Arbor Age

www.greenmediaonline.com Green Media / August 2014 13 One of the biggest things we've been working on is an open-source program called merX that will allow dealers and vendors to send data electronically. Dealers spend a lot of their time placing orders, trying to update rebate information, and provide sales data to their vendors. merX eliminates that wasted time for dealers and also eliminates the considerable investment vendors face when creating their own electronic interface. There's a host of benefi ts to using merX for dealers, including the ability to send purchase orders electronically with a single click, obtain rebate and holdback information for major units, send sales and warranty registration data to their vendors, as well as receive real-time inventory levels from their suppliers. Because merX is open-source, it's free for anyone in the industry to use (vendors, business management software providers, and dealers), and we're ready and willing to help anyone who's ready to adopt it. We're in talks with several large OEMs about implementing merX, which is very exciting. It's a big step forward for the whole OPE industry! 2) What are the latest trends and technological ad- vances when it comes to business management software systems for the OPE industry? Joy McClanahan: Truthfully, I think the software industry isn't bringing technological advances to the OPE industry as fast as they have in other industries, like powersports. There's some necessity to that: OPE dealers can be more conservative about adopting new technology. They want to know that what they're buying (and selling) has a tangible benefi t — that it's not just a fl ash-in-the-pan that will be outdated in a few months. However, dealers also rely on the expertise of their software providers to show them the optimal way to manage their businesses. OPE dealers are great at running their dealerships. They know what to stock, how to treat their customers, and how to properly service equipment. But dealers that are looking for guidance on best business practices need their software company to be innovative and dynamic, and to understand the specifi c needs of their industry. When software providers partner with their dealer base, that's when we can make real progress, because it's organic growth — innovation driven by the industry itself. We are seeing some technological advancements in the in- troduction of apps, where dealerships can access pieces of their business management software via specialized apps on their smartphone or tablet. These are especially useful for dealer- ships that provide mobile service work. In addition, as dealer- ships grow, they can utilize mobile devices to add additional terminals without having to add extra counter space. This can reduce wait time for customers by enabling employees to cash out an invoice from anywhere or create a repair order right by the customer's unit. There are some dealers out there who are really seeing some substantial growth, but not really ready to do a large-scale renovation, and I think this is a great way to get additional mileage and revenue out of your existing space without a large investment. Software providers could go even further by being fully web-based, which would allow dealerships to access their entire software package from any- where (rather than just a small portion), but there defi nitely isn't widespread adoption of this technology yet. As dealerships focus more on improving customer service and experiences for their client base, I think we'll continue to see business management software providers focus even more on integrating mobile technology. Customers are conditioned now to expect quick, effi cient service, and mobile apps and web-based business systems give dealers the ability to deliver and meet those expectations. 3) Why should OPE dealers invest in a business management software system, and what should be their key considerations when shopping for one? Joy McClanahan: Without a BMS (business management system) in place, the dealership employee may not know what to charge the customer and the dealership may lose money on the sale because they can't keep up with the constant cost updates from their vendors. They can't fi nd service history on a customer's unit when they need it, or keep up with special orders. It takes a lot more effort to stay organized and on top of things when you're trying to keep track via pen and paper or even spreadsheets. With a good BMS, once you're through with the initial setup, many of these issues can be eliminated, and employees save time. When you eliminate the hurdles an employee en- counters in their efforts to do their job, the happier and more productive they'll be. Plus, the faster an employee can get a customer's invoice completed and out the door, the better the customer's experience will be — and that customer will be more likely to not only return, but also tell others about their great experience with that dealership. When shopping for a business management software system, dealers need to consider several things. One, what specifi cally do you need the system to handle? You need to understand what the software you're considering is capable of. If you have an e-commerce site, you need to know whether that BMS provider understands the needs of your business, and if the software can easily import your orders and handle your shipping processes. If your dealership does rentals, you need to ask whether the software provider already has the ability to handle rental units and invoices. It's crucial to make sure the BMS you choose is equipped to handle your business. If it isn't, it's not a good investment. You also have to consider whether you're truly ready for a change before you take the plunge. Are your employees on board? Is the entire dealership equipped with the hardware it needs (computers, scanners, etc.) to properly implement the new system? Are you truly able to commit to undergoing the proper training you'll need to incorporate the software? If you purchase a system and never use it, or never learn to use many of the features, you're just throwing your money away. One of the biggest considerations is whether to go with a locally-hosted or a "Cloud-hosted" system. Many OPE dealers are used to locally-based servers, where they are responsible

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