Product-to-product research

PBS CRM vs Serti CRM

PBS Systems on PBS CRM: Sales-side desking and customer management. Serti on Serti CRM: Serti CRM is the customer-relationship module of the Serti dealer platform, used by franchise dealers particularly in Quebec and bilingual Canadian markets. Confirm bilingual support and DMS integration.

PBS CRM and Serti CRM are both modules of a dealer management system, so each works best when you use its DMS. PBS CRM is the customer relationship module of PBS Systems' v10 system, sharing the DMS data model for sales and follow-up, and PBS describes v10 APEX as an all-in-one platform for accounting, fixed ops, sales, CRM and a digital service suite for franchised dealerships. Serti CRM is the customer relationship module of the Serti dealer platform, used by franchise dealers particularly in Quebec and bilingual Canadian markets.

Direct answer

Choosing between PBS CRM and Serti CRM

The first question is geography and language. Serti is used where bilingual support matters, and it now sits inside Keyloop.

PBS serves franchised dealerships. Check which language and tax requirements your store needs, how each CRM writes back to its DMS and who supports you locally.

Test lead handling and follow-up on a real week of customers. Ask about conversion effort, manufacturer program approvals and what you can export if you leave.

Speak with a store of your brand that runs each.

What to check before you choose

PBS describes its CRM as part of v10 APEX, with predictive calculations that identify which vehicles are due for service, internal lead generation tasks that target the best sales opportunities and fully customizable department- and event-specific communication templates. Its sales page adds license and VIN scanning to capture leads, mobile access to the CRM, a digital retail flow that automates quoting, deal setup and financing, and e-signatures stored in electronic deal jackets. SERTI was acquired by Keyloop in 2022, and its published scope includes a service digitalization suite and a tool that flags customers who could upgrade to a new vehicle.

A dealer should therefore look at which DMS it already runs and which language and province or state it serves. Ask each vendor how CRM tasks connect to the service lane, since both claim service-driven marketing, and how support is delivered after the Keyloop acquisition for SERTI customers.

Also compare the customer's view. PBS's pages describe digital retail quoting and mobile e-signatures that put the paperwork on the customer's phone, while SERTI's published scope emphasizes online booking, text messaging and check-in on the service side. Ask each vendor which languages the customer-facing messages support and how a bilingual store maintains templates.

Finally, ask for a reference at a store of your size, ideally one that ran the other vendor before, and ask about migration: how historical customer and vehicle records move, how long the cutover takes, and what happens to scheduled follow-ups during the switch. Support hours also matter, so confirm coverage in your time zone and in your language. Language support matters here.

A

PBS CRM

PBS Systems describes it this way: Sales-side desking and customer management.

PBS CRM is the customer-relationship module of PBS Systems' v10 dealer management system, sharing the DMS data model for sales and follow-up. Confirm adoption and write-back.

PBS Systems describes itself as a dealer management system provider and says it has developed dealership software for decades. Its site presents its current platform, v10 APEX, as an all-in-one system covering accounting, fixed ops, sales, CRM and a digital service suite.

Who it says it serves: Franchised automotive dealerships.

PBS Systems profile →

B

Serti CRM

Serti describes it this way: Serti CRM is the customer-relationship module of the Serti dealer platform, used by franchise dealers particularly in Quebec and bilingual Canadian markets. Confirm bilingual support and DMS integration.

Serti CRM is the customer-relationship module of the Serti dealer platform, used by franchise dealers particularly in Quebec and bilingual Canadian markets. Confirm bilingual support and DMS integration.

Serti profile →

PBS CRM vs Serti CRM
FieldPBS CRMSerti CRM
ProviderPBS SystemsSerti
Corporate parentNone recordedKeyloop
Primary marketUS & CanadaCanada
Typical segmentFranchise and dealer groupsCanadian franchise dealers
Mapped workflowsCRM & sales enablementCRM & sales enablement
Named offerings on its own site50
Connection records in the directory41
Where they meet

Overlap and divergence

PBS CRM and Serti CRM are both mapped to CRM & sales enablement.

PBS Systems and Serti both connect to Kimoby, so they sit in the same integration neighbourhood without a listed link to each other. PBS Systems has 4 connection records and Serti has 1.

Integration neighbourhood

Companies both PBS Systems and Serti connect to

Read from pbssystems.com. To score PBS CRM against Serti CRM on the same questions, use the demo scorecard.