Overview

The platform brings customer records, follow-up, reporting, deal work, marketing automation, and mobile access into a dealership-focused product. Matching and merging customer data between sales and service supports a shared customer view, while task assignment and communication workflows help staff coordinate outreach. This joined-up approach can suit stores that want these activities in one system, but teams outside automotive retail are unlikely to benefit from its specialized workflows.

Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Mission, Kansas, VinSolutions is part of a dealership software landscape with integrations across Cox Automotive products and third-party vendors. Its self-guided demo covers the CRM, predictive insights with GenAI, and deal workflow, offering a way to assess those areas before requesting custom pricing.

Key features

CRM, follow-up, and reporting

Connect CRM automates follow-ups and assigns sales staff tasks for targeted email and text communication. The practical advantage is a more organized outreach process: staff can work assigned tasks rather than rely entirely on ad hoc follow-up. Customer records matched across sales and service add continuity between departments. Dashboards and reports surface benchmarks, goals, and dealership metrics, giving managers a basis for monitoring performance.

Predictive insights and marketing

Predictive Insights uses Buying Signals to identify shoppers in market, while GenAI creates personalized emails and texts for staff to send. That can help sales teams prioritize prospects and tailor outreach, but the messages are staff-sent rather than an entirely hands-off customer interaction. Marketing automation supports personalized campaigns using dealership data, CRM insights, and Cox Automotive first-party data, making it relevant for teams seeking campaigns tied to their customer and sales context.

Desking and mobile work

Desking lets users compare deal scenarios, send proposals by text, email, or print, and access real-time rates, rebates, and lender incentives. Those tools connect proposal preparation with customer communication, which is useful for teams handling deals across channels. Connect Mobile, for iOS and Android, provides access to customer records, inventory, conversation histories, and follow-up functionality, supporting work away from a desk.

Integrations and optional tools

Listed Cox Automotive integrations include Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack DMS, Kelley Blue Book, Xtime, vAuto, and Deal Central. The CRM is also described as integrating with all major DMS providers, and the integrations page lists third-party vendors and directs prospective integration partners to the API Storefront. CRM add-ons include Cloudstore, MMS/texting, call tracking, video marketing, and a customer ID scanner with attachments. This ecosystem can extend the core workflow, though dealerships should confirm which connections and add-ons suit their own setup.

Support and security

Customers receive a dedicated Performance Manager, with on-demand training, live webinars, on-site support, and phone technical support. Phone support runs Monday–Friday 7am–8pm CST and Saturday 8am–6pm CST, providing defined coverage for dealership teams. Cox Automotive says it uses firewalls, application controls, and monitoring to protect information in transmission and after receipt, while acknowledging that complete security cannot be guaranteed.

Pricing

VinSolutions is paid software with custom pricing. There are no published plan tiers or prices to compare, so dealerships should request a quote and establish which CRM capabilities, integrations, and add-ons are included for their operation. The self-guided demo is a product walkthrough, not a free trial, so it does not provide a stated trial period for evaluating the service in daily use.

Platforms

VinSolutions supports web, Android, and iOS. Its mobile app extends access to customer records, inventory, conversation history, and follow-up, while the web platform supports the broader dealership workflow.

Who it's for

VinSolutions is aimed at automotive retail dealerships and their sales and marketing teams, especially stores coordinating customer information, lead follow-up, deal work, and communications across sales and service. It is less appropriate for businesses outside automotive retail or teams that need a general-purpose CRM rather than dealership-specific tools.

Pros and cons

Pros

Shared customer context: Matching and merging sales and service records can reduce fragmentation between dealership departments.
Connected sales workflow: Follow-up automation, reporting, predictive signals, and desking support several stages of dealership customer engagement.
Mobile coverage: Staff can access customer records, inventory, conversation histories, and follow-up functions on iOS and Android.
Dealership ecosystem: Cox Automotive integrations, DMS compatibility, third-party vendors, and optional CRM add-ons provide multiple paths to connect or extend workflows.
Structured support: A dedicated Performance Manager and training options complement defined phone support hours.

Cons

Narrow industry fit: Its workflows are built for dealership operations, so organizations outside automotive retail have little reason to choose it over a broader CRM.
Custom pricing: Buyers cannot compare published tiers or establish cost from a price list before requesting a quote.
No stated trial: The self-guided demo covers selected workflows but is not a trial for sustained evaluation.
Additional components may matter: Texting, call tracking, video marketing, and other needs may involve CRM add-ons, so teams should clarify scope during procurement.

Alternatives

Automotive CRM Software is the category directory for comparing dealership-focused CRM options.
Vital Software is another paid option with Android, iOS, and web support; consider it if you want to compare another platform across those device environments.
DealersCloud CRM has a Core Platform spanning CRM and lead management, inventory and VIN decoding, deal desking and F&I, accounting reports, marketing feeds, and a custom dealership website. Choose it when that broader dealership-management mix is a closer match.
Dealer-Mate has a Cloud Monthly plan at 119.00 USD per month, billed monthly, with cloud dealer management software and cancellation at any time; it also offers a free trial. Choose it if that stated monthly price and cancellable billing suit your evaluation and purchasing needs.
DriveCentric offers an Engagement Hub priced by rooftop and units sold, with add-ons and annual or multi-year agreements invoiced monthly. It may suit buyers who prefer that pricing basis and agreement structure.
Keyloop Sales Hub is another paid option to consider.
KUKUI offers a Pro plan with a branded website, CRM modules for leads, customers, follow-up, specials, calendar, and reports, plus email blasts with templates and POS/SMS integration. It may fit a buyer seeking that website-and-CRM package.
MotorDesk has a Starter plan at 79.00 GBP per month, billed monthly, with capacity for 5 vehicles for sale and 1 staff/email account; it excludes online checkout and deal builder. Its free trial and published starter price make it worth comparing for smaller operations that can work within those limits.
Tekion ARC CRM is another paid CRM available on Android, iOS, macOS, and web.

Verdict

VinSolutions is a strong fit for automotive dealerships that want customer records, follow-up, predictive outreach, desking, reporting, and mobile work connected around dealership operations. Its CRM breadth and dealership integrations are the main reasons to choose it; its custom pricing, demo-only evaluation, and narrow industry focus are reasons to look elsewhere if upfront cost clarity, an extended trial, or a cross-industry CRM matters more.

	DealerPilot	VinSolutions
Free plan	No	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	—	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Android, iOS, Web
Free plan	No	—
Workflow automation	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
DMS integration	—	Yes
Lead routing	—	Yes
SMS messaging	—	Yes
Lead source capture	—	Yes

DealerPilot vs VinSolutions

DealerPilot

VinSolutions