Compared to manual F&I processes that involve paper forms and pens, digital deals are lightning fast. But there are things you can do to help ensure that you get more of your deals done quickly. Ilan Dee, Dealertrack Director of Product Management says, “Every enhancement made to Dealertrack’s Digital Contracting is done with the recognition that dealers need time and speed on their side to handle transactions more efficiently. We know this is especially important with a customer sitting right in front of you – that’s when those incremental time savings add up.”
We asked Ilan to share his top five tips for improving deal speed and here is what he recommended:
1. Use DMS import
DMS integrations help you save time by reducing the amount of information that needs to be keyed in and ensuring that you’re working with the same data set throughout the credit application and contracting stages of the deal. When you have Dealertrack DMS integrated with Dealertrack F&I, you get 75% of data fields pre-filled in the credit application. For contracts, Dealertrack DMS integration helps you go from import to submit for verification in less than a minute. Integrations with other DMS providers also give you a head start on quickly and reliably completing key fields for credit applications and contracts.
Ultimately, importing information from your connected DMS helps you avoid errors that can inconvenience your staff and customers and slow down funding.
2. Preset as many default values as you can
Many of your deals have common values for specific fields, for example Paid To and Charge Type for contracting. Work with your system administrator to pre-set contracting preferences that are likely to remain the same on most deals, including taxes, fees, and aftermarket products. This will reduce the time you spend manually entering this information – and you can still edit the field contents as needed.
3. Digitize your deal documents
To be able to submit a digital funding package, it’s important to digitize all documents and stips to avoid trailing documents that can delay the deal. Using a combination of Local File Upload and Point of Sale Capture, you can easily bring digitized documents into the funding package. Local File Upload lets you upload files directly from your computer, including email attachments that you’ve saved. With Point of Sale Capture you can use your tablet or mobile device camera to take high-quality images of stips and upload them directly into your deal jacket.
4. Save eSignature templates
To give customers the flexibility of eSigning, be sure to use the Ready Sign feature to add signature and date fields to make digitized documents eSignable. Maximize time savings by creating templates for your most commonly used documents. This will help you quickly and easily pull up those documents for eSigning whenever they’re needed for a deal.
5. Follow the Live Funding Checklist
One of your most powerful tools for building complete, accurate funding packages is the Live Funding Checklist. It includes many of the lender-specific forms and requirements for any given deal and helps guide you on where various documents should be uploaded. Based on continuous dealer feedback, this feature has been enhanced with highlights, asterisks, and a key so dealers know what the lender needs for submitting a complete funding package.
Myles Bauer, Financial Services Director for Muller’s Woodfield Acura, says, “Thanks to the Live Funding Checklist, we are up to date on our lender requirements and there are fewer mistakes in our contracting process.”
Fewer mistakes mean fewer delays in funding, which is one of the reasons that Dealertrack Digital Contracting can fund deals 83% faster* than with manual processes.
Want to know more? Visit our resource page full of information about faster contracting and funding.
