What is a VMS?
The complete explanation for dealers in trucks, commercial vehicles and machines: what an inventory management system (VMS) is, what it does and when you need one.
Book a demoThe complete explanation for dealers in trucks, commercial vehicles and machines: what an inventory management system (VMS) is, what it does and when you need one.
Book a demoA VMS (vehicle management system) is software that lets a vehicle dealer run their entire business from one system: inventory, publishing to sales channels, customers, invoicing, workshop and export, without working separately in spreadsheets or standalone programs. You will also come across it as a DMS (Dealer Management System).
Do you work in trucks, vans or machines? Then a VMS makes sure you don't have to enter the same data over and over. You put a vehicle into the system once and use that data everywhere: in your listing, your quote, your invoice and your export papers.
You come across both terms. VMS stands for inventory management system (also Vehicle Management System), DMS for Dealer Management System. In the vehicle trade they mean the same thing: one system with which you run your entire trade. DMS comes from the passenger car dealer world; in the truck, commercial vehicle and machine trade we prefer VMS, because it revolves around your inventory and not around a brand dealership.
A VMS links together the steps that normally live in separate tools. In practice it comes down to: inventory management with specifications, photos and cost price per vehicle; publishing to sales channels and your own website; customer management; quotes and invoices with the right VAT rule; the workshop; RDW actions and export; and financial reports.
General automotive software rarely fits heavy equipment. A tractor unit, a trailer and an excavator call for different specifications, and the sale often crosses the border. A VMS made for this industry knows those particularities: category-specific fields, publishing to channels such as TruckScout24, Mascus and Autoline, and export administration with export registration and intra-community VAT built in.
A CRM is only about customer relationships. An accounting package is only about your administration. A VMS is broader: it is the central system of a vehicle trade where inventory, sales, workshop and customers come together: and it connects to your accounting, so you don't post twice.
At the core, these are the building blocks you'll find in SellYourTruck. The system is modular, so there's always a package that fits.
The terms you come across in a VMS for the vehicle trade, briefly explained.
VMS stands for inventory management system (also known as Vehicle Management System): software with which a vehicle or machine dealer manages inventory, publishing, sales, invoicing, workshop and export from one system. You will also come across the same software as DMS (Dealer Management System).
Nothing substantial: they're synonyms. DMS (Dealer Management System) comes from the passenger car dealer world, VMS (inventory management system) is the term that fits the independent truck, commercial vehicle and machinery trade better. SellYourTruck is both.
A CRM is only about customer relationships. A VMS is broader and also handles inventory, publishing, invoicing, workshop and export, with customer management as one part of it.
Even with a smaller inventory, a VMS prevents double work and mistakes. You enter a vehicle once and use that data in your listing, quote, invoice and export documents.
In the case of SellYourTruck, a VMS can connect to your accounting software, so you do not have to enter invoices twice.
Yes. You enter a vehicle once and publish it via the portal connection to sales sites and your own website at the same time.
Book a 30-minute demo. We'll show you how your stock, sales and export come together in SellYourTruck.