How to Build the Best Car Dealer Software

Regardless of the reason for owning a car, most people who opt to purchase a vehicle want access to information from the selection and purchase of the automobile to the scheduled after-sales service. Thus, special dealer software solutions make sense for both customers and auto dealers. In this article, we will talk about how to create auto dealer software.

Two Basic Types of Car Dealer Applications

There are two types of software for car dealers. One is an internal customer relationship management (CRM) system that is designed to work efficiently with customers and there are also mobile applications that allow customers to perform actions on their phone or tablet from buying a car to placing an emergency call to tow the vehicle for repairs.

Very often the car dealer CRM and mobile application can be integrated, which allows you to build a more effective customer relationship chain by working with the data received from them. By analyzing the services previously ordered and tracking needs, a dealer can figure out when to remind a driver about the need to extend insurance or come in for car maintenance for example, and the car seller can also make assumptions about what other products and services might interest the customer based on his or her interaction within the application.

Let’s take a look at what steps you need to take to create an application for the car dealer center and its customers.

Determine What Problem the Application Will Solve

It doesn’t make sense to create an application simply because your competitors have one. You need to understand a clear need for auto dealer software for the dealers and their customers.

• If the car dealer can no longer manage customer administrative tasks manually, then they need a car dealer CRM.
• If a dealership has done market research and realized that potential customers have difficulty finding and choosing a car from their lot, then it would benefit from car sales software.
• If a car dealer has difficulty organizing finances and accounting records, then auto dealer accounting software can help.
• If you think that customers would like to receive a full range of services from your dealership on the go, then you might need a mobile application.

Let’s take a closer look at the mobile app option. The ability to stay in touch with customers and offer them additional services is a goal for many dealers. Dealers of different sizes need to consider this because small car dealers software can also be useful.

Define the Target Audience and Needs

Most businesses already know their customers and targets. In order to define how the app might work to improve sales or increase revenue, you need to look closer at the clients’ interactions with the dealership to determine a need or several needs. It is actually possible to solve several customer challenges within the framework of one online or mobile solution.

Keep the rules of classic marketing in mind. Before you start developing the application, you need to look at profiles of customers to understand what kind of automation is needed most. This information will also help determine the necessary functions of the software, but we’ll talk more about that later.

Decide on the Platform and Type of Application

After you decide the customer’s needs, it’s time to determine which platform the car dealer software will work on. Here are some options:

• It can be a native application for Android or iOS if most of your clients use these operating systems.
• It could also be a hybrid web application if it’s reasonable in terms of the expectations of the target audience.
• Or you can create a cross-platform application that will work equally well on the web or a mobile device if the users’ preference is split between the web and mobile use.

Also, do not forget about building a business model as well. The right model will help you structure your launch. You will get revenue faster then it has could be if you would not take its advantage.

Features of the Car Dealer Software

Now you can determine the necessary functionality. Basic features include:

• Registration (authorization)
• Customer profile
• Adding or removing cars owned (here you can also add sharing access for family members if there are several cars and drivers in a household)
• Notifications
• Application history
• Repair history
• A list of additional services including test drives, emergency service calls, insurance payment and maybe the purchase of accessories and spare parts
• Contacts, news, events, and promotions
• Blog
• Social media integration

This is a basic list of functions that can be expanded depending on the issues, challenges, and opportunities you hope to address within the application. You can check our projects as examples for your inspiration.

Corporate Identity for Dealers Software

Once the functionality is defined, it’s time to think about the design focus on creating a cool user experience and an intuitive application. It is also necessary to take into account your corporate identity so the use of the application evokes an association with your dealership. Generally, applications for an existing business are created using the same colors, logo, and other company elements that were used to develop the brand.

Decide Which Technologies Will Be Used

At this stage, you need a specialist consultation if you do not have the technical knowledge to go further. After your vendor analyzes your wishes regarding the application, the specifics of the business, and the problems that the application will solve, it is possible to determine the technologies to create the application.

Time and Budget Estimates

A preliminary decision regarding the selected technology allows the vendor to more accurately assess the amount of time and budget needed to develop the car dealer software. We, at Cprime, are able to do this with great accuracy, and we’ll identify the potential difficulties in development and the ways to overcome them.