Newsletter Intro & Welcome

Welcome to the inaugural Auto-IT newsletter, Dealer Edge, created to give you an edge in your industry. Dealer Edge represents further alignment with our strategy to communicate more frequently and transparently with our clients.

The video above (and its transcript below) follows on from my July MD video update (you’ll find a link at the end of this article). Feel free to watch the short video above or read the adaptation below.

In this edition, you’ll see updates on recent feature releases for PMDS, UNITS, and EQUIP. I’m excited about the new features we’ve completed; they’ve gone through pilot and are now in general release. We’ve also included feedback from our pilot sites on our recent product releases that I think you’ll enjoy.

There’s also an update on our training webinars, which have received outstanding feedback. They’re well worth your management team and staff reviewing. Please ensure your staff and management team receive those monthly training emails and take full advantage of them.

We also share insights on how to best leverage your data, explore best practices, introduce some of our staff, and have included a great article on marketing in the industry.

Our Transformation is Underway

We’re about seven months into an 18-month transformation project that’s already delivering significant improvements across the business. We’ve restructured the Support Department, increasing both capacity and capability. Metrics are already showing strong results, with time to first response improving by 37%, and closure rates (ie. length of time to close) almost 50% better. That means you should be receiving faster responses to your tickets.

Structural changes take time to settle, but improvements are clear. Our free monthly online training webinars have been a huge success, with over 3,500 registrations this year.

 

Products get a Boost

We’ve also been advancing our product features. We’ve just released a major PMDS feature update that includes three key enhancements: the Stock Assist app, Kaizen Service Quoting, and Finance & Insurance Introductions. These have completed pilot and are now in general release.

For UNITS and EQUIP, we’ve completed a pilot of Enable AP Workflow — a major enhancement to the accounts payable process. It’s saving significant time at pilot sites and streamlines Accounts Payable management like nothing else.

Looking at the short-term roadmap for UNITS and EQUIP, the new Service Feature Release is imminent and about to enter pilot. It delivers substantial new functionality based on customer feedback, including from our recent User Groups. Following that, we’re upgrading CRM functionality — particularly around lead management, data access, and improved communication between dealership staff and their clients.

For PMDS, Enable AP Workflow will be integrated, and CRM enhancements are also planned. There’s a lot of exciting development underway across all products.

 

Investing in the Future

We’ve reinvested heavily into the business — bringing in senior executives with international experience, investing in our staff, adopting best practices, and preparing to introduce products from the Constellation Group. We’re implementing a new support desk system that will improve client service using AI technology. We’re also upgrading our development, account management, and administration tools.

After spending time recently in Canada alongside 250 other Constellation-owned software companies—including nine DMS providers—I’m confident in the benefits these changes will deliver.

One measure of success is our internal staff survey. In the recent Auto-IT annual staff survey, all our metrics improved — notably, company outlook rose by 23%, along with higher staff engagement. This confirms we’re moving in the right direction.

As you can see, there’s a lot happening at Auto-IT, with plenty of positive change, and lots to look forward to. We’re already seeing the results of our efforts and feel very optimistic about the future!

You may have heard that I broke my hand. I’m learning that at my age, trying something new can sometimes get you injured. Fortunately, it’s only a six to eight-week recovery process before I’m back to full strength.

Thanks for your time, and please enjoy our inaugural Dealer Edge newsletter!

Aaran Newman | Managing Director