How should a dealership run a software pilot?

Write the success measure first

One or two observable outcomes, measured the same way before and during. 'The team likes it' is not a measure; 'appointments booked per inbound call' is.

Run past the honeymoon

Thirty days measures enthusiasm. Sixty to ninety measures adoption. Set the window long enough that the vendor's implementation attention has ended before you judge.

Agree the exit up front

What happens to the data, the configuration and the fee if the pilot fails. Pilots that convert automatically unless cancelled are a commitment, not a test.

Pilot in a representative store

The best store with the most engaged manager will produce results the rest of the group cannot reproduce. Choose a typical one.

A pilot plan on one page

State the goal, the store, the users, the start and end dates, the measures and their baseline, the vendor's responsibilities, the dealership's responsibilities, the support arrangements and the decision date with the person who makes it. Get both sides to agree in writing. A one-page plan prevents drift and gives everyone the same picture of what success means.

Gathering evidence during the pilot

Hold a short weekly check-in, record problems and their resolution times and collect comments from users. Take the measured results from your own systems, not just the vendor's report.

Note the effort your staff spent, since a pilot that works only with heavy vendor help may not scale. Keep a log of what was configured specially.

Common mistakes in pilots

Choosing the easiest store, ending too soon, letting the vendor configure things that will not be available at scale, not planning the exit and starting the pilot without a decision date are typical. After the pilot, write a short summary of results against the plan, whether or not the decision is to proceed, and share it with those who took part.

Questions to agree with the vendor

What is the fee during the pilot? What is included?

Who provides support and training? What data will be used and how is it protected?

What happens to the data and configuration if we stop? What is the price if we continue?

Write these into a short pilot agreement signed before the start.

Ending the pilot properly

Hold a review meeting with results against the plan, user feedback and open issues. Decide to proceed, extend, change scope or stop, and record the reason.

Tell the vendor promptly. If stopping, confirm data return and deletion in writing.

A clean ending preserves the relationship and the learning from the trial.