Quick Check‑In: Who's in the Room and What's Top of Mind?

• Which role best describes you in this evaluation? Options: General Manager, BDC Director/Manager, Sales Manager, Owner/Group Executive, IT/Operations, Other
• What triggered this conversation today—what happened at your last monthly sales meeting?
• How urgent is resolving your lead conversion issue right now? Options: Critical — must fix in 30 days, High priority — within 60 days, Medium — quarter timeline, Exploratory — no fixed deadline
• Who else needs to be involved for a decision (names or roles)?
• What would a successful 60‑day outcome feel like to you personally?

Are We Losing Customers Before We Even Start?

• When a fresh internet lead arrives, what typically happens in the first five minutes—and why does that feel risky?
• What's your current lead‑to‑appointment conversion rate? Options: <5%, 5–9%, 10–14%, 15–19%, 20%+
• What is your average first response time today? Options: <1 min, 1–5 min, 6–15 min, 16–60 min, >1 hour
• Which channel usually handles the first contact (select all that apply)? Options: BDC phone, BDC email/text, Sales consultant phone/text, Automated email, Chatbot, Third‑party provider
• Tell me about a recent lead you know was lost because of response or follow‑up breakdown—what happened?

What's It Really Like On The Floor?

• Is your team treating the CRM as a selling tool or as extra admin work—and why do you think that is?
• Roughly what percentage of showroom interactions are logged in your CRM from mobile devices? Options: 0–10%, 11–30%, 31–60%, 61–90%, 91–100%
• How long does it usually take a sales consultant to log a showroom ups/lead on mobile vs desktop? Options: <30 seconds (mobile), 30–90 seconds (mobile), >90 seconds (mobile), <2 minutes (desktop), 2–5 minutes (desktop), >5 minutes (desktop)
• What objections or emotional reactions do salespeople express when asked to follow a structured cadence?
• Which parts of your current follow‑up process actually help close deals (choose all that apply)? Options: Immediate call within 5 min, Text follow up, Multi‑step email sequence, Showroom log + follow up, Desking tools, Service retention outreach

Where Are Leads Quietly Falling Through The Cracks?

• Which part of your funnel surprises you most with hidden loss—lead capture, routing, handoff, or follow‑up? Options: Lead capture, Routing/assignment, BDCs to Sales handoff, Follow‑up cadence, DMS sync/records, OEM reporting
• What percentage of inbound leads come from each source today (estimate)? Options: Dealer website, Third‑party portals, Phone calls, Walk‑ins/showroom, OEM leads, Other
• How often do you see duplicate or mismatched customer records because of integration problems? Options: Daily, Several times/week, Weekly, Monthly, Rarely/never
• Which DMS are you integrated with today (or plan to be)? Options: CDK, Dealertrack, Reynolds, Auto/Mate, Other, Not integrated
• What OEM reporting gaps have caused audit flags or co‑op holds in the past 12 months?

If Fixing One Metric Changed Everything, Which One Would It Be?

• If you could instantly improve one metric which would move the needle for profit and why? Options: Lead‑to‑Appointment %, Average Response Time, Follow‑up Completion Rate, DMS Sync Accuracy, OEM Compliance Accuracy, Mobile Adoption
• What target would you set for that metric to call the trial a success?
• How will you validate improvements—what evidence matters most (dashboards, call recordings, manual audit)? Options: Automated dashboards, 30‑day parallel run reports, Spot audits / call listening, DMS reconciliation, OEM‑grade reports
• Who will ultimately sign off that the trial met success criteria? Options: General Manager, BDC Director, Sales Manager, Group Executive/Owner, OEM Representative, Other
• How soon would you expect to see measurable improvement if the new workflows are followed? Options: Within 7 days, 7–14 days, 15–30 days, 31–60 days, Longer than 60 days

What's the Real Blocker to Saying Yes—People, Data, or Risk?

• What single concern would make you pause signing up for a parallel evaluation?
• Which of these risks worry you most about a new CRM integration? Options: Data loss/duplication, Sales resistance/adoption, OEM non‑compliance, DMS sync delays, Hidden costs, Operational disruption
• Have you run integrations or new CRM pilots before—what went well and what failed?
• Are there contractual OEM or vendor constraints that could block a trial or integration? Options: Yes — OEM contract, Yes — DMS contract, No known constraints, Unsure
• What level of risk mitigation would make you comfortable (e.g., rollback plan, parallel run, sandboxed data)? Options: Parallel run with rollback, Sandbox test only, Phased integration, Full cutover only

What Would a Practical 30‑Day Parallel Run Look Like?

