The NextRapid Recon has announced a robust new feature upgrade: Vendor Advantage.

Vendor Advantage is a no-charge enhancement to Rapid Recon time-to-line (T2L) reconditioning workflow software for current and new Rapid Recon users, as part of the Next Rapid Recon user interface upgrade. Both are available now.

Vendor Advantage connects dealers with all their vendors with a vendor-only portal into their Rapid Recon workflow system. Vendors see and manage only the vehicles and assignments assigned to them by the dealer.

Vendor Advantage:

• Completes the accountability circle — All events affecting T2L have 360-degree accountability. Dealers control sublet performance, ensuring proactive management that supports the dealership’s speed-to-sale objectives.

• Clarifies and expedites communications — Immediate workflow update and communication tools are put into the vendors’ hands. Vendors access their dealers’ Rapid Recon workflow to synch work-in-progress status, communicate vehicle prioritization, send estimates and enable two-way messaging about a specific vehicle, via mobile or desktop.

• Improves progress tracking — Integrated T2L enables both parties to track and manage workflows to enhance cost control and vendor productivity.

• Verifies vendor value — Integrated T2L provides the used car manager with the data needed to confirm vendor contribution to the dealership’s time to line objectives.

“Dealers agree with our internal recon experts — improving vendor management is high on the list of their efficiency goals,” said Dennis McGinn, Rapid Recon founder and CEO.

“As a unique car dealership software solution, Vendor Advantage meets the needs of dealers and vendors to manage recon performance more tightly, so that vendors mutually support their dealers’ time-to-line efficiency goals,” McGinn said.

With Vendor Advantage, Rapid Recon users can:

• Add vendors with restricted access to Rapid Recon on desktop and mobile — Vendors are able to manage, track and report work in progress — through completion — like the process used by internal reconditioning.
• Explicitly assign and notify vendors when work is available, even outside of steps — With one click, a dealer can communicate to the recon team and vendors a vehicle’s priority in the vendor’s workflow and eliminate the back-and-forth frustration of missed phone calls, texts or emails — and other miscommunications.
• Receive notifications on pending approvals — Vendors know immediately when repair needs are approved, preventing false starts, delays and frustration.
• Receive updates when work is completed — The transfer of vehicles back into the internal recon flow is enabled without the delays that otherwise erode time-to-line efficiency
• Request and manage work estimates — Paperwork and estimate-tracking complications are eliminated, and vendor payments are expedited.
• Hold the vendor accountable to the agreed price — Dealer approvals will lock in the

approved repair price, eliminating unexpected invoices or additional charges. If

other costs are requested, Vendor Advantage automatically moves the vehicle

status to “Needs Approval” and immediately notifies the decision maker.

• Message back and forth with vendors directly outside of notes — Assignments and directions are executed instantly – and communications are improved.

For dealers’ vendors, Vendor Advantage provides:

• Access to only the vehicles and work items assigned to that vendor — This focus spotlights their workflow, including vehicle categories, completion priorities, quality control recheck and needs estimate communications and notes.
• Vendor and dealer accountability for obtaining estimate approvals — Vendor Advantage automatically updates both systems when estimate are received, eliminating guesswork and downtime
• Precise data, but not too much — This data includes the vehicle image, stock number, VIN, vehicle description and Work Step, eliminating clutter, distraction and details not of immediate need or attention, keeping vendors working on priority units.
• Immediate and direct time and data stamp — With this accountability and verification, guesswork and miscommunications are eliminated.

To learn more, visit www.rapidrecon.com.