Freedom Kia of West Virginia faced a challenge most dealers faced during the peak pandemic months: providing a safe, convenient, and quick car-buying experience. 

The Auto/Mate customer of more than 10 years turned to the DMS for a solution. In May 2020, the DMS released Remote eDEAL™, a component of its eDEAL Signature Capture feature allowing for remote signing ceremonies. The solution meant dealers could sell vehicles without their clients even stepping foot into the dealership. 

When a car buyer agrees to purchase a vehicle over the phone, the dealership representative sends the F&I documents via email. The customer clicks on the link in the email to open the electronic documents and begin the signing process guided by the dealership rep. Once complete, the final documents are turned into a ZIP file and emailed to the customer. 

Since its release, Auto/Mate has helped its dealerships close more than 12,000 remote deals. 

But for F&I Manager Lee Cochran, it’s the foundation of eDEAL that has provided the most value to the dealership. “The digital signing of F&I forms alone has sped up our sales process, whether our customers are signing in-person or from their couch,” Cochran says. 

Additionally, all signed documents are easily accessible within the respective deal’s forms history, eliminating the need for physical storage space at the dealership. 

Cochran acknowledges that the time for delivering a faster, more modern sales process has come for the automotive industry. “We’re using eDEAL for 100% of our deals.” 

While some speculate the demand for a remote customer journey will wither following the demise of COVID-19, Cochran disagrees. “The pandemic didn’t create a phase for digital retailing.” Cochran says. “Today’s consumer will always expect a fast and convenient sales process, and eDEAL has helped us to meet that expectation.” 

To learn more about eDEAL, visit www.automate.com/edeal. 

“The pandemic didn’t create a phase for digital retailing. Today’s consumer will always expect a fast and convenient sales process, and eDEAL has helped us to meet that expectation.”

Lee Cochran

F&I Manager, Freedom Kia

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