The ransomware attacks and phishing schemes bombarding dealerships nowadays prompted Botdoc to form a pair of partnerships.

First, the specialist in secure digital transportation technologies partnered with KPA to provide dealerships with what they contend is an affordable, seamless and compliant solution to manage their consumer data.

Then, Trust Stamp announced a partnership with Botdoc to integrate Trust Stamp’s low-code orchestration platform within the Botdoc Connect product, providing robust identity verification.

“The U.S. government realized a couple of years ago that they could no longer protect the U.S. consumer against cybercrime and would have to rely more on the industry,” Botdoc founder and CEO Karl Falk said during a conversation that will be part of an upcoming episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast.

With that situation as a backdrop, Botdoc and KPA worked toward their partnership that is designed to offer a complete compliance solution for dealerships working through the recent interruption of digital documentation operations during cyber-attacks.

“The recent cyber-attacks forcing thousands of auto retailers to disrupt their back-office operations is more than just a headache,” Falk said in a news release. “This event is a stark reminder of not only the significant dangers associated with cyber risk, but also one that illustrates how dealerships often have vulnerabilities in their businesses continuity plans aside from potential fines and cyber risks.”

Through the partnership with KPA, Botdoc can provide a secure way for automotive dealerships to transport confidential information with end-to-end encryption through two versions of its product: Botdoc Lite and Botdoc Connect.

With Botdoc Lite, employees at a dealership can send and collect customer documents securely without passwords or logins through a secure link that can be used in email signature blocks, text shortcuts and even through social media.

Botdoc Connect can provide additional functionality over Botdoc Lite. The tool can populate customer information straight into the CRM without having to enter data manually.

Additionally, with Botdoc Connect, customer documents (drivers’ license, insurance, stips and more) are automatically appended to the customer’s profile in the CRM securely, eliminating additional steps and friction for the dealership employees.

KPA currently serves more than 15,000 dealers across the nation.

With its Vera Suite software and consulting services, KPA provides the automotive community with complete compliance that covers the front and back of the dealership, ensuring environmental, health, and safety as well as human resources, and advertising, sales, and finance compliance.

Working with Botdoc extends KPA’s comprehensive offering to include secure data exchange between customers and dealers.

“KPA is dedicated to workplace and workforce compliance, including safeguarding customer and employee information, which is why we’ve partnered with Botdoc to offer a secure information exchange to our automotive clients,” KPA president and CEO Chris Fanning said in the news release.

“Auto dealers can mitigate cyber threats, drive efficiency, foster trust, and ultimately achieve long-term success in an increasingly competitive market by investing in compliance software, like KPA’s Vera Suite, and secure document management tools from Botdoc,” Fanning continued.

This combined solution is immediately available to any dealership affected by the recent cyber disruption, and they will be eligible for three months free of Botdoc Lite.

For more information, visit https://botdocauto.com/botdoclitekpa/.

Why Trust Stamp and Botdoc now work together

As dealerships face rising fraud rates, cybersecurity concerns and new data privacy regulations, Trust Stamp and Botdoc partnered to decrease the risk of fraud and make dealerships more secure.

The integration includes document validation using the Driver License Data Verification (DLDV) System offered by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) and accessed by Trust Stamp under a license from AAMVA.

Trust Stamp and Botdoc have previously worked in parallel in other industries, such as banking, lending and insurance and are both graduates of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) ThinkTECH accelerator.

“I am thrilled to partner with Botdoc to bring our AI-powered technology to the automotive industry,” Trust Stamp president Andrew Gowasack said in another news release. “Criminals are using counterfeit or altered driver’s licenses, driving permits, and ID cards to commit fraud, and with nearly 80,000 cars stolen from dealerships last year, identity document validation is increasingly necessary.

“Now Botdoc customers can fight back using a variety of solutions through Trust Stamp’s low-code Orchestration Layer platform, which includes real-time capability to verify driver’s license/ID information against data from the issuing agency,” Gowasack continued.

“Botdoc, the global leader in secure digital transportation (SDT) technologies brings the highest levels of security while removing operational friction between employees and customers. Leveraging Botdoc’s years of experience in regulated industries, dealerships now have the convenience of security through Botdoc along with the strength of Trust Stamp’s identity fraud detection,” Gowasack went on to say.

Charles Potts is executive vice president and chief innovation officer of ICBA.

“By combining their cutting-edge solutions, Trust Stamp and Botdoc are enhancing security and efficiency in identity verification, and cyber security ultimately protecting both businesses and consumers, while benefiting the industry as a whole,” Potts said in the news release.

And considering what Falk shared for the podcast, the Botdoc founder and CEO gave similar reasons for working with Trust Stamp, reminiscent of his company’s alliance with KPA.

“Trust Stamp and Botdoc’s partnership effectively highlights how collaboration initiated by an industry innovator, such as the ICBA, can tackle critical issues including fraud, across multiple industry sectors,” Falk said.

“This partnership brings together our years of innovation in other regulated industries,” Falk continued. “Understanding how different industries operate is a huge advantage with the cross-pollination of best practices in innovation, cyber security, and fighting fraud.

“With increasing cyber-attacks in automotive, it is imperative to incorporate the best practices from other industries into this environment. This initiative brings a different perspective with new and innovative insights to the automotive industry,” he went on to say.

To learn more about the capabilities of Botdoc, visit https://botdoc.io/secure-your-dealership/.