Can Chatref integrate with existing dealership management software?

Chatref’s custom-actions feature lets you link your existing dealership management system or CRM directly into the chat experience. Define actions that call your system’s API, pull data, or update records when customers ask questions. For example, an agent can look up a vehicle’s availability from your inventory database and display it instantly, all without leaving the chat. No pre-built connectors required - just your API endpoints and a few configuration steps in the Chatref workspace.

Turn chat interactions into automated workflows. When a customer asks about service appointment availability, an action can check your dealership’s scheduling tool and book a slot. When a lead provides contact details, an action can create or update a record in your CRM. Custom actions handle the back-and-forth with your software behind the scenes, so your team spends less time on manual data entry and more time on selling.

Multi-location dealerships benefit from Chatref’s workspaces and shared inbox. Segment your team by location or role, then monitor all customer conversations in one place. When a chat needs a human touch, a sales agent can take over directly from the shared inbox, seeing the full conversation and any data already pulled by custom actions. This ensures consistent service and smooth handoffs without duplicate effort.

Implementing integration is straightforward. From your Chatref workspace, define custom actions that map to your dealership software’s endpoints. Test them in the playground to ensure data flows correctly, then activate them in your live widget. Because Chatref’s pay-as-you-go pricing has no per-seat fees, you can connect multiple locations without ballooning costs. You only pay for the chat responses your agents handle.

Which dealership software systems does Chatref support?

Chatref integrates with any dealership management system or CRM that exposes an API. You configure custom actions to communicate with your current tools, whether you use a large platform like CDK or Reynolds, or a custom in-house system. There are no pre-integrated vendor bundles, so you retain full flexibility to connect exactly the systems your dealership already relies on.

How seamless is the integration process?

Once you have your API credentials, setting up a custom action takes only a few minutes. You define the request and response mappings in Chatref’s interface, test them real-time, and deploy. No code is required on your website beyond the initial widget snippet. Our documentation and support team can guide you through the initial configuration.

Can Chatref automate tasks within our dealership software?

Yes. Custom actions allow you to automate a wide range of tasks: pulling real-time inventory data, scheduling service appointments, creating CRM records for new leads, updating customer profile details, and more. The chatbot becomes an active part of your workflow, not just a question-answerer.