Join CBT News Co-Founder Jim Fitzpatrick at DriveCentric’s DC20 User Conference in St. Louis, where he caught up with CEO Matt Leone to discuss how dealers can boost customer engagement, streamline their technology stack and build stronger retention as margins tighten and competition heats up.
Starting the conversation, Leone explains that DriveCentric spent 15 years evolving from a CRM provider into what he calls an engagement platform. The company built native video tools, live rooms and AI capabilities into its original CRM, then expanded further to include tools for reputation management, chat, digital retailing and marketing.
Leone said the goal shifted from managing sales tasks to helping dealerships engage customers in real time. He argues that dealerships should focus on how they engage customers across sales, service and F&I while improving retention throughout the ownership journey, noting that questions about how to engage, retain and manage customers now sit at the core of what DriveCentric builds toward.
Retention becomes vital
This year, Leone asserts that every deal carries more weight as the industry heads toward a seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) of around 16.2 to 16.3 million for 2026. Margin compression and fewer showroom visits mean dealerships can’t afford to lose customers to competitors.
"The number one thing you have to think about as a dealership is retaining a customer. Loyalty to the customer, because the market is tough right now."
Additionally, he argues that dealers should treat customer retention as a priority that spans sales, service and F&I rather than managing each department in isolation. Retaining a customer, Leone said, is “the number one thing” a dealership must think about, especially as loyalty becomes harder to earn in a tough, competitive market.
Reduce complexity
According to Leone, many dealers hesitate to replace a CRM system they’ve relied on for 15 or 20 years, even when that system hasn’t evolved much since it launched. Therefore, he encourages dealers to look past the discomfort of switching platforms and instead evaluate their entire technology stack.
Leone contends that most dealerships often don’t realize they’re managing five or six disconnected products, multiple vendors and inconsistent messaging to customers, when a single platform could consolidate all of it.
Later, Leone discusses that dealer groups often start cautiously, rolling DriveCentric out in a handful of stores before expanding to the rest of their locations. He described one 20-store group that began with just a few stores and then adopted the platform companywide within three months after seeing early results.
Responsive implementation, ongoing training and ongoing customer support help dealerships move quickly once they commit, he said. Notably, Leone says that word-of-mouth referrals from existing customers, including general managers who bring DriveCentric with them when they move to new stores, continue to drive the company’s growth. Nonetheless, Leone said DriveCentric adds 100 to 150 dealerships to its platform every month.
Company culture
DriveCentric organizes its customer success teams into “pods,” each with its own culture, team dynamics and dedicated lead supporting a group of dealership accounts. The company has grown from roughly 10 or 11 pods to 16 as its dealer base has expanded.
Leone credits this culture, along with the company’s product and engineering teams, for DriveCentric’s retention rate among franchise dealerships, which he said stands out after 28 years working in software. Notably, the company hosts three DC20 conferences a year, on the East Coast, the West Coast and in St. Louis, to keep dealers updated on new features and connect them directly with fellow power users.
