The Challenge

Mike Murphy Ford in Morton, Illinois runs a high-volume operation with roughly 800 vehicles in stock. Managing an operation of that size means coordinating everyone from technicians, parts teams, vendors, lot staff, receptionists, salespeople, and managers, all moving at the same time.

Previously utilizing ReconVision by Reynolds & Reynolds, there were a few issues the team faced. For one, it only served two departments, service and parts. Another issue was being limited by the platform's capabilities. Vehicles couldn't move freely between departments, vendor tracking and scheduling was nonexistent, and it didn't integrate with other systems in place at the dealership. Outside of service and parts, the rest of the team was running on phone calls, text messages, and shared Google Sheets.

The team needed a platform that could keep up on the capabilities side, and one that the team was willing to actually use.

The Switch

The decision to switch came down to the limitations the dealership faced with ReconVision.

"Their inability to track and schedule vendors from the software. They also didn't have key integration or location integration." — Brett Bergman, Chief Client Officer, Mike Murphy Ford

Now the dealership runs 62 users across 12 departments on Cartuul, from receptionists to lot engineers, technicians, parts staff, managers, and more.

The bigger change was what happened next.

A Cultural Shift on the Lot

Changing software for any dealership can be messy, which can cause adoption to stall. At Mike Murphy Ford, Cartuul adoption went the other direction.

Repetitive daily tasks that would get skipped or forgotten are now fully automated and tracked. Accountability is built into their workflows, and the team turned that into positive momentum. Somewhere along the way, workflows turned into productive competitions.

"We have done completed task contests where we challenge a department to see who can complete the most tasks over a course of time, and they get rewarded with gift cards or swag."

What started as a recon software switch turned into a cultural shift the whole store bought into.

"It enabled the employees to use their phones more for work than for scrolling."

Vendor Management: The Biggest Time Saver

When there's a dozen vendors to deal with, coordinating windshield replacements, key vendors, body shops, detailers, and others used to require phone calls, texts, and constant follow-up. Cartuul's vendor portal changed that entirely.

"This is probably my biggest time saver switching over. The fact that I can pre-program and in a matter of a few clicks I can order a windshield, order a second key, order a front plate bracket has saved me 10-15 minutes per vehicle. Times that by 5-8 vehicles per day, it just adds up."

At peak, that's nearly two hours saved every single day, just on vendor coordination. And that time can be spent on the things that actually move the needle.

Not only that, but every vendor gets all the necessary information the moment a job is assigned, including VIN, photos, vehicle location, and job description. No more copying and pasting VINs into a text message. It's also a relief for the vendors themselves. They don't show up when there's no work, and they make better use of their time.

Visibility That Closes Deals

The cultural shift extends to the sales floor. Previously, the sales department would call, text, or spend time driving to the service department 10 minutes away, sometimes asking management to pull up live cameras just to see what cars were in the bays. With Cartuul, they pull all that information with the click of a few buttons.

Building value with prospective customers has also become easier for the sales team.

"Some have just pulled the inspection up from their phone while talking with prospective buyers to show them the tread depths and brake measurements."

That's how visibility becomes a sales tool at a high-volume dealership like Mike Murphy Ford.

Eliminating Manual Entry

Mike Murphy Ford had a KEYper key management system long before they ever heard of Cartuul. By integrating with KEYper, Cartuul relieved receptionists from manual data entry. Automating key record creation eliminated errors and resulted in a cleaner process from intake forward.

"We're all about automating over manual entry. When they make a mistake by miswriting or mistyping, it becomes a snowball effect."

What's Next

Mike Murphy Ford is still early in their Cartuul journey. Since implementing the platform, they've uncovered inefficiencies in their process they hadn't previously been able to see, and are actively using those insights to optimize their time to line. The visibility Cartuul provides is giving them a clearer picture of where time is being lost and where it can be reclaimed.

The Bottom Line

Replacing shared Google Sheets, eliminating vendor back-and-forth, and giving every department a single system to operate from, Mike Murphy Ford has built a more accountable, more efficient store on top of Cartuul. And the team actually uses it.

"It's eliminated a lot of the headaches with vendors and car conditions. It's eliminated a few of our shared Google Sheets and the time and effort in keeping them up to date."

About Cartuul

Cartuul at its core is a reconditioning platform, but it colors outside the lines of your traditional recon tool. It manages the full lifecycle of a vehicle from the second it's acquired to the moment it hits the frontline and beyond, and connects every person, every department, and every vendor involved in that process. Through integrations, automations, and real operational management, it goes way beyond just tracking where a car is in recon. It’s the operational layer that ties the whole store together.