3 Min ReadSeptember 22, 2023

It’s Time To Raise Your Sales Workflow Standards

It’s Time to Raise Your Sales Workflow Standards.

Dealership sales associates manage thousands of customer leads and close hundreds of vehicle sales every year. To do their job, they lean on a number of applications and digital tools.

According to CDK Global research, the average dealer uses 10+ systems to shepherd a lead through the process to a closed sale (that’s a lot of systems, to say the least).

The ever-expanding number of tools is a chore. It’s time-consuming and often inefficient to log in and out of multiple systems. Manually re-entering customer information also carries the risk of data errors. From the customer viewpoint, the process can seem slow, disjointed and frustrating.

As consumers opt for more digital purchase experiences and the pressure to modernize the sales process continues to impact the industry, dealers need an integrated CRM to raise workflow standards and ensure consistent customer engagements and high satisfaction.

Central Hub of Customer Interactions

According to the latest CDK Global Friction Points study, a top business strategy for 77% of dealers is improving the customer experience. However, creating great experiences is difficult when staff must juggle multiple systems within the sales workflow.

It’s no surprise that leads fall through the cracks, important follow-up messages are never sent, and customer work done online doesn’t filter down to the showroom floor.

Better customer experiences flow from consistent customer engagement. A best practice is to have a CRM that serves as the central hub for all customer interactions and that’s integrated across the dealership.

A CRM that isn’t fully integrated with other tools is significantly limited. The more integrations your team can access, the more powerful the CRM and the more streamlined the workflow. These integrations often also mean ease of use and competitive advantages.

Customer Retention Winner

Retaining customers is more difficult without a central hub of customer data. It’s virtually impossible to send out the timely and personal messages that draw customers back to your dealership without automated reminders, email templates and real-time shopping data.

According to CDK Business Intelligence, dealerships that use an integrated CRM see a lift in customer retention. A CRM helps to customize follow-up processes to buyers’ needs and wants for a much better chance of keeping them happy. Integrations also help employees track every interaction, tie information back to the customer record, and give visibility into team performance.

Customer Data All-Star

One of the most valuable assets for any dealership is its customer data and leveraging it the right way is imperative. When used correctly, data can be the backbone of personalized, engaging and timely customer communications and marketing campaigns.

Data and effective CRM customer notes also keep staff on the same page. For example, CDK Business Intelligence reveals that 52% of the time a CRM is used to bridge the gap between sales associates in a dealership. In this way, any person who views a contact has the same level of knowledge about a customer as the salesperson. This ensures continuity of a relationship no matter who’s reaching out to the customer.

As pressure to modernize the sales experience continues to impact the industry, raising sales workflow standards with the CRM and customer engagement streamlines the process and improves the customer experience. Bringing all the pieces together modernizes the customer journey for better engagement, increased efficiency and more profit.

Share This

Amber Good
By Amber Good
Lead Product Marketer, CRM

Amber is responsible for the implementation and go-to-market strategies for current and new CRM offerings for CDK Global. With over 17 years of experience in the automotive industry, she’s excited to highlight dealership needs and support them with innovative solutions.  

Recent Insights

C D K Research Uncovers the Truth About E V Ownership in 2025.

CDK Research Uncovers the Truth About EV Ownership in 2025

Electric vehicles have been a hot topic in the industry for nearly a decade. Today, the end of EV incentives...
2 Min ReadAug 7CDK Global
Four Requirements for Modern Dealer Appraisal Software in 2025.

4 Requirements for Modern Dealer Appraisal Software in 2025

Appraisals are an essential step in dealership processes. Even in today’s market where many dealers are offering top dollar for...
4 Min ReadAug 5CDK Global
Car Buying Process Rebounds in July

Car-Buying Process Rebounds in July

June saw the biggest drop and lowest score in the history of our Ease of Purchase scorecard. Luckily, there was...
3 Min ReadAug 4David Thomas
Three Ways Dealers Use Automotive Inventory Management Software.

3 Ways Dealers Use Automotive Inventory Management Software

Not too long ago, CDK conducted an informal survey of dealerships to see what inventory concerns plague them most. Some...
4 Min ReadJul 30CDK Global
How COVID 19 Strategies Can Help Dealers Pivot in 2025.

How COVID-19 Strategies Can Help Dealers Pivot in 2025

If the word of the year in 2020 was unprecedented, the word of 2025 may very well be tariff. Tariffs...
3 Min ReadJul 28CDK Global
The Evolving Role of the E V Salesperson in 2025.

The Evolving Role of the EV Salesperson in 2025

According to CDK data, vehicle satisfaction declined as electric vehicle buyers shifted from innovators and early adopters to the early...
4 Min ReadJul 23CDK Global
How Generations Like to Buy Electric Vehicles. Online versus In Person.

How Generations Like To Buy EVs: Online vs. In Person

Today, the automotive retail landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, with vehicle technology, consumer preference and politics playing crucial...
3 Min ReadJul 17CDK Global
Dealerships Should Always Approach Electric Vehicle Sales Differently.

Dealerships Should Always Approach EV Sales Differently

Today, there may be an elevated interest in electric vehicles as incentives are set to expire on Oct. 1. But...
4 Min ReadJul 14CDK Global
The Race Is On for Used electric vehicles.

The Race Is On for Used EVs

New federal tax guidelines in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminate both the new and used electric vehicle tax...
3 Min ReadJul 10CDK Global
Car Shoppers’ Aversion to Sharing Their Info Online.

Car Shoppers’ Aversion to Sharing Their Info Online

While it’s no surprise car buyers want to test-drive a vehicle in person, it’s surprising how few are willing to...
3 Min ReadJul 8CDK Global