What should a dealership ask a vendor reference?

Match the configuration

Request a reference on your DMS, in your brand, at your store count. If the provider cannot supply one, that is itself information about where the product is proven.

Ask what went wrong

'What surprised you during implementation' and 'what took longer than planned' produce more useful answers than satisfaction questions. Every implementation has a difficult part; a reference who reports none is not describing a real deployment.

Test the support claim

Ask about a specific incident: what broke, how long it took, who they escalated to, and whether the commitment in the contract was met.

Ask about the renewal

What happened at renewal: what changed in price, what they asked for and what they got. That conversation predicts your own better than the sales process does.

Before the call

Prepare a list of eight questions and decide who joins. Send the reference a short note on what you plan to ask so they can prepare.

Ask the vendor how long the reference has used the product and whether they have had a renewal. Plan to speak with more than one; a single reference chosen by the seller is a limited sample.

Questions worth asking

How long did the project take compared with the plan, and why? Which integrations worked at launch and which did not?

How often do you contact support and how quickly are problems resolved? What did the vendor promise that it did not deliver?

What did your renewal look like? Would you choose it again on the same terms?

Listen for detail, not general praise.

Recording and using the answers

Write notes during the call, keep them with the evaluation file and compare across references. Look for patterns rather than single comments.

Follow up with the vendor on any issue raised, and ask for written responses. If a serious concern arises, ask another customer in a similar configuration before making a decision.

After the reference call

Record what you learned in the evaluation file, note anything that contradicts the vendor's claims and send follow-up questions in writing. If two references raise the same issue, treat it as a pattern. Share the notes with the team before scoring so that judgments rest on evidence instead of impressions.