The Elf on the Shelf – the adorable holiday tradition featuring a grinning elf that watches and protects your home during the day and moves around at nighttime – got us thinking that our Dealer Dashboard is kind of like that; always watching your out-of-state transactions to keep them on track. But in a good way, not a creepy way.

Since we’re in the holiday season and spirit (and eggnog!) and everyone loves end-of-year countdowns and lists, we thought we would present the Top 5 most common issues that cause an out-of-state transaction file to go to the ‘Needs Notice’ section of the ATC Dealer Dashboard. When a file goes to ‘Needs Notice,’ it delays its processing and turnaround time so the ATC Elf on a Shelf is always watching to make sure you complete all the items on your checklist.

In no particular order, here are the “Top 5 Issues That Cause Out-of-State Transactions to Go to Needs Notice:”

Thoroughly review your checklist. Did you forget to include something with your file? Yes, you did. And the Elf will remind you.

Powers of Attorneys either not sent or sent with no notary. Remember, vehicle transactions are complicated and if it requires a POA, it must be included and notarized. Keep your notary busy and feeling special! If you happen to mail in documents separately, please make sure to always include an ATC coversheet containing the VIN. This will help us associate your documents to the proper file.

Insurance requirements not being met. Minimum car insurance requirements vary from state to state so make sure to read the checklist for accurate insurance requirements for your transactions.

Taxable items being ignored on the fee sheet. Make sure you collect the correct amount of money up front by always paying close attention to the highlighted taxable items on your fee sheet. That’s why we highlight them – they’re important!

Proof of residency. Again, always read the checklist to make sure you include all proof of residency documents in your file.

These are the most common issues that hold up an out-of-state transaction from being processed efficiently and in a timely manner. But the ATC Elf on a Shelf is always watching and will notify you via a ‘Needs Notice’ in your Dealer Dashboard.

The best advice we can give to avoid ‘Needs Notice’ slowdowns is to enter as much information, as accurately as humanly possible (or as “elf-ly” possible) during the quoting process so your checklist will include everything you need. Skimming or taking shortcuts during quoting will create issues that will ‘need notice.’

Oh, and one more reason the Dealer Dashboard is like Elf on a Shelf: much like kids think the elf is magic, there is always a real person creating that “magic” by moving him around, dressing him up, etc. ATC creates the “magic” by doing the work behind the scenes to make sure your out-of-state transactions are magical, merry, and joyous – all year long!

From all the TT&L elves at ATC, we also hope your holidays are magical, merry, and joyous!

Automotive Title Company (ATC) works with the DMV every day to provide accurate tax, title, and registration fee information to make the car buying experience easier for shoppers and more profitable for dealers, lenders, and auto technology companies. We work with every DMV, in every jurisdiction in the country, to make it easier for you to sell cars. To learn more, contact us.

Automotive Titling Company (ATC) is pleased to offer Title Only and Lease Buyout functionality to the ATC platform to help make these complex transactions, simple!

“This is something that had been available to dealers for a while, but the process was very manual, and to be honest, a bit time-consuming,” said Marcus Alley, VP Strategic Initiatives at ATC. “But dealers that used it still appreciated being able to process their Title Only and Lease Buyout transactions through ATC so we decided to make processing them easier and faster and add it to the platform. Now you can process all of your transactions through ATC and increase efficiencies to scale your business!”

Title Only transactions are needed when a vehicle is purchased from a dealership and the title transfers from the dealership to the lienholder, but the buyer pays the registration fees with the DMV. Lease Buyout transactions are when a buyer purchases their vehicle before the end of the lease contract. Both types of transactions are rapidly gaining in popularity and this added functionality can help you simplify your titling procedures so you can process transactions faster and more efficiently.

The update to your ATC platform includes:

• New “Register a Vehicle” page, which has been revamped as a three-column page so you can input all information without having to scroll down.
• New Transaction Types, including Title Only and Lease Buyout, have been added to the “Transaction Type” dropdown. Both can be selected to fully register a vehicle and return all pertinent documents and applicable fees & taxes.
• New Fields, including Rim Size (inches), Number of Tires, and Number of Axles. These new fields currently have no impact on vehicle registration but may in the future.
• Get Taxable Value is now above the third column of “Vehicle Information,” and all applicable transaction notes now appear above the three columns.
• Get Fees (Title Only). Since registration fees are not required on Title Only transactions, they have been removed from the Title Only fee sheet.

Fee sheets, checklists, and documents have all been updated for both transaction types to show what fees and documents are due. This means you don’t need to request more from the customer than what is necessary to process the transaction.

If you’re not already an ATC customer, we invite you to try ATC for 15 days free with no obligation. You get unlimited quotes during the trial period and have access to all document checklists. Just click here to get started.

Auto Titling Company (ATC) exists to provide accurate tax, title, and registration fee information to make the car buying experience easier for shoppers and more profitable for dealers, lenders, and auto technology companies. We work with every DMV, in every jurisdiction in the country, to make it easier for you to sell cars. To learn more, contact us.

What hasn’t the internet changed? It has had profound effects on how we shop, go to work, and even though some people thought it would never happen, how we buy our cars and trucks.

eCommerce is a quarter century old, and started with us buying simple things, like books, music, booking travel, and maybe, if someone were really brave, buying pants or a shirt online. Now, more than two decades into the digital economy, and because of the pandemic, we buy everything online.

But online auto sales lagged, still requiring a visit to the dealership to complete the transaction. Perhaps people thought that since the transactions were so complex, they couldn’t be done online. Many people still believe that. But the truth is, online vehicle sales are exploding for several reasons.

First, technology from several innovative companies allows buyers to take care of most parts of the car buying experience online. Second, the pandemic has caused many to do all their business online, away from other people, including car buying. Third, we are in what experts are calling “The Great Resignation” and record numbers of people are leaving their jobs; many moving out of state or “back home” and are looking for new vehicles in their new state, or old state, with the intention of taking them along.

Add to this a challenging economy which has led many dealerships to cut their back-office staff, and it is a perfect storm of conditions for the explosion of online car sales, and chances are, the auto industry is never going back to the way things were.

Let’s go back to eCommerce for a second. It is probably the biggest reason for the spike in online vehicle sales because buying shoes, groceries, insurance, plane tickets, and furniture online has trained consumers that the product comes to you, you don’t go to the product. Online buyers do their vehicle research online and narrow their choices by visiting a dealership for a test drive. When they get close to buying, they want to see available discounts and rebates online, get an accurate price quote, receive an offer on their trade-in (if any), get financed and insured, sign the documents, and then have the vehicle delivered to them.

Many dealerships struggle with helping online buyers through these steps, which poses a problem for “traditional dealers” because they are vulnerable to new players in the market that can provide these things online.

Seamless and easy experiences are what online vehicle buyers want and technology has made this possible. Having a technology platform that includes credit applications, financing, insurance, and tax, title, and license to speed the purchase process is crucial.

ATC is part of this new digital automotive economy and provides dealers, lenders, and auto technologies accurate tax, title, and license data for online sales, and in-state and out-of-state vehicle titling and registration.

We work with every DMV, in every jurisdiction in the country, to make it easier for you to sell cars. To learn more, reach out to Blaine@autotitling.com.

Automotive Title Company (ATC) works with the DMV every day and we think it gets a bad rap. Sure, it can be frustrating working through the red tape and bureaucracy, but the reason the DMV was conceived was to keep us all safe. With that in mind, we thought that a history of the DMV could help create more appreciation for it.

When cars began to appear on American roads in the early 20th century, there were no real requirements for owners to acquire a license, or drive safely, in many parts of the country. For example, in some states, motorists only had to say they had read their state’s traffic laws and knew how to operate the car. Absolutely no proof was necessary!

Of course, tragedies happened because people who never really bothered to learn how to operate a car or navigate roads filled with other cars, horses, carriages, bicycles, and curious onlookers, ended up causing numerous injuries and deaths.

At the time, automobiles were extremely expensive and unaffordable for most of the population, so car owners were wealthy and believed that the rules didn’t apply to them. Newspapers began writing sensational articles about “death on wheels” and “automobile scorchers” and portrayed cars, and the people that drove them, as killing machines.

There was a growing need to establish rules and regulations to regulate how cars interacted with other participants in traffic and on the streets and roads to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. The earliest rules were impractical, such as rules to only drive in daylight, or carry a red flag in front of a car to warn others that it was approaching. As the number of motor vehicles grew, new sets of laws were enacted requiring owners to obtain license plates for their vehicles and a driver’s license for themselves. That was the beginning of the process to register vehicles and license drivers.

The DMV was born.

The idea for the DMV was to provide the public with the highest level of motor vehicle safety and collect revenue to be used for transportation related matters. An additional function of the DMV was, and still is, to maintain motor vehicle related records. Today, these procedures are handled by state government agencies, collectively known as the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Over time, the DMV has increased its range of activities and responsibilities. It is still responsible for regulating traffic safety, driver training, testing, and licensing, and motor vehicle registration. In the 1960s, smog control devices were mandatory for first-time registrations, and in the 1970s, DMVs began issuing personalized license plates.