• If we designed a 30‑day parallel evaluation together, what absolutely must be included?
• Which integrations must be live during the trial (choose all that apply)? Options: Lead sources (website/portals), Phone & call tracking, DMS sync, OEM reporting, Email/SMS providers, None — mock data only
• What measurable acceptance criteria would you require to consider the trial successful?
• Who will be the day‑to‑day owner inside your dealership for the trial? Options: BDC Director, Sales Manager, IT/Integrator, General Manager, Other
• What training and support model would make your team confident to run the trial (options)? Options: Onsite training, Live virtual sessions, Self‑paced guides, Daily check‑ins during trial, Dedicated success manager
• What timeline would realistically allow you to start a parallel run? Options: Immediately (this week), Within 2 weeks, In 2–4 weeks, Next month or later, Unsure

• Solution Experience Kickoff — Current State & Success Criteria
• Live Lead Response & Follow-up Experience
• Mobile Showroom Logging & DMS Sync Validation
• OEM Compliance & Reporting Validation
• Consolidation, Validation & Next Steps (Decision Meeting)

• Both parties to sign the Solution Experience confirmation document capturing agreed metrics and next steps.
• Customer to assign 1-2 sales reps for the live test and confirm they will perform real actions during the session.
• Host to export comparison report showing baseline vs test metrics for review in the validation meeting.
• Recap Integration Success Criteria
• Prove mobile showroom logging completes in the agreed time and captures necessary data fields.
• Verify DMS integration preserves data fidelity and meets the agreed sync accuracy threshold.
• Demonstrate clear reconciliation processes for duplicates and lag scenarios.
• Collect any remaining data-field mapping needs or exceptions to resolve before parallel run.
• Customer to provide a representative DMS data extract for full-field mapping validation.
• Host to document mapping, expected sync behavior, and a reconciliation playbook for dealer ops.
• Schedule a brief follow-up if any mapping gaps require technical remediation and retest.
• Re-state OEM Reporting Requirements
• Demonstrate that platform reporting meets OEM template requirements or clearly identify the exact gaps.
• Show the controls and evidence the dealer can present in an audit to avoid co-op penalties.
• Agree remediation steps and owners for any reporting gaps before the parallel evaluation.
• Customer to provide OEM report templates and a recent audit example for mapping and simulation.
• Host to produce and share the sample audit report and a gap/remediation plan within 48 hours.
• Assign owner and deadline for any remediation tasks required before the parallel run.
• Reach a clear decision to proceed to the parallel evaluation or list required remediations.
• Assign owners, timelines, and a communication cadence for the parallel run and remediation items.
• Ensure both parties have the evidence and artifacts needed for the evaluation and final acceptance.
• Recap Agreed Future State & Acceptance Criteria
• If go: finalize parallel evaluation start/end dates, responsible owners, and daily metric checks.
• If gaps: host to deliver remediation plan with timelines and customer to confirm resource availability.
• Introductions & Objectives
• Customer and host agree on a clear, one-sentence current state describing where the process breaks.
• Customer and host quantify the concrete consequence (financial, operational, reputational) of the current state.
• Agree a single-sentence future state outcome and measurable acceptance criteria the experience must prove.
• Confirm all pre-work items, test data, and participants required for live scenarios.
• Customer to provide 30-day lead export, sample OEM report, screenshots of current CRM lead workflow, and read-only DMS access.
• Host to draft and circulate the one-sentence current state, consequence statement, and proposed future-state sentence for customer confirmation.
• Both parties to confirm test users, dates for live sessions, and required access permissions.
• Reframe Current State & Future State
• Demonstrate measurable reduction in lead response time using customer test leads.
• Prove that follow-up cadence automation increases completion and accountability versus the baseline.
• Validate that mobile logging meets the time-to-log expectation and is acceptable to sales reps.
• Capture explicit customer confirmations and any edge-case behaviors to address before parallel run.
• Host to configure test leads in the platform and enable live monitoring for the agreed measurement window.
• Read-back: One-sentence Current State
• Map OEM Fields to Platform Data
• Mobile Showroom Scenario: Log an Ups
• Live Playback: Lead Ingestion to Notification
• Present Consolidated Metrics & Evidence
• Gap Review & Risk Assessment
• DMS Sync: Mapping & Record Matching
• Generate Sample Audit Report
• Rep Response Workflow (Mobile + Desktop)
• Surface Consequence (Quantify Impact)
• Follow-up Cadence & Escalation Demo
• Error Cases: Duplicate and Lag Handling
• Decision & Next Steps
• Controls Demo: Validation Rules & Consent Capture
• Define One-sentence Future State
• Sync Accuracy Dashboard & Acceptance
• Confirm Parallel Run Plan & Communication Cadence
• Agree Success Metrics & Acceptance Criteria
• Measure vs Baseline: Dashboard Comparison
• Gap Remediation Plan & Acceptance Criteria
• Customer Confirmation & Sign-off Items
• Forced Validation & Feedback

