At the start of a typical day, you drive up to the dealership, walk to your office, and start sifting through information.  You have a routine and it works for you. But what if it could work better?

Currently, the DOC from your Reynolds system shows you the totals from accounting for one store. You can drill down and make changes if you see errors but can you easily tell if you’re on pace to reach your monthly goals? The answer is no. Nor can you easily compare stores to each other or compare where you are now to where you were a year or two years ago. You have to run time-consuming, separate reports and compile information in order to make these comparisons.  It’s also difficult to make operational decisions based on the information you have. So how can you maximize your morning routine?

Instead of just viewing your DOC, use a tool that allows you to:

• Add a column for pacing that allows the system to calculate how a line will finish the month based upon the current amount and the amount of the previous month.
• Create and save multiple versions of a report by pulling individual DOC lines from existing DOCs.
• Show sales and expenses with a column for each store, side by side.
• Pull prior totals by year, quarter, or month as of the current date.
• Drill down and make changes if you find incorrect numbers.
• Perform calculations to create goals and to compare current progress with those goals.

Does this sound helpful? Probably. Unless you’re thinking, ‘Oh great, more data. I get a bunch of data now but what can I do with it? How is this information any better?’

The difference with the additions above is they are actionable. They help you make predictions for the future using information already in your system.

In a recent study of clinicians, research showed that when faced with a lot of data being thrown at them, physicians became overwhelmed and had difficulty making decisions. This led to more stress and anxiety. Knowing there is a distinction between stagnant and decision-driving data, try thinking about how to approach your decision-making differently.

Use an enhanced DOC that will influence you to proactively make better business decisions. At the beginning of the day, a structured DOC with the above tips will help you make future decisions for your dealership and eliminate the crippling stress that comes with information overload.

Related Articles: