Ford is using DealerPoint online customer-management software provided by Microsoft's CarPoint lead-referral service on its new ServicePoint Web site. Starting this summer, the Web site and software will serve as a central location to let domestic Ford, Lincoln Mercury, and Volvo dealers access, respond to, and track all online customer leads, says Mark Roman, Ford's manager of retail services.

Some dealers sign up to receive customer leads from several online referral services such as Autobytel.com, AutoWeb, and CarPoint, only to find their sales staff has a hard time handling online referrals on top of their regular sales efforts. That often results in long response times and difficulty tracking the status of these prospects.

"Many dealers have been caught off-guard by the high volume of leads they've received from the Net, with the result being that the old paper-and-pencil method of tracking them doesn't work anymore," says Chris DeNove, senior director of the retail and distribution practice at J.D. Power and Associates.

With custom DealerPoint software on Ford's ServicePoint site, dealers use a browser to remotely check for leads from online services and sites, view all information entered by customers on an online form, and respond quickly via E-mail. The site also features tools that let dealers track if and how they handled each lead and check performance.

"Having all your referrals in one place when you use several services and Ford.com would let us better respond to customer requests, as opposed to getting fax and E-mail leads from all over," says David Abatsis, owner of Acton Ford in Acton, Mass. "By tracking what these customers are asking for, we can spot trends and ensure we have what customers want." Acton Ford plans to use the site's capabilities when they're available.