As the automotive industry struggles to stay afloat amid the country’s
troublesome economy, a new web platform by DealerRefresh.com joins car
dealers and vendors together in a unique forum that benefits both
parties.

The forum is a virtual 24/7 flow of information,
questions and answers from both car dealers and auto industry vendors.
The unique platform allows users on all ends to post questions and
answers on various topics ranging from how car dealers can use new
technologies to attract sales leads to how dealer vendors can best
approach an auto dealership for new business.

For car dealers,
the DealerRefresh.com website presents an opportunity to gain new
insight into industry best practices, tips and trends for driving sales.
For automotive vendors, the availability to provide answers, advice and
support presents a gateway to new business connections.

Since
2004, DealerRefresh has been committed to the betterment of the
automotive industry. That mission is carried out on the Internet
through their elaborate website which serves as a ‘go to’ tool for car
dealers across the country.

According to founder, Jeff Kershner,
“ We decided to create a forum for people to discuss best practices and
garner support through the use of the sophisticated technologies we
have all found ourselves confronted with. It also allows a dealer to
find friends in a likewise pursuit of engaging a vendor to change or
expand on a particular item.”

The dealer-vendor platform, in summary, helps to-

1. Seek understanding and best practices in the automotive technologies
(ie. CRM, ILM, Google, Inventory, and even Blackberries)
2. Gain a larger voice to aid in problem solving
3. Find a solution or software that better fits your dealerships process

Visit the DealerRefresh Technology Forum for more information.

What is the direction of the forum and why was it started?

DealerRefresh
already attracts many of the best minds in the automotive eCommerce
business, but not everyone has a voice. With the forum environment
those 2:00 AM sparks of brilliance can now be posted by anyone.
Questions can be answered practically in real-time; meaning a Friday
evening problem might not have to wait for a Monday morning solution.

“Let’s face it, the technology is moving faster everyday and it is
overwhelming. If we all work together, we can cut out a lot of
frustration,” says Alex Snyder .

What makes the DealerRefresh forums different?

Nowhere
is there a place that focuses on the retailing automotive technologies.
And nowhere is there a place that focuses on all of them! By focusing
on best practices and support it provides new ground on an area that
every dealership is having some sort of struggle, or has been
considering exploring.

Why would a vendor join the DealerRefresh Software forum?

Many
times dealers and vendors don’t see eye to eye. Unfortunately this is
caused because a dealer is working with someone in a lower-level
support position who doesn’t convey the need to the people who will
understand it. By watching the DealerRefresh forums a vendor can get a
clearer picture of where opportunities are. By participating on the
forums, a vendor can deliver a level of transparency that would make
dealers want to flock to them. At the end of the day, vendors and
dealers are more a partnership than a client/vendor relationship and
need to work together to get the job done!

Eventually, a vendor
might have enough great information circulating through the forums that
it could be used as a FAQ source for support staffs to point dealers
to. Eventually, it could serve as the place for all a vendor’s support!