CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. –

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems revealed Monday the launch of a program that will allow third-party software vendors to fully integrate with its dealership management system.

Open/Mate, the company’s new open integration program, is designed to ensure “all data exchanged between an auto dealer’s DMS (dealer management system) and third-party software systems is delivered instantly and securely in both directions,” officials explained.

“Real-time integration greatly eliminates redundancy and delivers accurate information for better decision making, compared with data exchanges performed via batch deliveries,” they added.

Commenting on the news, Mike Esposito, president and chief executive officer of Auto/Mate, noted, “When dealers are selecting vendors to work with, whether it’s a new CRM, mobile app, or software for the service department, integration with the DMS should not be a factor.

“We have long been an advocate of open standards in this industry as a way to increase competition, lower prices and improve the quality of products offered by all vendors,” he added.

The company also highlighted a few features of the new program that it contends will ensure “improved productivity” for dealers.

"For auto dealers, one of the biggest problems with bringing in new vendors is whether a system will integrate seamlessly with the dealership’s DMS. Without seamless integration, employees are required to double-key information, a redundant process," officials noted.

"In cases where the systems do speak to each other via standard interfaces, the batch exchange method is still not real-time and instant, affecting accuracy of data used for critical decision making," they conitnued, stressing the importance of what the company calls "seamless integration."

Officials also explained that with Open/Mate, updates in third-party software systems are instantly “pushed out” into the DMS and into other integrated third-party software programs.

“This means that dealership employees can always be confident that data such as vehicle prices, parts inventory or service scheduling is always real-time and accurate, enabling critical decisions to be made with a moment’s notice,” the company further explained.