The interesting thing about dealers’ relationships with their data management systems is that while dealers will express extreme dissatisfaction when a DMS does not function as they feel it should, there are no bonus points awarded by dealers when a DMS functions well; it’s simply what dealers expect, which could explain why the group average in this category tends to stay on the low side nearly every year. This year saw a slight drop both in the group average and in individual scores.

DealerTrack achieved Double Diamond standing, taking top placement by an impressive margin of nearly 13 points. “Every dealer is different and every dealer has an individual workflow and process for selling cars. A DMS is core to a dealer’s business, and they count on that DMS to be up-to-date, functional, and to complement and enhance their workflow,” said Rich Holland, vice president and general manager of DealerTrack DMS. “By allowing dealers, through our OpenTrack program, to select the industry’s best solution providers that all integrate into one central location for data and reporting purposes, our DMS can become a truly powerful tool.”

Reynolds & Reynolds, the only provider to win an award in this category every year, moved up a spot from last year’s Gold finish to claim the Platinum Award. ADP rounded out the top three with the Gold Award.