In lower than 18 months, Efficiency Ford-Lincoln Bountiful in Utah, close to Salt Lake Metropolis, noticed its used-vehicle gross sales develop to about 200 in most months from a median of 100. The street to that accomplishment cuts straight by means of the service division.
“Used-car managers will let you know they by no means get their automobiles by means of service fast sufficient,” says Denim Simkins, service director at Efficiency Ford-Lincoln Bountiful and Efficiency Ford Truck Nation. “We knew that we would have liked to have 300 used automobiles in stock if we wished to promote 200 per 30 days.”
The previous system of monitoring secondhand autos manually on a spreadsheet had loopholes sufficiently big for an F-450 to drive by means of. In August 2019, Efficiency began utilizing a software program bundle known as Fast Recon that tracks the stream of used autos by means of the shop’s departments.
From the second a car is purchased at public sale or traded in till its tires roll onto the entrance line of the used-car lot, Fast Recon makes use of exactly timed communications to assist division managers preserve autos rolling by means of reconditioning. “It connects all the dealership. All people will get a notification alongside the way in which as to the place the automobile is,” stated Simkins.
He estimates the time it takes for many used autos to get to the entrance line at Efficiency Ford has been reduce in half to roughly three days. “If I absorb a automobile over the weekend, I’ll have it on the road able to promote by Tuesday or Wednesday. That was not the case earlier than,” Simkins stated.
Simkins’ job title is service director, however he is extra like an air site visitors controller, preserving tabs on each used car because it goes by means of the reconditioning course of.
As quickly as the shop closes the deal on a secondhand car, the texts begin flying into the shop’s six “buckets” — buy, service, components, element, picture and, lastly, entrance line, which is the place the photographs for on-line adverts are shot.
All used autos reconditioned at Efficiency get new filters, an oil change, new windshield wiper blades and an inspection that might result in additional repairs.
Fast Recon software program helps pace the journey by means of reconditioning in a number of methods. First, every automobile’s reconditioning equipment of components is delivered to the bays of the shop’s 4 recon techs simply earlier than the car arrives. Not do techs waste time strolling to the components division, the place they must wait for his or her orders to be stuffed.
The software program additionally improves effectivity by serving to handle the reconditioning course of for autos that want further work. Fast Recon’s software program sends texts to Efficiency Ford’s exterior distributors when things like dents should be fastened, a brand new windshield is required or upholstery repairs are essential. Despite the fact that these exterior distributors are usually not Efficiency staff, they’re topic to the identical scrutiny with regards to working shortly.
“There are occasions when a car must go to a different supplier for a guaranty restore or a recall,” Simkins stated. “These automobiles tend to drop off your radar as a result of they’re at one other retailer, and you might be at their mercy. There are autos that fall by means of the cracks whether or not you suppose so or not. Fast Recon doesn’t permit that to occur.”
Efficiency Ford-Lincoln is a part of the Efficiency Automotive Community, a family-owned group that ranked No. 38 on the 2019 Automotive Information listing of the highest 150 dealership teams primarily based within the U.S., with shops in Utah, Ohio and northern Kentucky. It bought 21,786 new autos and 25,704 used autos in 2019.
In fall 2019, Efficiency Ford-Lincoln made it a precedence to extend used-vehicle gross sales. Simkins stated he evaluated a number of software program packages geared toward serving to sellers increase used-car gross sales. He selected Fast Recon after consulting with different Efficiency Automotive shops that have been utilizing the software program.
“The kicker was that it’s actually easy to make use of, they usually have some implementation managers who got here in and established a baseline and what are the perfect practices,” he stated. Jim Leman, Fast Recon’s director of communications, says about 2,400 franchised new-vehicle dealerships use the corporate’s software program and pay a median of $549 a month.
About three months in, Efficiency began notching its first used-vehicle gross sales will increase attributable to Fast Recon. Not lengthy after that COVID-19 hit, and the used-car market grew to become extraordinarily sizzling when new-vehicle inventories started to skinny out. Fast Recon helped Efficiency meet demand for used automobiles as a rising variety of clients shopped on-line for particular autos.
“The times of exhibiting up at a dealership or used-car lot and simply type of wanting round and discovering one thing are over,” Simkins stated. “I believe a majority of consumers are taking a look at particular worth ranges and for particular varieties of autos. Getting automobiles pictured and on-line is what’s promoting automobiles.”