Auto/Mate’s 2019 User Summit, held Oct. 23-25, was the largest one yet, with nearly 300 total attendees. The three-day event in Nashville, TN, offered Auto/Mate’s customers a variety of educational workshops, presentations and training sessions. Attendees walked away knowing how to better utilize Auto/Mate’s dealership management system (DMS) to improve work productivity and implement more efficient processes in their dealerships.
“It may sound disingenuous to say this was the best User Summit ever, but it really was. Great attendance, great venue, great weather and lots of interaction between our customers, team members and vendor sponsors,” said Mike Esposito, president and CEO of Auto/Mate. “Many customers returned because of the value they got out of past events.”
Standout sessions included the evolution of Desk/Mate and F&I, an overview of the new Parts Module, putting data to work with Report/Mate and the art of the eDEAL.
“All the staff from Auto/Mate involved in this event are very friendly and helpful,” said Heather Nichols, service advisor with Kunes Auto Group. “Every year we learn something new. Thanks again for another great conference.”
“This Summit was very informative with features I presently have but didn’t know about. The new roll-outs are exciting, especially Parts,” said Susan Croft, office manager with Belknap Subaru. “I even learned a few tricks to make my end of month less stressful. Ken Rock rocks! So glad I was able to attend. Will be back next year!”
A highlight of the User Summit was the keynote presentation from Rick Parmelee, partner at the accounting firm blumshapiro. His session “2035 Future of the Industry” revealed recent research on how key industry disruptors are expected to impact auto dealerships. Trends included changes in franchise laws, ride sharing, autonomous vehicles and changes affecting fixed operations.
Additional highlights for attendees included a town hall, networking opportunities and happy hours. Customers also had opportunities to meet and talk with Auto/Mate’s software developers, and to meet one-on-one with support staff at customer support tables. Attendees learned best practices and in-depth overviews of Auto/Mate’s newest DMS features designed to increase productivity within the dealership.
Auto/Mate’s User Summit was possible thanks to support from the following exhibitors and sponsors: 700Credit, AIB, CarFax, DealerOps, Dealer Scanning, DocuBizz, etfile, Great America Financial Services, Halo Branded Solutions, kimoby, Macrosmith, Northeast Auto Inventories, RouteOne, Scan123, ScanIt Parts, StoneEagle F&I, Text2Drive, Traffic Control, OneView, UpdatePromise, Vision Dealer Solutions and Worldpay from FIS.
“We’ve been attending the Auto/Mate User Summit for several years now and wouldn’t consider missing it. Why? Their dealers attend in large numbers, and these people come to the Summit to find out how to maximize their DMS, what are the latest, greatest applications and who’s changed their offerings for the better,” said John Warner, VP National Accounts and Business Development with 700Credit. “We always sell new dealers, and we always cross sell existing dealers into our newest, latest products. This event is locked on our schedule.”
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