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10 Dealership Processes You Can Automate Today
Save hours with automation tools for inventory, follow-ups, and more.
Kshitij Rawat
June 16, 2025
If you're still spending hours on repetitive tasks, it's time to rethink how your dealership operates. Automation isn’t just for the tech-savvy — it’s for smart dealers who want to scale without adding more manpower.
Here’s a detailed guide to 10 processes that can be automated today to save time, improve accuracy, and boost profitability.
1. Inventory Photo Editing & Enhancement
Why you need it: First impressions matter. Shoppers decide in seconds whether to click on your listing. Studio-quality visuals help vehicles stand out and improve lead conversion.
How to automate it:
Use AI tools like Spyne to automatically enhance images.
Set up auto-background removal and lighting correction.
Integrate directly with your DMS for bulk image processing.
2. Vehicle Listings Creation
Why you need it: Manually inputting specs, features, and VINs takes time and can lead to errors. Automation ensures every listing is fast, accurate, and live instantly.
How to automate it:
Use VIN-decoding software that autofills vehicle details, like ChromeData VIN Decoder or Carfax VIN Decoder.
Connect it to your inventory photo system.
Set templates for trim-level-specific feature highlights.
3. Lead Assignment & Routing
Why you need it: Leads left unassigned = lost revenue. Automating assignments ensures fast response and proper follow-up.
How to automate it:
Use your CRM to define lead routing rules by vehicle type, source, or location.
Set up alerts or auto-assign features to your BDC or sales staff.
Sync it with your inventory to prioritize hot listings.
4. Follow-up Emails & Messaging
Why you need it: Manually sending follow-ups leads to delays and inconsistency. Automation ensures timely, personalized communication.
How to automate it:
Set up email/SMS drips in your CRM.
Use behavior triggers (ex: when a customer visits a VDP multiple times).
Personalize based on viewed vehicles or past inquiries.
5. Appointment Scheduling
Why you need it: Manual scheduling is chaotic. Missed calls and double-bookings cause friction and waste time.
How to automate it:
Use online scheduling tools like Calendly, DealerSocket Scheduler, or DriveScheduler that sync with your calendar.
Allow customers to book test drives or service directly from your website.
Automate confirmations, reminders, and rescheduling.
6. Customer Feedback Collection
Why you need it: Reviews build trust and drive traffic — but getting them manually is hit or miss.
How to automate it:
After a sale or service, automatically trigger a feedback request using tools like Podium, Reputation, Zapier (with SurveyMonkey), or Zoho.
Link to Google, Facebook, or DealerRater.
Thank and incentivize reviewers via follow-up automation.
7. Reputation Management
Why you need it: Negative reviews hurt — especially if you don’t see them in time. Automation helps you stay on top of your online reputation.
How to automate it:
Use tools like Podium or Birdeye to get notified of every review.
Automate responses for common themes (ex: “Thanks for visiting us!”)
Escalate negative feedback internally for quick resolution.
8. Social Media Posting
Why you need it: Staying active on social matters, but it’s time-consuming. Automated scheduling keeps your presence strong and consistent.
How to automate it:
Use tools like Buffer or Later to plan posts in advance.
Set up templates for new arrivals, specials, and events.
Schedule a month’s worth of posts in a few hours.
9. Reporting & Analytics
Why you need it: Weekly or monthly reports help steer the business — but collecting them manually is tedious and error-prone.
How to automate it:
Use dashboards that pull real-time data from your CRM, ad platforms, and inventory tools.
Set up auto-delivery of reports to your inbox.
Track key metrics like cost per lead, time-to-sale, and photo-to-lead ratio.
10. Price Adjustments
Why you need it: Market trends change daily. Manual price updates are slow and susceptible to human errors, which can cause you to miss sales or erode margins.
How to automate it:
Use pricing tools that monitor competitor pricing and market demand.
Set rules to auto-adjust pricing within thresholds.
Get alerts when pricing recommendations fall outside desired margins.
Final Thought
The best dealerships aren’t the busiest — they’re the smartest. By automating these 10 processes, you can free up your team to focus on what really moves the needle: closing deals and delighting customers.
Tweet of the Week
AutoCheck reports are converting to leads 44% more often on Autotrader and KBB.
@JadeForRoswell, Sr. Director at @CoxAutomotive, explains how this data is reshaping dealer strategy.
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— Car Dealership Guy (@GuyDealership)
1:00 AM • Jun 14, 2025