CHARLOTTE, NC – AULtec, Inc., sibling company of on-the-lot inventory management provider AutoUpLinkUSA, and the technology innovator providing data aggregation services for numerous digital marketing companies, announced today the acquisition of North Carolina based e-autobusiness, a company specializing in customer acquisition and retention solutions for automotive retailers.
Now with 40-plus years of combined digital marketing innovation, AULtec provides affordable digital marketing solutions to car dealers that are embraced and used consistently to produce repeatable results. The company serves 2,500+ dealerships across the U.S.
Founded in 1999, e-autobusiness was a pioneer of automotive customer relationship management (CRM) software with its “Crawl, Walk, Run” CRM application, the AEROS Software Suite. e-autobusiness’ other products and services will now be available from AULtec, including its Bullseye email campaign software.
AEROS is a modular CRM that lets dealers deploy the level of sophistication and features that best fit their business needs and budget. Components can be added as needed over time. Certified by 17 manufacturers, the AEROS Software Suite helps dealers experience bottom-line results in sales, service, F&I, special finance, and parts, while providing web-based CRM, internet lead management, BDC control, lease and finance desking, and new media customer marketing. AEROS simplifies and improves the performance of cohesive follow-up phone calls, emails, video emails, targeted fulfillment marketing and much more to deliver the right message to the right customer at the right time, dramatically reducing attrition while improving profitability per transaction.
AEROS CRM is a natural fit for AULtec’s product portfolio, since AULtec’s technologies currently energize real-time exchange of data from a dealership’s various lead sources, including their website, into CRM. This delivery means better data quality, more competitive vehicle pricing across all sites on which the dealer lists inventories, and a precise capture of these leads into the CRM.
“A lead not converted or customer follow up not performed quickly results in lost opportunities or customer attrition,” notes Christian Thornton, e-autobusiness’ founder and former Managing Director, who now joins AULtec as a shareholder and Senior Executive Vice President of Marketing and New Business Development for all AULtec products and brands. “AEROS’ modular design means a dealer can start CRM marketing at a crawl, and then as needs evolve add modules for full functionality. AEROS is a perfect fit for AULtec’s product strategy, which is to be a single-platform provider for all of a dealer’s online and in-store sales and service needs supported by relentless customer service.”
With this acquisition, AULtec will retain e-autobusiness’ existing product development, sales, training and support personnel, and will infuse additional resources to further product development and innovation. By acquiring AEROS, AULtec continues to solidify, broaden and strengthen its value proposition to today’s aggressive online sales and marketing-focused auto dealerships.
Furthermore, AULtec enhances its professional-grade inventory management software and data distribution platform with robust CRM and Email Campaign Management software applications used by retailers throughout the United States.
“AULtec’s commitment to dealers is to provide a flexible and modular technology platform as a reasonable alternative to the conglomerate software sales organizations currently trying to replace the old-school DMS providers as the monopoly players in the space,” says AULtec’s CEO Bruce McHoul. “Why would a dealer want to replace a customer service-challenged, technology behemoth for a newer also-ran? We’re actively seeking dealers who prefer a technology partner that understands their business goals and who can help craft a technology strategy to drive unit sales, service appointments, profitability and user adoption.”
“From our similar starts at the beginning of the digital revolution in automotive marketing back in 1999, both AULtec and e-autobusiness helped auto dealers get maximum value from those digital technologies, and that mission continues for us today. Today we become a single, unified and multi-faceted digital marketing resource,” adds McHoul. “We’re blessed to have both Christian’s innovation and his leadership on the AULtec team.”
For more information, contact Christian Thornton at [email protected] or 866-949-9754.
About AULtec (pronounced “all tech”)
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Charlotte, NC, AULtec products help automotive retail teams of all sizes track all aspects of their business, share everything, work smarter, and establish more profitable customer relationships. From do-it-yourself inventory management apps and on-the-lot inventory service, to CRM and custom web site design, dealerships are energized by AULtec from end-to-end and across all profit centers.
AULtec also energizes data integration solutions for numerous entities, including leading providers of inventory data & vehicle image acquisition, inventory management software and online data publishing. The company’s superior software products and solutions, in-dealership service, and relentless customer service help thousands of dealerships drive more revenue and profit every day.
