DealerSocket wraps 7th annual User Summit with release of Blackbird CRM, iDMS and 2016 Independent Dealership Action Report

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This month, more than 1,000 dealers and industry partners gathered at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort and Spa for DealerSocket's 7^th annual User Summit. They watched firsthand as CEO Jonathan Ord pulled back the curtain on Blackbird CRM and iDMS, two new tools rebuilt from the ground up for independent dealers.

"Our new technology will enable dealers and their staff to perform their jobs better and faster, to a level never before seen in our industry," Ord said. "The software is customizable by role, so individual users have immediate access to the functions they use every day via a personalized, intuitive dashboard. On top of that, features like dual-screen functionality, a multi-tasking dock and a highly intelligent search engine make this technology unrivaled among its peers."

The following day, Chief Technology Officer Brad Perry and National Sales Director Peter Ord walked independent dealers through the new technology. Perry began by observing, "These days, it is a complex, complicated and unfriendly experience for a customer to buy a car. That's because there are too many tools, too many vendors and too little integration between them. Starting now, that all changes."

Perry and Peter Ord outlined DealerSocket's vision for:

• A single unified platform for all software at an independent dealership
• A dramatically improved customer experience that integrates digital retailing
• Elimination of overlapping functions between software products
• The commissioning of a data science team to study the countless layers of data gathered from DealerSocket customers, then make operational recommendations to dealers based on their information

They demonstrated the brand-new Blackbird CRM and iDMS, both of which underwent more than 18 months of user experience testing as developers studied exactly how dealers would use the software, reworking the technology accordingly. The result was a user interface so easy to use that it multiplies efficiencies for even the highest-turnover dealership.

Amid the excitement of DealerSocket's product releases, the company also unveiled its 2^nd annual Independent Dealership Action Report. The report combined data from exclusive Google consumer surveys, NIADA, NABD, JD Power, Experian, DealerSocket dealer surveys and the company's own proprietary data. Company executives shared key data points from the report with industry media during a roundtable session, which covered the disparities between dealer perceptions and actual consumer opinions on the process of buying a car.

Throughout the three-day event, attendees enjoyed 30 classes tailored specifically for the independent market. Speakers included:

• Tom Hudson, Founding Partner of Hudson Cook, who debunked the myth that small dealerships can escape the scrutiny of the CFPB
• Ken Shilson, Founder and President of NABD, who shared how buy-here-pay-here dealers can thrive in light of the latest market statistics
• Shaun Petersen, Senior Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs, at NIADA, who reviewed lessons learned from major regulatory developments of the past year

Dealers who could not attend User Summit can view full videos of the general sessions at dealersocket.com/live, as well as download presentations and notes from the breakout sessions. For more information about this year's event, visit http://usersummit.dealersocket.com/ind.

About DealerSocket
DealerSocket is a leading automotive technology platform that helps dealerships in the United States, Canada, and Australia improve profitability through a fully integrated suite of marketing, sales, service, customer experience, DMS, websites, data mining, and inventory management solutions. Headquartered in San Clemente, Calif., DealerSocket employs more than 1,000 people, and serves more than 10,000 dealerships and 300,000 active users in the United States, Canada, and Australia. DealerSocket's advanced technology provides benchmarking data that paces the industry, and its insightful experts identify trends and develop strategic roadmaps that help dealers optimize processes and operate more profitably. Visit dealersocket.com/ind for more information.

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SOURCE DealerSocket

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