ADP--NOT AGAIN !!!

[johng]

Our ADP contract is expiring in a few months.

As we are fed up with the gouging,poor support,and cumbersome operation, we are looking elsewhere.
Would like to hear from anyone who has dropped ADP and highly recommends their new provider.

Thanks
John

[robc]

I wish I could tell you the grass is greener, but it isn't.

What I will say is that most vendor contracts have an automatic renewal clause that requires the dealer to opt out months before it comes due. So if you haven't already make sure that you've put ADP on notice. Plus you might be surprised about the increase in service was the path to switch begins.


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** Rob, Editor Dealersedge/WD&S **
Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com

[DBates]

Just for clarification Reynolds & Reynolds does not have automatic renewals and I would encourage dealers to review the NADA DMS Survey that measures dealer satisfaction with their provider!
http://www.nada.org/Content/NavigationM ... Survey.htm

[johnny o]

Here is an area where the manufactures can and should view CSI as critical within the DMS. Too often, it seems the various firms providing services are not under the magnifying glass to see if they are meeting criteria. IE: Suppliers must meet technical and production criteria. So should the DMS. While inroads on this area are being made, it seems that the ability to be a sloppy DMS system (internally) is still a viable way for many of these firms to conduct business. It seems as long as they can meet the interface and programming needs of the manufacturer that is their key to do business. Yet if CSI were measured on satisified clientele, well many would no longer be part of the national DMS. Perhaps our parent firms should invest as much time with the program vendors in attaining high support levels as is done in the market place with our other vendors.

That fact that so many dealerships are moving from one vendor to another indicates that with all the technology and programs available a certain dissatisfaction exists. After all is said and done all we really wish is a vendor that looks after our needs and business and will be their to support the product (they designed) as well as we support our customers.

So what is a possible solution .... Reduce the PRIORITY on the bells and whistles and new programs and development; it is not these aspects that our customers seek nor is is it what we need at the dealership ... rather, what is desired is simple good service and a personal touch from our DMS providers , now that would be far more effective.

After all, its good for everyones business.

[robc]

Thank DBates for your input from R&R ... but please identify that you're from one of the DMS companies when making a post ... the NADA survey is very interesting if readers can't get into the NADA login site try this one:
http://www.nada.org/Content/NavigationM ... ummary.pdf

[jdaniel]

Johng- You didn't mention what franchise(s) you have or the size, number of locations, etc. of your company- if you add some specifics someone here might be able to provide better info for you.

If you have franchises like ours (VW, Volvo and Jeep/Chrysler) your options are severely limited because of manufacturer communications issues. A little over a year ago we went through an extensive vendor review- we almost went with ADP, but decided to stay with Reynolds.

RobC, you're right, DBates should have identified himself as being with R&R- but I'll forgive him since he's one of the good guys at Reynolds.

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Jack Daniel, MCSE+I, CCNA
Systems Admin
South Shore Imported Cars

[This message has been edited by jdaniel (edited 12-24-2003).]

[Matt Parsons]

I am little confused by Robc's posting that the grass is not greener. The Dealer Systems Provider space is chock full of companies that offer many varying solutions to dealers, ranging from low-cost to high-cost and vastly differing degrees of functionality. The question at hand is, is your dealer really willing to task on the task of researching what is out there and then going through with the pain to change if a better solution is found. I have been in the IT side of the automotive retailing industry for 18 years, and the answer to these questions for the vast majority of dealers is no. I would suggest you look carefully at what you have and what you are paying for. If you are not satisifed, you have two choices (just as every consumer does), either sit down with your provider and clearly articulate what it is you expect and feel you deserve and see if they can and will provide that, or spend your money elsewhere. Neither path is easy, but it sure would be easier on your store to try and work out your issues with your current provider than to switch.

P.S., it is probably worth noting that I do not work for ADP, and in fact am one of their competitors.

[johnny o]

This is from a post I wrote some time ago , to save some time I copied it over for this post. Hope this provides some additional food for thought.


In looking over a lot of posts over the years this changing over to a new system is perhaps the most asked and talked about.

Interesting that the same basic reason everyone leaves is not the system but rather that its simply does not seem to do what one requires of it. Yet this is constantly proven incorrect as many who originally leave a system often revert back to the original DMS.

Lets face it most of the key systems in the market place do virtually everything. They all arrive at the same end result,IE; THEY ALL MAKE INVOICES< REPAIR ORDERS< AND HAVE ACOUNTING .... how they do it is simply something one learns by training.... that being said ....

Ninety nine percent of the time it is a dealerships lack of commitment for training that kills the relationship between the software the and the user and in turn with the DMS provider.
However many dealerships will spend an average 100,000 USA dollars or more to change to a new platform. Amazing, when all that was needed was monies spent on training how to use the tools that are available.

I say this by experience as I have worked with many dealerships who where on the verge of leaving the DMS. Yet once the staff found out that most the aspects they desired where actually present and available , well, every one was happy. The main thing they desired was someone who could show them how to use the available tools in such a way to make their workload easier and let the computer do the work. Yet for months even years they suffered not even knowing what the computer they used was capable of.

Why is this ? ...well ...

Is it a company policy with virtually any dealership , that says a new employee must go through the training programs provided by the DMS? This policy is usually not practiced in our industry.

Is it policy where you work to contact the DMS and immediately communicate that a new employee is on board and that arrangement are made immediately for training. Will your dealership fly a new employee to the headquarters of your provider and arrange hotel rooms for them to stay a week for upgrading and education. Virtually no dealership is doing this.

Consider that computers are the leading edge of technology and require a sophisticated and substantial knowledge base to be successful. Todays dealerships require a rethinking of priorities. Today the employee (the parts or service or sales manager) that can manipulate information the best will generally be the most successful and most profitable.

Yet what do most dealerships do as a knee jerk reaction? They buy a new system and train only when its installed. Then as employees change over and leave the training and education is lost. Unhappiness sets in and the DMS provider is blamed. In fact what occurs is the same errors and problems in house that caused the dealership to look elsewhere in the first place.

So if your considering leaving , really review your own policies and procedures as far as employee training and DMS correspondence. If you do not have current policies like this now and no intention of doing this than the next DMS system will let you down even faster than the last one didas well you will be out the 100,000.

Its a lot less expensive to have education policies in place.. In fact knowledgeable staff will create revenue

[David Cates]

While there are always other issues that can lead to a dealership changing DMS providers, I could not agree more with what Johnny posted, and I have seen this from numerous viewpoints, not just from a vendor side.

[mark vandersteeg]

ADP is expensive IF YOU'RE NOT USING ALL OF IT'S FEATURES AND DON'T HAVE PEOPLE TRAINED TO USE IT. I have been on both Reynolds and ADP and find that for us and the Fixed departments, ADP wins hands down on user friendliness and features. It's so hard to shop and compare when you're not familiar with the competition's product. All vendors will show you where the other's weaknesses are and we are all creatures of habit who hate to change from our "comfortable old set of shoes".

If you are with a large dealer group on the same system you will have a harder time at making change than a single store outlet.

Tell the vendor you are going shopping and ask them to evaluate why you are not satisfied with your current setup and what your utilization rate of the software/hardware is. maybe you could scale back. maybe you need to move forward, upgrade, and train for better utilization.

I am not a vendor, just a service manager who has seen the top two vendors products and known them intimately.