Handle CRM inventory visibility: what reps can see

Why a rep needs equipment data

A rep who can see what a customer owns sells better. The five-year-old mower on the record is the trade-in conversation. The missing machine in the fleet is the gap to fill. Equipment data on the customer record turns a cold call into a useful one.

What the DIT connection documents

Handle's help files document a DIT integration. DIT is a John Deere data feed, and the article describes pulling data together so you can understand it and spot differences. For a John Deere dealer, that is real, documented value. For everyone else, it is proof the product can connect to brand data, not proof that your brand is covered.

What to verify for your brands

• Which of our brands have data connections, in writing?
• What data flows: units owned, purchase history, or more?
• How fresh is the data: live, nightly, or monthly?
• What does the connection cost?
• What do records look like for brands with no connection?

The rekeying audit

If your reps look up customer equipment in one system and log calls in another, count that switching time. Minutes per lookup, times lookups per day, times reps. Use the tool below to put dollars on it. That is what equipment data inside the CRM has to beat.

A worked task: the Deere-data check

Handle's documented DIT integration is John Deere specific. Suggested demo test for Deere dealers: pull up a customer and ask which equipment data came from DIT and which was typed by your team. Inputs: one real customer. Expected output: a clear answer about the data's source and freshness. The exception for everyone else: if you sell other brands, ask what the same record shows without DIT. A great Deere connection does not help a Kubota store.

Do this week

Write down your brand mix by revenue. The brand that pays your bills is the brand whose data connection you verify first.