With the emergence of the Internet, the DMV has started offering online services such as handling traffic citations, insurance transactions, driver’s license violation point record-keeping, license status checks, etc.

Auto Titling Company (ATC) exists to provide accurate tax, title, and registration fee information to make the car buying experience easier for shoppers and more profitable for dealers, lenders, and auto technology companies. We work with every DMV, in every jurisdiction in the country, to make it easier for you to sell cars. To learn more, reach out to [email protected].

Auto Titling Company (ATC) exists to provide accurate tax, title, and registration fee information to make the car buying experience easier for shoppers and more profitable for dealers, lenders, and auto technology companies. The story we have told for years has always centered on how accurate TT&L data can improve the buying experience and having bad data can cost you sales and time. In this case study, we tell a client’s saga of sales lost, time wasted, and show exactly what bad data can cost: millions!

First, the backstory. The company will remain nameless, but we feel this case study provides a lot of value about overcoming the obstacles on the way to a positive business outcome.

Company X is a dealer management system (DMS) provider for thousands of automotive dealers nationwide that uses a TT&L database accumulated from data used by dealers in their local transactions. In 2020, the company’s online sales were booming because of the pandemic. This seismic shift in their business meant that for the first time, most of their potential buyers fell outside of their dealers’ local jurisdiction, where tax rates and registration fees are calculated entirely differently.

This led to a surge in misquoted tax and fee calculations during the closing process – a whopping 45% of all deals used inaccurate TT&L data!

In the previous year, the direct costs of miscalculating taxes and fees to register a vehicle on the Company X DMS platform led to more than $2 million dollars’ worth of customer refunds and costs that the dealers had to absorb. Indirect costs included paying four software developers who spent 20 hours a week researching local tax jurisdiction laws and fees and maintaining its database – ~$350,000 in labor.

The happy ending to this sad tale of inaccurate data and its impact on Company X’s business is that ATC was able to help provide accurate TT&L calculations through an API integrated directly into their DMS platform – saving Company X millions of dollars annually and refocusing their software development team on more strategic projects and initiatives. By increasing the accuracy of their TT&L data, we helped them reach their goal of four consecutive profitable quarters in 2020/2021.

If your company finds itself in a similar situation – needing accurate tax, title, and license data to grow business and expand sales, ATC can help. We work with dealers, lenders, and auto technologies to increase car sales and remove friction from the car buying experience. Contact us to learn more.

Buying a car can be a frustrating experience. The process is complex, time-consuming, and for many people, filled with fees they don’t understand. Since ATC exists to provide accurate tax, title, and registration fee information to make the car buying experience easier, we thought we’d cover all the fees that are part of most car buying transactions.

Finance Charges
Since most people don’t pay for their car in cash, they must secure a loan. A buyer’s credit score, the loan’s term, type of car, and down payment all help determine the rate the buyer pays to finance their vehicle.

Destination Fee
This is the cost the dealership must pay to have the car delivered from the factory to their showroom. This is a fee that cannot be negotiated.

Transportation Fee
If a buyer wants a model not available at the time of purchase, and the dealership must transport it from another location, a transportation fee will be charged.

Documentation Fee
The document fee is sometimes called a processing fee, handling fee, or conveyance fee, and covers the cost of preparing all the paperwork required for selling a car. Some states have a cap on document fees or require that the dealership charge every customer the same fee.

Preparation Fee
The prep fee is the cost of getting your car ready and may include washing the car, removing the plastic covering from the interior and exterior, and filling up the gas tank.

VIN Etching
A dealership can etch the vehicle identification number, or VIN, on the windshield to deter car theft.

Credit Insurance
Credit insurance can help cover the remainder of a car loan after an accident, and some policies might also help if the buyer becomes disabled, loses their job, or dies.

Gap Insurance
Gap (guaranteed asset protection) insurance may be required if leasing a vehicle. It covers the difference between the loan and the value of your vehicle if it’s totaled or stolen.

And we might be a bit biased, but the most important fees when buying a new vehicle:

Title and Registration Fees
Dealerships handle the process of registering the vehicle with the buyer’s motor vehicle agency, assigning the car’s title and ordering the license plate. The dealer collects this fee and submits it to the state motor vehicle agency. (Made really easy if they work with ATC!)

