as a way to dissuade customers from dropping off a vehicle with an empty tank; they’ll charge $7 a gallon with a $10 convenience fee, thinking customers would really want to avoid that fee,” Cisneros said. “In reality, we live in a world of convenience and people probably want to just drop the car off. They won’t be happy with those costs, but they also don’t want to stop for gas.”
“For a better customer experience, we recommend customers monitor local gas stations and mirror their charges, or add a quarter on top. We also suggest reserving fuel convenience fees for long distance trips, especially newer pickup and delivery offering,” she said.
Another key to success with Dealerware’s cost recovery tools is limiting or eliminating unsettled balances, which the support team understands can be difficult.
In some cases, outdated payment information might prevent a transaction from closing. If service advisors have already finished interacting with the customer, going back to ask for updated payment info can be uncomfortable.
“It’s all about positioning the question,” Cisneros said. “It’s best to close out the contract and charge customers on the spot. If they need to update information, we suggest service advisors say they can’t close the contract without valid payment information. It frames your interaction with the customer in a more collaborative way – you’re working together to close the deal.”
From setup and troubleshooting to strategy and optimization, Dealerware’s support team is more than your average call center, they’re the product experts that help Dealerware customers succeed. On average our customers recover $65 per loaner vehicle each month, increase fleet utilization by 15% and raise CSI scores by 27 points.
If you’re interested in learning more about the flexibility built into Dealerware, visit our support center to browse articles by category or search for answers to specific questions. And if you have any questions, call (855) 777-4785, email [email protected] or submit a request here.
