What the Canadian Automotive Dealers Association (CADA) calls a benchmark study on car dealers and their use of technology is music to my ears — and it should be to yours too, wherever you sit in the aftermarket service network.

The Canadian Automotive Retail Technology Study (CARTS) takes a national look at how franchised auto retailers across Canada adopt, use, and value their dealership technology. It revealed some fascinating insights — particularly how dealers handle (or mishandle) the powerful tools they already have at their fingertips.

There’s no question that franchised new car dealers generally have more resources than the average independent Automotive Service Provider (ASP). The businesses are structured differently, and the technology platforms often are too. Still, comparisons are constant — between the aftermarket and the new car dealer world — from us, from customers, and from the industry at large.

We’ve all done it: looked at the dealers and assumed they’re operating on another level — bigger, brighter, and maybe better. But in reality, the supposed sophistication often doesn’t match the facts. I remember speaking with an OEM parts manager years ago, assuming they had a complex, data-driven pricing matrix. He laughed. “We do have one,” he said, “but mostly, we know we’ve priced something too high when the dealers start screaming.”

That memory came rushing back when I read the CARTS results.

Bottom line: dealers struggle to use the technology they already have — and most don’t come close to tapping its full potential. The research found that satisfaction with dealership tech depends less on feature depth and more on fit and usability. In fact, alignment with dealership needs (37%) and ease of use (21%) account for nearly 60% of overall satisfaction.

As Darren Slind, Co-Founder and President of Clarify Group Inc., which produced the study for CADA, put it:

“The findings expose a critical disconnect in technology ROI. A majority of Canadian dealers admit they’re not using tech solutions to their full potential and struggle with integration challenges. The challenge isn’t finding technology—it’s making it work seamlessly in the daily workflow.”

Sound familiar? It should.

We all wrestle with the same issue — making technology work with us instead of against us. According to the study:

• 59% of dealers underutilize their systems.
• 55% struggle with integration.
• 41% say training and support remain ongoing gaps.

I’d wager the results would look very similar if we surveyed independent shops.

Technology promises efficiency and insight — and often delivers both — but it also brings daily frustration. What worked perfectly yesterday suddenly changes today, and nobody knows why. Still, the lesson isn’t that struggle is failure. It’s that those who adapt faster, train better, and integrate more effectively will win — with customers, with productivity, and ultimately, with profitability.

You don’t need to be perfect to succeed. You just need to be a bit better than the shop down the street.

In the end, managing technology isn’t a game of perfect — it’s like golf: it’s about managing your misses, and setting up the next shot. Do that, and you’ll keep moving closer to the win.