I’ve been in the auto industry for more than some years, and I’ve seen a lot of change. In this article, I’ll share what it takes to integrated dealer systems.
The first step is to have a clear picture of the scope of the project.
The most important thing you can do is to have a clear picture of the scope of your project. You need to define what problem you are trying to solve and how you want to go about solving it.
If you’ve ever tried following a diet or fitness program, then chances are good that at some point, other people told you how great their own was going for them. Maybe they told stories about how much weight they lost or how fit they got after starting their new diet plan (or maybe even just talked about the delicious food). These things can be tempting it’s hard not to envy someone else’s results when we’re struggling with our own results but don’t let this happen. Be ambitious in setting goals, but also stay realistic and keep yourself accountable by being honest with yourself about what kind of progress is reasonable given the time frame that works best for your lifestyle
The second step is to get an idea of what’s possible.
The second step is to get an idea of what’s possible. This can be done in a number of ways, but the most effective method is one that many of us have used at some point: we play with our favorite tech toys.
For me, my favorite tech toy was always Android Studio and the Android SDK. The Android Studio IDE allowed me to build apps for Android phones and tablets by writing code in a text editor and compiling it into an APK file that could be installed on devices. With this toolkit available at my fingertips, I quickly developed a few demo applications that included barcode scanning functionality something I knew would be useful to dealerships down the road.
The third is to determine the best approach to integrating dealer systems.
Decide if you want to integrate systems or just link them. You can choose from several options, including:
- Using a third-party integration service that handles all of the technical aspects of connecting data across your company and other software platforms and then sending that data back into each respective system through its own API. This isn’t always necessary because some systems like Xero don’t require an API for importing data, instead they’re integrated directly into their own dashboard with simple drop-down menus where you can select which reports or transactions you’d like included in each report today’s email newsletter.
- Building an automated integration between two separate applications using RESTful APIs. This option might be more involved depending on what kind of programming skillset exists within your organization already, however it allows greater flexibility since there’s no need for communication between developers outside of their respective teams working independently on different parts before being able to move forward together once complete.
Step four involves planing for security and organization.
The fourth step of the integration process is a crucial one. You need to ensure that you have a plan in place to keep your dealer systems secure, organized and up to date. The following are some recommendations for how you should go about doing this:
- Secure your email account by updating all passwords regularly
- Use two-step verification for your account
- Encrypt all sensitive data stored on computers with passwords
Step five is about making your dealer systems work for you.
The fifth step is about making your dealer systems work for you. Here are five things to keep in mind when it comes to getting the most out of your dealer systems:
- Make sure they’re easy to use. Your sales team should be able to use the system with minimal training, so that they can spend more time on the road selling cars and less time trying to figure out how each individual system works.
- Make sure they’re secure. Dealerships are prime targets for cybercrime, which means that their software needs to be protected from hackers by strong encryption and authentication protocols at every point of entry into your network. You should also conduct regular security audits from outside firms who specialize in this area like SecurityMetrics or Tenable Network Security Inc, which will help detect any weaknesses before criminals do and can recommend ways for you to shore up those weaknesses if necessary.