Dealership Webmasters

[MarkB]

I wonder how many dealerships actually have a capable webmaster employed in-house. Do you think that dealerships will end up maintaining their own sites or do you think third parties will prevail.
I'm curious to find some opinions an this topic and as always offer any assistance to budding webmasters employed within a dealership

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[Matt Parsons]

I would question why dealers would want to maintain their own sites? Website maintenance should and can be easily outsourced. I do however heavily advocate for a webmaster in house (at the dealership) that owns the content on the site. This is a critical role for a dealer person to play and should not be left up to a third-party to decide what is shown, when, and how. This is no different than a Sales Manager feeling they own the information appearing in the Sunday newspaper ads in relation to unit descriptions, prices, etc. The tough part for a good webmaster is that they will cross all traditional departments in the dealership (and thus need to work with multiple personalities) if they are to meet the needs of a Digital Consumer.

This question leads me into thoughts about the changing role of IT in dealerships and that if you look at most stores today they have been forced into a role of systems integrator and have in some cases taken their eye off what they do best - selling and servicing vehicles and ultimately satisfying the need of the end consumer.

It sure seems as though it is time for DMS providers to start being systems integrators so that dealers can return to what they do best, and leave the IT management to companies that do it for a living.

[jmcdonald]

I am not just a webmaster, that would be to easy..I have developed 7 sites for five stores...and I get to deal with all the IT issues that come up on the three different platforms that I have intergrated. (ADP-Windows NT and the web based systems) I see myself as a webmaster/mis director/sales trainer.

They can never pay me for the work I do, so my only option is to develop a consulting service to make the income I need. So that is my new plan.

However, as the industry moves forward my ability and experience as a salesperson can help the dealer to understand why 50% of the sales today are a direct reflection on this (Internet) department.

Jim

[JTarell]

This topic is debated regularly when discussing websites with dealers since I work for a third party website provider. In a previous life I was the MIS manager for several companies. When I left the first one (this was before websites) the company was left in quite a lurch on their computer systems because they relied on me too much. In the second position, I planned for my own obsolescence and this company is operating very smoothly on the MIS front, three years later.

So having been on both sides of the fence, I will offer this recommendation. If you maintain your own webmaster or MIS person, make sure they have back-ups of systems and people and be sure they document their efforts and their designs. If they do, and they are very good, and will work cheaply (because most dealers will not pay them what they are worth), you can get a suitable solution that will be tailored to your specific needs. If you can't meet those requirements then I suggest that you go to a very reliable, third party, with cutting edge technology that knows the car business. Typically, the third party provider will always be ahead of you in technology, but you will have to give up some customization.

[Kevin Kavanagh]

I agree with Matt since technology is changing the role of IT and systems integration. We can have quite a lengthy conversation on dealerships and IT personnel in another thread if anyone is interested.

The challenge with a webmaster is interesting because what are we changing? The dealership absolutely needs someone responsible for correct information on the web site. Many of the companies that provide dealers web sites are doing good things but getting changes made by them often requires to long a turn around. More and more site providers are offering template based sites that dont require programming knowledge and let the dealership make quick and timely changes to coupons, inventory etc.

If it is easy enough it could be the responsibility of the managers to be responsible for their own departments information. If they are paying for a portion of the site costs as advertising they may be more inclined to take ownership of their piece.

Many dealerships lose site of their Web strategy and are trying to be everything to everyone on the site. Define your goals. Are you trying to sell cars, parts or service and what type of information are you trying to provide? Having been the webmaster at GBJ this can be a daunting task but it the site is designed properly it doesnt have to be difficult.

Look for a provider that has the hooks you need to your DMS, has a relationship with someone that can handle your inventory (if you cant), has the ability to work with Internet Lead Management and instant notification (paging) systems and can provide a site that allows you the ability to easily change that information you need to stay on top of. A good site provider can be the system integrator for you.

[rhare]

I think that third party Webmasters are a vital part of the car business. Most Dealerships just throw a salesperson into the Internet Department and most of them have no clue what they are doing. So how can you expect them to build a website let alone manage and make changes to it. I got involved with the Internet about a year and a half ago and I had no idea what I was doing. I was selling 25 cars per month on the line but died in the Internet. I began to train myself and within three months, I built my first website, and had time to sell 45 - 50 cars per month on the Internet. But there were a lot of sacrafices to make and the majority of the salespeople just won't do it. Now I run 4 Internet Departments, but have a third party Webmaster run all of my sites and they do a great job. Let's face it, a great Internet Department does not have time to constantly make changes in the websites and in the car business, it is always changing for the Internet.

[Andy Harris]

Hello......?

There are a few codeshops doing dynamic websites out there, with strong back-office tools that allow non-HTML type people the ability to customize their sites to a degree without "breaking" them.

We will be going up on one next week, and I cant wait!

Andy

[Kevin Kavanagh]

Andy,

That's what I was referring to without naming names. Send me an email and let me know your site URL.

[Results]

In-House Webmasters is an interesting concept but I have to be honest with you, it is a hard road to maintain.
We develop several types of site for our clients ranging from the template that is completely free of maintenance. (also free from hits) to the site that requires a webmaster to maintain its freshness and functionality.(a lot of hits type site). Needless to say we want the site that produces hits. The problem is the dedication that an interactive site takes.
What we consider simple tasks because of our programming efforts never seem to get done. What I mean by that is tasks like, current coupons, testimonials, holiday greetings, photo albums, featured vehicles, you name it.
We continuously see the Webmaster become the head cook and bottle washer because his job is still not considered a profit center at a dealership. He or she is a cost, they are often considered having spare time because it appears that they are not selling cars so they must costing the store to have them there. The next thing that happens is they are given assignments like keeping all of the PCs running, or watch the floor when the other sales people are gone. It does not take much of this type of treatment and the site is a month behind on up keep. That is what I mean by a hard road.
Fortunately it is not like that in all of the dealerships we work with.
Here is an example of a highly interactive site that sells a lot of cars with good grosses. www.friendlychevy.com
The Customer Management Center, the Internet Department, and all of the other departments in the store maintain this site.
Back to your question.
I believe that the Dealer Principles will someday realize that the Webmaster is as important as the Parts Manager when it come to bringing money in house. I also believe that the third party Web Designers will always be needed to offer the latest technology to the site and to keep the focus on selling cars with it.


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Results
Mike Stinson
results@rintuit.com
www.rintuit.com