• Import and Clean Lead Data
• Deploy Website Lead Capture
• Connect Third-Party Lead Providers
• Configure Automated Follow-Up Cadences
• Activate Two-Way SMS and Email Campaigns
• Deploy Phone Call Tracking and Recording
• Integrate DMS and VIN/Service Sync
• Deploy Sales Mobile App for Showroom Logging
• Enable Real-Time Lead Response Dashboard
• Configure User Roles and Permissions
• Deploy Desking Tool with DMS Pricing Sync
• Enable OEM Compliance and Co-op Tagging
• Activate Appointment Confirmations and Reminders

Import and Clean Lead Data

• Do you have existing lead data that must be imported into the platform? Options: Yes, No
• Which source formats will we import from? Options: CSV/Spreadsheet, Legacy CRM export, DMS export, API feed, Other
• Approximately how many lead records will be imported initially? Options: Less than 1,000, 1,000-10,000, 10,000-100,000, More than 100,000
• Does the data require deduplication, normalization, or enrichment (e.g., phone normalization, VIN decode)? Options: Yes, No
• Do you need mapping assistance for custom fields or tags from your current system? Options: Yes, No
• Are there compliance, privacy, or retention rules that affect how we should clean or store lead data (e.g., opt-outs, regional rules)? Options: Yes, No

Deploy Website Lead Capture

• What website/CMS provider is your dealership using? Options: Dealer.com, DealerInspire, WordPress, Custom CMS, Other
• Which website lead entry points should be captured? Options: Contact Form, Chatbot/Live Chat, Chat-to-Phone, Request a Quote, Service Request, Showroom Visit
• Should lead capture be embedded on pages or use redirect/API endpoints? Options: Embed, Redirect, API submission, Pop-up widget
• Do you require real-time lead enrichment on capture (vehicle intent, geolocation, VIN decode)? Options: Yes, No
• Do you need consent fields and legal language for GDPR/CCPA or OEM requirements on forms? Options: Yes, No
• What is the SLA target for responding to website leads? Options: Under 5 minutes, 5-15 minutes, 15-60 minutes, More than 60 minutes

Connect Third-Party Lead Providers

• Which third-party lead providers do you currently receive leads from? Options: Cars.com, Autotrader, CarGurus, Facebook Lead Ads, Dealer Networks/Local partners, Other
• What average daily lead volume comes from third-party providers? Options: Less than 10, 10-50, 50-200, More than 200
• Do any providers require special parsing, unique fields, or custom connectors (e.g., different payloads, frequent duplicates)? Options: Yes, No
• How should third-party leads be routed by priority or rule? Options: Round robin, Skill-based routing, Priority by source, BDC-only, Custom rules
• Do you need cost-of-lead tracking and ROI reporting per provider? Options: Yes, No
• Are there SLA or contractual obligations with any lead providers we should enforce (e.g., response windows)? Options: Yes, No

Configure Automated Follow-Up Cadences

• Which channels should be included in your standard follow-up cadence? Options: Phone, SMS/Text, Email, Voicemail drops, All of the above
• Which cadence template best matches your process? Options: Immediate call + SMS + email, SMS-first with follow-up call, Email drip + call attempts, Custom cadence (describe)
• How many touchpoints should occur in the first 30 days for an inbound sales lead? Options: 1-3, 4-7, 8-12, 12+
• Should missed or unresponded leads escalate to a manager or alternate queue and when? Options: Yes - escalate after X hours (specify), No escalation required
• Do you want SLA enforcement, overdue alerts, and cadence pause/resume rules? Options: Yes, No
• Are there blackout windows (days/times) or do-not-contact rules to enforce within cadences?

