In the past year, we have all faced new challenges and have had to adapt in many ways. In Florida, the home base for Auto Data Direct (ADD), we have seen the adoption of electronic signatures become needed and accepted in the processing of paperwork when making vehicle related transactions remotely. This has happened throughout the country, but we were ready, because ADD has been developing online, electronic processes for over 21 years.
The “touchless sale” is a term we have heard a lot as more and more of the car buying and selling processes began to happen online. ADD has offered EFS, Florida’s electronic filing system, for several years now, but in the past year, we have seen a sharp increase in its utilization. Giving dealers the ability to scan and send their deals to their Tax Collector or PTA has always been appealing, but a national pandemic and closed Tax Collector offices made the demand for EFS skyrocket. Some dealers, who were previously hesitant to add EFS to their process, have called to say how they wish they had started using it sooner! EFS also allows dealers to obtain exact fee calculations, search for and apply customer credits, and offer their customer a higher level of service and convenience when they leave the dealership with a shiny new plate issued at the point of sale!
Our DirectPost-Office (DPO) tool has grown this past year as well. Typically used by our national tow and wrecker operator customers, it offers the ability to send important notifications of lien and sale from our customer’s desktop. That’s right! No trip to the post office, and sending certified mail takes just a couple of minutes to produce and place in the mail stream. Our customers who use DPO can’t imagine running their businesses without it! In 2021, we added the ability for more company types to upload a completed document and send it out via certified mail using our new custom letter tool. So, more customers including insurers, dealers, credit unions, attorneys and others can complete important business and regulatory transactions without leaving their desk!
At the core of everything ADD does for our customers is DMV123, which offers a single electronic platform for retrieving real-time motor vehicle records (title and registration data with names and addresses) necessary to perform functions allowed under the federal and state Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA.) ADD now contracts with 42 jurisdictions for this valuable, secure access to data. So, for example, a tow company can retrieve a record from our DMV123 record platform, merge it into their certified letter and send it off to an owner and lienholder in a matter of a few minutes. The most recent additions to DMV123 are Ohio and the District of Columbia.
As already mentioned, DMV123 is driven by state and federal statutes. That means that not every jurisdiction allows every industry access to their records. But our customers don’t have to keep a list – we do that for them. If you are a dealer and use our records, just click on your DMV123 dropdown box and only the states that allow access by dealers will be available. The same process applies to every industry we serve.
ADD has awesome industry tools all supported by our fantastic and very personable customer service. At ADD we’re all focused on providing high quality service and communication. But our live, helpful, and knowledgeable customer service team, available 6 days a week, ensures that every customer knows how valued they are. If you have an ADD account, we’re pretty sure you are on a first name basis with one of them.
If you have questions about your account or new services, give us a call and we will be happy to help!