Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/264625
www.BoatingIndustry.com www.BoatingIndustry.com 42 | Boating Industry | March 2014 MARKET FOCUS SECTION { DMS } BY TOM KAISER W ith all of the in-house data that needs to be converted, switching dealer manage- ment system (DMS) providers is often a major undertaking that isn't considered lightly. Even considering the high barriers to changing providers — one-time setup fees, staff training and data conversion — DMS is so critical to the functioning of most dealerships that it's worth consider- ing what's available. While you've been busy working on your existing system, DMS providers have seriously upped their game by re- leasing the most advanced, full-featured versions of software the marine industry has ever seen. Depending on whom you choose, latest-generation features include bright, colorful touchscreen capabilities, inte- grated customer relation management (CRM) functionality, onboard advertis- ing modules, seamless software updates, automated customer reminders to pick up their boats and, the buzzword of the decade, full mobile capability to untether dealership employees from their desks, desktops and laptops. The message from the DMS industry to marine dealers is unanimous: if you aren't taking advantage of the current crop of advanced dealership software, you and your business may be left in the Stone Age, or at least those shadowy years of the early 2000s. IDS CHANGING THE GUARD While IDS is not as high-visibility as some of its competitors in the marine market, the company estimates about 300 marine retailers and approximately 40 percent of the Boating Industry Top 20 dealers use its products, in line with its focus on servicing medium- to large-scale businesses. IDS is looking forward to its next 25 years in the industry with optimistic eyes now that the industry is solidly in rebound mode. "We're in an upward portion of the cycle, which is excellent - our dealer constituents had a very solid year in '13 and are planning for a good year in '14," said Sean Raynor, general manager at IDS. Similar to its own evolution, Raynor sees more family businesses facing internal succession, with younger leaders focused on using technology to move their opera- tions forward. "You've got a changing of the guard at the ownership level where it's being handed down from the first generation to the second generation, and with that you have a higher propensity to utilize tools and software and productivity things that are going to move the business," he said. "These younger peo- ple that we're encountering in the market- place are really driven to make a difference using technology in order to satisfy the needs of the customer." Astra G2 is the company's marine- and RV-focused dealer management package that, Raynor said, has recently come to an advanced state of maturity after four years spent rewriting the entire suite of soft- ware. Some of the primary advantages of the updated version include an integrated CRM tool and expanded mobile capabili- ties that help the company maintain its focus on providing as much automation as possible for dealers. "I would say we have some of the most automated software in the marketplace today," he said. "When you sell a boat, the system is capable of actually automating a litany of processes around that boat pur- chased by the retail customer … it tells the customer the day before they need to pick it up … [and] automates a lot of processes within the business based on the events around boat purchases and boat sales." While acknowledging that many of the top-tier DMS providers have improved their Marine tech pushes forward DMS providers advance technology, plan for growth P42x44-BI14MAR-MF-DMS.indd 42 2/7/14 10:46 AM