Dealer Management System of the Year - Car Dealer Power Awards 2020

4:35 pm, September 28, 2020

Keeping track of when customers are due for renewal or simply keeping in touch with them has never been more important.

A good DMS will not only help you keep track of sales, but you’ll be able to maximise returns across your business as it helps manage your data.

Competition in this category was particularly strong this year with both our highly commended winners receiving praise for their high levels of customer service.

However the winner, Pinewood, just clinched it.

Backed by one of the largest dealer groups in the UK, Pinewood uses Pendragon’s enviable experience in the retail space brilliantly.

‘With no disrespect, it’s an award that’s long overdue,’ jokes Pendragon CEO Bill Berman.

Jokes aside, why does Berman think dealers are bowled over by Pinewood?

‘During the pandemic, Pinewood has stood head and shoulders above the rest of the competition,’ he says.

‘It has the systems, processes and tools it to allow a dealer to facilitate this new kind of retail environment we are kind of experiencing.’

Being a large dealer group and having your own dealer management system but then selling that out to other retailers might seem odd, but it has been a core element of Pendragon in the past and will continue to be so according to the company’s latest stock market report.

‘The way I’d look at it is not we’re a car retailer that owns our own DMS company, it’s more that we’re a small conglomerate,’ says Berman.

‘Pinewood is a separate entity under a parent company and there is a symbiotic relationship between them.

‘Pinewood is a big part of our success and will continue to be, but it’s the proverbial ‘Chinese Wall’ – it’s separate.

‘That said though, we are able to work with the team at Pinewood and give them a testbed for new products and systems which they can use for free and then present to a larger market.

‘The relationship is unique and beneficial whereas other providers are working in the dark.’

Berman added: ‘The best is still to come. Some of the products Pinewood is working on have barely scratched the surfaces on their capabilities. Pinewood is a great product and it’s only going to get better.’