Activate Two-Way SMS and Email Campaigns

• Do you currently have an SMS provider or short code you'd like to keep? Options: Yes - keep existing provider, No - need new provider
• Which SMS sender type do you prefer? Options: Local number, Toll-free number, Short code
• Do you require MMS (images/media) support in texts? Options: Yes, No
• Do you have templated email and SMS campaigns to import, or do you need us to create templates? Options: Import existing templates, Create new templates, Both
• Should messages be sent from shared inboxes or individual rep identities? (analytics and compliance tradeoffs) Options: Shared inbox/BDC, Individual rep, Hybrid/BDC handoff
• Are there legal/compliance opt-out texts or email unsubscribe workflows required for your market or OEM? Options: Yes, No

Deploy Phone Call Tracking and Recording

• Do you require call recording for all calls, inbound only, outbound only, or none? Options: All calls, Inbound only, Outbound only, None
• Which telephony/phone system vendor do you currently use? Options: RingCentral, PhoneBurner, Dealer-installed PBX, Cloud PBX (other), None/unsure
• Do you need dynamic number insertion (DNI) on your website for source attribution? Options: Yes, No
• Do you require call transcriptions, sentiment scoring, or automated call scoring rules? Options: Transcription, Scoring, Both, Neither
• Should recorded calls automatically link to the lead/customer record and to DMS/R.O. where applicable? Options: Yes, No
• Are there legal or state consent/notice requirements we must include before recording? Options: Yes, No

Integrate DMS and VIN/Service Sync

• Which DMS vendor and version does your dealership use? Options: CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack, Autosoft, Other
• What depth of DMS integration do you require? Options: Customer basic sync (contacts), Service/VIN history, Inventory and RO sync, Full bi-directional write-back
• What is the desired sync frequency for VIN/service and customer updates? Options: Real-time, Every 15 minutes, Hourly, Daily
• Are there custom field mappings or data transformations required between DMS fields and CRM fields? Options: Yes, No
• Do you require VIN decoding, vehicle option parsing, or historical ownership/service aggregation? Options: Yes - VIN decode, Yes - service history, Both, No
• Who is the DMS administrator/contact for integration coordination (name, email)?

Deploy Sales Mobile App for Showroom Logging

• Do sales consultants use company-issued phones, BYOD, or a mix? Options: Company-issued phones, BYOD (bring your own device), Mixed
• Is offline logging (ability to capture leads/ups without coverage and sync later) required? Options: Yes, No
• What is the target time for logging a showroom ups or walk-in on mobile? Options: Under 30 seconds, 30-60 seconds, 1-3 minutes, More than 3 minutes
• Do you want push notifications on mobile for new high-priority leads? Options: Yes, No
• Do you require role-based mobile access or limits (e.g., managers vs reps)? Options: Yes, No
• Will you need on-site or remote training specifically for mobile workflows? Options: On-site training, Remote training, Both, No training needed

Enable Real-Time Lead Response Dashboard

• Which KPIs must appear on the real-time dashboard? Options: Lead-to-appointment %, Average response time, Follow-up completion rate, Rep activity/last contact, DMS sync accuracy, OEM compliance
• Who should have access to the live dashboard (roles)? Options: General Manager, BDC Director, Sales Manager, Individual Sales Reps, Regional/Group Manager
• Do you need SLA breach alerts and push notifications when response time thresholds are missed? Options: Yes, No
• Where should the dashboard be available? Options: Web portal, Mobile app, Wallboard or TV display
• Do you require scheduled or emailed summary reports in addition to the live view? Options: Yes, No
• Are there custom drill-downs or filter needs (e.g., by source, by rep, by OEM) that are critical?

Configure User Roles and Permissions

• How many distinct user roles should be defined in the system? Options: 1-2, 3-5, 6+
• Which roles need the ability to write back to the DMS or make pricing changes?
• Do you require field-level permissions (restricting viewing/editing of specific fields)? Options: Yes, No
• Should managers have read-only team-wide visibility or full edit privileges? Options: Read-only visibility, Full edit, Hybrid (custom)
• Do you require Single Sign-On (SSO) integration (SAML/Okta) for authentication? Options: Yes - use SSO, No - use platform auth
• Is audit logging and activity retention required for compliance or OEM audits? Options: Yes, No

