An apology to Richard

[Gerry Laughlin]

Richard,
Our store has recently went through a buy-sell and the new owners are on ADP Drive, where our old store was on WebSuite. Over the past few years I have read numerous posts by you describing how much Drive sucks. Reading these, I had always felt as though that you must be exaggerating the pitfalls and shortcomings of Drive. Now that I am on the system I must admit that you are correct, THIS SYSTEM SUCKS! I have always been a firm supporter of ADP, but at this point I would rather shift over to Dealertrack.
Anyway, you were right, I was wrong. If I ever run into you I owe you a beer for doubting you.
Thanks,
Gerry Laughlin

[robc]

Nice to step up - and somewhat agree My belief, and maybe others will support, is that every new, better, more modern system upgrade on any DMS system has always added needless steps and routines that before were simple and straight-forward all in the name of look what this system can do now. Well it probably always could do that you just didn't know how to use it right. And now because I took the time to learn how to use WebSuite, I get to answer needless questions behind several screens so those who didn't take the time to learn the system can find stuff easier.

[Mike Nicholes]

Gentlemen; while it is true there are some problems with Drive, over Web Suite; to be fair, some of the features in the inventory side of the system are improved. The problem lies in the fact that ADP, or CDK, or whatever they are called this year; did not, totally failed to tell the users what the changes were from Web Suite (full of logic errors in the parts side) to Drive and how to use the improvement. In short, this DMS does not do well in telling its clients how to use the tools they sell them. On line instruction is good to a point, but when the answer from a service representative, being petitioned by a client for help, says "I'll escalate that to a higher level" is not assuring; and usually means they will scout around for someone who understands the question from the client to get an answer to them. Training within all the DMS systems has gone down the pipe; what pipe you can figure out for yourselves.

[Richard]

Richard,
Our store has recently went through a buy-sell and the new owners are on ADP Drive, where our old store was on WebSuite. Over the past few years I have read numerous posts by you describing how much Drive sucks. Reading these, I had always felt as though that you must be exaggerating the pitfalls and shortcomings of Drive. Now that I am on the system I must admit that you are correct, THIS SYSTEM SUCKS! I have always been a firm supporter of ADP, but at this point I would rather shift over to Dealertrack.
Anyway, you were right, I was wrong. If I ever run into you I owe you a beer for doubting you.
Thanks,
Gerry Laughlin

Gerry,
I was never offended by the doubters. It's the same feeling a deer must have right before the 18 wheeler rips him apart at 80 MPH. Until you find yourself in the road with the headlights glaring down on you, you just can't believe it.
Mike is right about support, it's pretty much non-existent. There is one guy that, if he gets one of my cases, I just close it, and reopen it later, because he cannot fix anything, and causes more issues that he can help you with.
The special order system is so bad that I'm almost to the point of going back to 3x5 cards and just not using the system.

This is no joy in being right on this. I'm just sorry when someone tells me they are switching from anybody's system to CDK Drive.

Richard

[bigmac]

We don't use the Sp. Or. system either. Inventory stayed screwed up. We just sell it on the ro and leave it a negative on hand until we get the part in.

[greenthumb-38]

Observations and commentary by gt:

1. kudos to Gerry for setting the record straight. good form.
2. Once you've had a Cadillac DMS (ie UCS for me), all others pale in comparison, training and otherwise...
3. Arkona used to have a pathetic customer support staff. key word is "used to". They have greatly improved over the last five years or so. In the beginning, most users knew more than the support staff after about two weeks of usage. Today I am reading the forum because Dealertrack/Arkona is moving at a crawl and we are hand-writing everything. This sucks.
4. ADP is/was stuck in the 80s and so is/was their staff. There is so much to improve in my eyes. Lipstick on a pig comes to mind (edit: we were on WebSuite)
5. Dealertrack has turned over most inquiries to their wiki page... searching and searching takes about as much times as waiting on hold.
6. Dealertrack/Arkona has the best bang for your buck in my eyes.

~ gt -- your mileage may vary

[tcollins]

The lipstick on the pig analogy probably is the best description for the big three DMS systems. Layers upon layers upon layers of changes and so called improvements to a system that was designed back in the late 70's and early 80's. Not one of them addresses how we do business today. ADP doesn't even have a fill report unless you pay for it or run MGR. Really? Microsoft was on to something when they decided they were going to create a DMS but then decided that they could make more money selling windows to millions of people and companies rather than creating a new system from scratch for thousands of dealerships. Go figure. Along comes Dealertrack/Arkona, built on a system from guess when? Yup, the 80's. Beefed up and improved somewhat I guess, it is a barebones, no frills system and priced to sell like a Yugo. For parts managers that have little experience or who have never worked with a more robust system, life is grand but for those that have been in this business for years, or large progressive dealers, I typically hear nothing but frustration as they don't have the immense controls they once had and reports are either incomplete or they must run several to get the information they once had. After 7 years with Arkona, I had 10 plus spreadsheets to combine reports that I once got daily and automatically! Dealerships that are computer phobic and stuck in the 70's and 80's, struggling to let go of the kardex parts ordering files, love it for its simplification. Support? Seriously? From any of them? if I provided that level of service to my customers, I would be out of business but yet we are asked to put up with it because the barriers to change DMS systems is worse than trying to figure out the US tax codes and would it really be an improvement? The grass isn't greener, I've worked with all of them. Personally, I'm not a fan of any of them, they all have substantial shortcomings. Someone needs to start from scratch, working with successful managers and leaders that actually work in the industry to figure out what we really need and how we really do business....today.
Soapbox has now been placed back under the desk and seat has been returned to the upright position.......