HOUSTON — CAR-Research XRM recently unveiled a new tool that it contends will allow dealers to consolidate vendors to become more efficient and save money when it comes to customer relationship management, marketing and software delivery.

The company released this new Bundled-Apps solution of CRM and marketing solutions at the Eighth Annual Digital Dealer Conference in Orlando, Fla., last month.

The Bundled-Apps solution allows dealers to save money and cut back on the number of outside vendors they use for technological or marketing services.

"Welcome to the future of CRM," stated Kurt Kubicki, vice president of marketing for CAR-Research XRM.

"When we saw the game changing success of app-based mobile telephony, and how it has revolutionized the cell phone industry, we went to work 'round the clock' in our Houston Technology Center to create a similar environment for auto dealers, allowing them to access numerous apps from one vendor," he continued.

Kubicki added: "We have developed over 50 CRM- and marketing-related apps, which can be bundled into custom solutions for a more efficient and cost-effective approach to CRM, marketing and software delivery."

Consolidating vendors also allows for data integration, officials noted, which can be beneficial for dealers. For instance, say a dealer has five vendors with separate databases that are not in communication with one another. 

The company can help that dealer become more efficient through consolidation.

"XRM consolidates them into one master database, tied to a dynamic marketing engine that a dealer can manipulate internally across all departments, or in enterprise mode," officials explained. "This creates more effective marketing campaigns and more accurate ROI reporting, based on a retailer's own data."