How to check dealership software references

What to check before you decide

Prepare your questions. Start with the basics: how long have you used it, how many stores, which version.

Move to specifics. How long did implementation take, against the plan?

What did not work at first? What do you still do outside the tool?

How many support requests in the last quarter, and how fast were they handled? What happened the last time something broke?

Ask about the connections. Which systems does it connect to in your store, and which of those connections cause problems?

What does it cost to keep them running? Ask about surprises on the invoice.

Ask about results using numbers the reference tracks: response time, appointments kept, cost per sale, month-end days. A reference who cannot give any number may not have measured.

Ask what the reference would do differently, and whether it would buy again. Listen to hesitation as well as to words.

Take notes on a common sheet, score each call the same way and compare across vendors. If two references disagree with the vendor's claims, treat that as evidence. Do not rely on a single call.

Ask each reference for a second contact in a different job, such as the person who uses the tool every day, since managers and users often describe the same product very differently, and the gap between the two answers frequently shows where training, workflow or support is weaker than the vendor's story suggests.

Ask every reference whether you may call again in six months. A store that agrees is usually confident, and a second call after the honeymoon shows how the product holds up when the novelty has gone.

Compare the answers across references in a simple grid, so that repeated complaints stand out and one unusually happy or unhappy customer does not decide the result.