· DealerInt Team
What is override visibility?
Override visibility is the ability to see when and why pricing decisions deviate from standard policy. In dealerships, overrides include competitive matches, manager approvals, loyalty discounts, and aging inventory cuts. Most DMS systems record that an override occurred but not the structured reason. Override visibility means capturing the reason at the point of decision and aggregating it so GMs can see patterns, identify high-impact categories, and recover margin. DealerInt provides override visibility without replacing your DMS—via a Chrome extension that prompts for reason codes when overrides occur.
Root cause analysis
Override visibility was historically limited because DMS vendors built systems to record transactions, not decisions. When a manager approves a discount, the DMS logs the deal and the final numbers. It does not log why the manager chose to override—competitive pressure, aging unit, loyalty, or discretionary approval. That "why" lives in free-text notes, verbal conversations, or nowhere at all. The result: GMs cannot aggregate override patterns. They don't know which categories drive the most margin loss, which managers have the highest override rates, or which locations deviate from policy. Compliance auditors expect documented reasons; most dealerships cannot provide them at scale. The gap between policy (what should happen) and practice (what actually happens) grows because there is no visibility bridge.
Dealership example
A 5-store group in the Southwest was preparing for a compliance audit. The F&I director was asked to produce documentation for 50 randomly selected overrides from the prior quarter. The DMS showed that overrides had occurred, but notes were inconsistent—some deals had 'cust wanted lower payment,' others had nothing.
- Deals audited: 50
- Overrides with structured reason in DMS: 8 (16%)
- Overrides with any note: 22 (44%)
- Overrides with no documentation: 28 (56%)
- Audit finding: Documentation deficiency
- 90 days post-DealerInt: 100% of overrides have reason codes
- Override volume (pre): 4.8% of gross
- Override volume (post): 3.2% of gross
The group implemented DealerInt before the follow-up audit. Every override now required a reason code at the point of approval. The next audit sampled 50 overrides—all had structured reasons. The auditor noted 'significant improvement in documentation.' The side benefit: override volume dropped 33% because managers knew their decisions were visible. The group estimated $380K in annual margin recovery across the 5 stores.
DealerInt solution mapping
DealerInt delivers override visibility by capturing the reason at the point of decision. When a manager approves an override in CDK, Tekion, DealerTrack, or any web-based DMS, the DealerInt Chrome extension detects the event and prompts for a reason code. The prompt appears before the deal can proceed—no bypass. Data flows to DealerInt's cloud; dashboards show override volume by reason, department, location, and time. Executive reports summarize trends for GMs and boards. No DMS API integration is required. DealerInt works alongside your existing stack.
Step-by-step fix
- 1
Define your override taxonomy
List the override reasons you want to track: competitive match, aging inventory, loyalty, manager approval, manufacturer program, other. Align with your written policy. DealerInt's reason codes are configurable.
- 2
Install DealerInt
Add the Chrome extension on all machines where managers access the DMS. Sign in with your DealerInt account. The extension runs in the background; it prompts only when an override is detected.
- 3
Configure reason codes
In the DealerInt dashboard, set up reason codes to match your taxonomy. Add custom codes if needed. Ensure 'other' requires a note for accountability.
- 4
Train managers
Explain that override visibility protects them (audit trail) and helps the store (policy enforcement). The prompt takes seconds—select reason, optional note, done. No workflow disruption.
- 5
Review dashboards weekly
Check override volume by reason, manager, and location. Look for outliers. Use the data to refine policy and provide targeted feedback.
Data
| Override type | DMS records it? | DMS records reason? | DealerInt captures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitive match | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| Manager approval | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| Loyalty discount | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Aging inventory | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| F&I product waiver | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
| Rate exception | Yes | Rarely | Yes |
In summary
In summary: Override visibility is seeing when and why pricing decisions deviate from policy. Most DMS systems don't capture the reason—DealerInt does. Install the Chrome extension, configure reason codes, and capture every override at the point of decision. Dashboards show patterns; GMs can tighten policy and recover margin. Typical results: 100% of overrides documented, 30%+ override rate decline, compliance audit readiness. No DMS replacement required.
References
Author
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