Are your dealership software platforms properly integrated? – Joe Tautges & John Akalaonu, CDK Global

On today’s show, we’re pleased to welcome Joe Tautges, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer for CDK Global, and John Akalaonu, Senior Vice President, Customer Delivery, for CDK Global. CDK is a mainstay of the industry and has been supporting dealers for decades. If there is a company that understands the dealership and its needs, it’s CDK.

CDK Global now provides services to over 15,000 retailers nationwide. In fact, that is roughly equivalent to the number of Starbucks stores around the country. For over four decades, CDK has focused on developing solutions that assist dealers with the processes they need most. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, dealers are going through an accelerated transformation. These dealers look to CDK for software solutions that allow them to adapt quickly.

The area that is attracting the most interest for dealers is the digital retailing space. More specifically, creating an integrated, omnichannel experience. With that said, CDK’s DMS position continues to grow as well as their elead CRM solution. With the increased demand, CDK has re-invested back into the company in order to consistently be dynamic with their dealers.

Looking past the software and products, Akalaonu adds that CDK also prides itself on making it easier for dealers to partner with them. Akalaonu’s department is the first opportunity for CDK to prove to the customer that they made the right choice in vendor partner. CDK puts a lot of effort into making sure that launching point is seamless and effortless. They now provide dealers with more hands-on experience when learning the products and they are committed to increasing phone support coverage and simplifying invoices.