Just as consumers can now add apps to their mobile operating systems to make all parts of their lives easier, so dealers should be seeking the same level of flexibility, speed and convenience for their core operating system technology.

Technology is driving consumer lifestyles in a deeper way than could ever have been thought of a few short years ago.

Customers want and can have technology in their pocket that is easy to add, access and use to make their lives easier in all aspects of their lives.

The apps that suit each customer can be added in a few short clicks without barriers. In today’s dynamic market, dealers need to embrace the same approach to add the technology that complements and improves the quality of their lives.

In an open-source digitised market, dealer technology needs to evolve from its traditional control function. It needs to move rapidly to support the type of cultural and process shifts that are directing today’s informed consumer.  Dealers need to be able to integrate the best in class applications into their operating systems and benefit from technology that is cutting edge. If they can’t then quicker than you can say Uber, a new market entrant will do so.

Looking back Telex was superceded by fax, which in turn has been superceded by email and SMS.

The inevitable wheel of change has simply accelerated at an ever-increasing pace. The challenge facing dealers is that core operating technology needs to be able to accommodate this pace of change. 

The sheer pace of change in technology is breath-taking.

We can either dig our heels in and hang onto the established systems, or we can do what Apple did and ‘Think Different.' We may fondly remember the fax but today, we continue to embrace new apps and the multi-platform connectivity of a smartphone world, changing to new apps as and when we want.  

Surely dealers need to be able to embrace best in class applications that can support the dynamism of the market place from whichever vendor has developed it and add it quickly.  The very ease, speed and flexibility consumers are seeking and benefitting from is exactly what dealers’ need for themselves.

Author: Mike Gadd (pictured), vice-president and UK general from DMS provider Pentana Solutions