Table of Contents
- How long should I expect the integration setup to take?
- How can I help get my integration completed quickly?
- Will the integration process automate my entire workflow?
- Can Dealer Spike map every field I have on the DMS over to my website?
- What if I want industry-specific fields?
- Which fields update nightly, and which don’t?
- How often does the inventory feed process run?
- What if I need a unit updated mid-day?
- How do third parties differ?
- Why can’t I delete units brought over from an inventory feed out of Inventory Manager?
- Why don’t all my units have stock images?
- How do I upload images?
- How do vehicle types and categories work?
- Why does Dealer Spike ask me for SKU sheets?
- How do I correct an incoming inventory issue vs. make a change to the way something looks on the front end?
- Who do I contact with questions about pricing, costs or invoice issues?
- What are the hours of operation for the Integrations Team?
DMS Integration Frequently Asked Questions
- How long should I expect the integration setup to take?
- How can I help get my integration completed quickly?
- Will the integration process automate my entire workflow?
- Can Dealer Spike map every field I have on the DMS over to my website?
- What if I want industry-specific fields?
- Which fields update nightly, and which don’t?
- How often does the inventory feed process run?
- What if I need a unit updated mid-day?
- How do third parties differ?
- Why can’t I delete units brought over from an inventory feed out of Inventory Manager?
- Why don’t all my units have stock images?
- How do I upload images?
- How do vehicle types and categories work?
- Why does Dealer Spike ask me for SKU sheets?
- How do I correct an incoming inventory issue vs. make a change to the way something looks on the front end?
- Who do I contact with questions about pricing, costs or invoice issues?
- What are the hours of operation for the Integrations Team?
Estimated Reading Time: 15 Minutes
How long should I expect the integration setup to take?
Because every dealer situation is different, setup completion times will vary. Most setups take between 2-3 weeks, but because DMS providers differ, some integrations could take up to 6 weeks to complete.
How can I help get my integration completed quickly?
The best way to reduce lead time is to provide as much detailed information as possible and to be responsive when communicating with us. When dealing with individual units, having the stock number is vital.
Will the integration process automate my entire workflow?
No. The inventory feed process will bring over most of your inventory data, but there will be times when you need to manually adjust data via the Dealer Spike Inventory Manager or your DMS software. Errors in inventory data on the DMS will be reflected on your website and will need to be corrected on the DMS at the dealership level.
Can Dealer Spike map every field I have on the DMS over to my website?
Not always. We will work closely with you to map as much information as possible, but there are instances where data specific to an individual industry or manufacturer has no corresponding field available in Dealer Spike.
What if I want industry-specific fields?
We try our best to incorporate most fields; however, we may not have the ability to map to some industry-specific fields included by your DMS. Please submit a case to let us know which fields you would like us to map to. We will gather detailed information from you and then research Dealer Spike capabilities. The Support team can create custom fields in your Inventory Manager that will allow you to enter values manually after the unit has been imported
Which fields update nightly, and which don’t?
Inventory units are automatically set to upload to the website from the DMS every night - these are referred to as auto-maintained units. This means that any manual change made to a unit from within the Inventory Manager will be overwritten by the nightly inventory feed.
To prevent this from happening, Dealer Spike will need to update settings so the manual changes won’t be overwritten by the nightly feed. The unit will continue to be included in the nightly feed run, but your manual changes will no longer be overwritten.
Please call the Integration Team at 800.288.5917 ext 203 or send us an email at feeds@dealerspike.com.
How often does the inventory feed process run?
The process runs nightly at 12:00AM PST. Each dealer’s initial run brings over all major units, and only units added or removed after the initial run are impacted during subsequent feeds. All inventory changes must be submitted in your DMS and sent to Dealer Spike before 12:00AM PST to ensure they update the next day.
What if I need a unit updated mid-day?
The most effective way to update a unit during the day is to make the changes in the Inventory Manager.
How do third parties differ?
Your Integration Specialist understands how each third party functions and will assist you with your specific situation.Third party responsiveness is always a factor in completion time, and we rely on you to help engage third parties when expediting the process.
Why can’t I delete units brought over from an inventory feed out of Inventory Manager?
Units brought over during an inventory feed cannot be manually deleted from the website—this is to prevent issues with the unit coming back over from the inventory feed again the next night. You have several options for removing a unit from the website:
- Send a case to feeds@dealerspike.com, and an Integration Specialist will help you find a solution.
- You can mark a unit as inactive via the admin panel, which will also prevent it from being displayed and fed over to third parties.
Why don’t all my units have stock images?
Dealer Spike can attempt to assign the proper manufacturer images and specs to your inventory units when they import via an incoming integration. The matching process will not match 100% of your inventory, so you may still need to manage your units through the Inventory Manager on your Dealer Spike website.
How do I upload images?
If your DMS provides images, Dealer Spike can bring them over during the integration and subsequent inventory feed runs. Images can also be manually uploaded through the Dealer Spike admin panel or through a DMS integration. Uploading images in both places leads to images being deleted and removed, so be sure to choose just one of these methods.
How do vehicle types and categories work?
We can take any key information, such as a category, from your DMS and map it to a vehicle type and category pair. For example, if you are sending over a category that equals “Boat-Fishing,” we can assign Vehicle Type as “Boat” and category as “Fishing.” For assistance, please submit a detailed case to feeds@dealerspike.com that includes the information you want to enter and how you want it to filter on the front end.
Why does Dealer Spike ask me for SKU sheets?
Because OEMs rely on dealers to sell their products, OEMs are motivated to provide SKU sheets to dealers in a timely fashion. It is extremely likely that a dealer will have OEM SKU sheets from manufacturers sooner than Dealer Spike can obtain them. Providing SKU sheets when asked is the quickest way for Dealer Spike to match your inventory to manufacturer specs and images.
How do I correct an incoming inventory issue vs. make a change to the way something looks on the front end?
If you are experiencing an issue with imported inventory data, please email feeds@dealerspike.com. For all other issues, please contact your Account Manager
Who do I contact with questions about pricing, costs or invoice issues?
All questions related to pricing or invoice issues should be directed to your Account Manager.
What are the hours of operation for the Integrations Team?
We work Monday through Friday, 7:00AM – 4:00PM PST, with the exception of holidays. If you need to open a case, you can send a detailed email to feeds@dealerspike.com 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we will contact you during our normal working hours.