• Mutual Trial Agreement
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Success Metrics & Acceptance Criteria
• Pricing & Payment Terms
• Roles, Responsibilities & RACI
• Timeline & Milestones
• Data Access, Integration & DMS Plan
• OEM Compliance & Reporting Acknowledgement
• Risk Mitigation & Contingency Plan
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) & Support
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA) & Security
• Termination, Cutover & Exit Criteria
• Final Acceptance & Sign-off

• Success Review & Acceptance Decision
• Cutover Planning & Go-Live Runbook
• Remediation Triage & Root Cause Action Plan
• Shared Backlog Grooming & Prioritization
• Adoption Monitoring & Continuous Improvement Review

• Maintain transparent SLAs and escalation paths for production-impact issues.
• Scope & Objectives
• Establish a prioritized, time-bound remediation plan with owners and explicit acceptance tests.
• Ensure every remediation ticket ties back to the measurable success signal it aims to restore.
• Agree on a re-test schedule and who will validate results after fixes are applied.
• Create remediation tickets in the shared backlog with clear acceptance criteria and deadlines.
• Assign technical and business owners for each ticket and schedule status checkpoints.
• Plan and calendar a focused re-run (e.g., 7-14 day parallel test) following remediation completion.
• Document any process changes required for sustained improvement (training scripts, workflow adjustments).
• Quick Status Review of Active Backlog Items
• Keep the backlog current and prioritized so the team focuses on the highest-impact fixes and enhancements.
• Ensure ownership and realistic delivery timelines are set for the next sprint or delivery window.
• Welcome & Objectives
• Update the shared backlog with ranked priorities and assign owners for the next delivery cycle.
• Publish the prioritized backlog snapshot to stakeholders and sync on delivery expectations.
• Escalate any blocker items to executive sponsors if they threaten agreed timelines or KPIs.
• KPI Dashboard Review
• Sustainably improve adoption and operational KPIs through prioritized experiments and training.
• Keep leadership informed with a predictable reporting cadence and escalation triggers.
• Convert user feedback into measurable experiments that tie back to success signals.
• Schedule targeted training sessions for user segments showing low follow-up completion or mobile usage.
• Open experiment tickets (A/B tests, UI nudges, routing changes) with clear metrics and owners.
• Publish a KPI dashboard snapshot after each meeting and alert owners if thresholds are breached.
• Determine whether the trial meets the agreed success signals and record a formal acceptance decision.
• If accepted, assign owners and schedule the cutover planning meeting; if not, authorize remediation with clear scope and timeline.
• Ensure all stakeholders agree on any data anomalies and the plan to resolve them before final acceptance.
• Produce a one-page Acceptance Report summarizing metric outcomes, decision rationale, and sign-offs.
• If 'Go': Schedule Cutover Planning & Runbook meeting and assign go-live leads.
• If 'Remediate': Open remediation tickets in the shared backlog and schedule the Remediation Triage meeting.
• Document any data integrity items requiring deeper analysis and assign data owner for investigation.
• Runbook Objectives & Acceptance Criteria
• Finalize a complete, owner-assigned go-live runbook with clear success and rollback criteria.
• Confirm that technical and business owners are prepared and that training and communications are scheduled.
• Ensure risks have mitigation owners and that escalation paths are visible to all stakeholders.
• Publish the finalized runbook and checklist to the shared project space and notify all owners.
• Perform a final end-to-end smoke test on the scheduled pre-cutover day and report results.
• Assign support on-call shifts for the cutover window and circulate contact matrix.
• Schedule the post-cutover monitoring checkpoints (30 min, 3 hr, 24 hr, 72 hr) with owners for each KPI.
• Go-Live Checklist & Owner Walkthrough
• Confirm Success Signals & Measurement Method
• New Issue Intake & Triage
• User Feedback & Behavioral Signals
• Review Failing Use-Cases with Evidence
• Targeted Interventions (Training, Workflow Tweaks)
• Prioritization Exercise
• Root Cause Analysis
• Presentation of Trial Results
• Final Data & DMS Integration Validation
• Prioritize Remediations by Impact & Effort
• Data Integrity & Exception Review
• Continuous Improvement Roadmap & Metrics
• Communication, Training & Support Roster
• Sprint/Delivery Allocation
• Define Remediation Tickets, Owners & Acceptance Tests
• Reporting Cadence & Escalation
• Rollback Criteria & Risk Mitigation
• SLA & Escalation Review
• Decision Discussion: Cutover, Partial Cutover, or Remediation
• Sign-off & Immediate Next Steps
• Detailed Timeline & Confirmation of Cutover Window