Sales Tax
Most states have a sales tax on vehicles, and it must be paid when you buy a new vehicle. The sales tax varies based on the state in which the buyer would like to register the vehicle and if buying a car in a different state, the dealership may be able to register the car in that state and submit the sales tax to that state’s motor vehicle agency. (Made really easy if they work with ATC!)

ATC provides dealers, lenders, and auto technologies accurate tax, title, and registration data for in-state and out-of-state vehicle titling and registration. Contact us for more information about how our technology helps increase car sales and remove friction from the car buying experience.

The automotive industry has always been a hotbed of technological innovation so ATC has put together our list of the most important automotive technology advances to show just how far we’ve come in the last 100+ years.

1911 – Electric Ignition
Before electric ignition, manual hand cranks started cars, but they were dangerous because the engine could jump as the car started, injuring the driver. The first electric starter appeared in a Cadillac in 1912.

1921 – Cigarette Lighters
Cigarette lighters were standard by around 1925, and although they aren’t common today, we still use the socket to power our in-car electronics.

1930 – Car Radio
The first car radios were AM, and 22 years later the first FM radio was available.

1949 – Car Keys
Chrysler invented the car key to start the electric starter and ignition. Soon, every manufacturer offered keys.

1951 – Power Steering
Power steering uses hydraulic power to make steering much easier, and first appeared on a Chrysler in 1951, and a Cadillac a year later.

1953 – Air Conditioning
The Chrysler Imperial was the first car to offer air conditioning as an option, making summer driving more bearable.

1958 – Cruise Control
Once again, Chrysler led the way with cruise control in 1958, and was soon a standard feature in Cadillacs a few years later.

1959 – Seatbelts
The modern seatbelt was invented by Volvo, who decided to give away the patent to other carmakers for free, knowing it would save lives.

1971 – ABS Technology
An Anti-Lock Braking System stops wheels from locking up during hard braking. It was first used on trains before Chrysler adapted it for the car.

1973 – Catalytic Converter
This technology reduces toxic emissions created by the engine.

1988 – Airbags
Chrysler introduced the first production airbag, which was initially only available for the driver.

1994 – On-board Diagnostics
OBD allows mechanics to access information about the car in order to make repairs. OBD became mandatory in 1996.

1996 – Electric Vehicle
The GM EV1 was the first mass-produced electric vehicle and even though GM promised 70-90 miles on a charge, it was actually closer to 50-60 miles.

1998 – Smart Key
Mercedes-Benz was the first to offer the Smart Key, which allowed the car to be started using a push button as long as the key was inside the vehicle.

2000 – GPS Navigation
In 2000, President Bill Clinton ordered the military to stop scrambling GPS signals which made the technology available for use in auto navigation systems.

2000 – Hybrid cars
Adding an electric motor to a gas engine was first conceived in the 19th century but Toyota brought it to the world market in 2000.

2001 – Bluetooth
The first hands-free bluetooth appeared in 2001 and today bluetooth is integrated with every car’s infotainment system.

2002 – Backup Camera
The first backup camera was used in the 1956 Buick Centurion concept car, which was never produced, so the 2002 Infiniti Q45 was the first production car to offer it.

Some items on this list seem so basic today that calling them “technology advances” seems strange, but to anyone that remembers craning their neck to see what was behind them as they backed up, or wrestling with the steering wheel before power steering was a thing, they are miracles of technology!

What does the future hold for automotive technology? Autonomous vehicles get the lion’s share of attention, but what else is coming to our cars?

?? – Gesture Controls
Automakers are working on displays that respond to gesture control.

?? – Biometric access
The smart key is so 2010! Someday soon you’ll unlock and start your car with your fingerprint.

?? – Windshield Displays
One day everything your dash shows you will be displayed in your smart glass windshield.

?? – Energy-storing Body Panels
The battery required for an electric vehicle takes up a lot of space (and weight) so automakers are developing energy-storing body panels that take the place of the battery.

ATC is also in the automotive technology business – we provide dealers, lenders, and auto technologies accurate tax, title, and license data for in-state and out-of-state vehicle titling and registration. No matter what technology makes its way to our cars in the future, we know that each car will still have to be registered and licensed. Contact us for more information about how our technology helps increase car sales and remove friction from the car buying experience.

The only constant in life is change.

Cliché? Maybe. True? Absolutely, especially in the automotive industry the last decade or so.

In general, car buyers become familiar with new models through commercials, ads, or word of mouth. When they are in the market for a new car, they do research before heading to the dealership to test drive and purchase. How has technology impacted the car buying journey? Here are four ways technology has forever changed the car buying experience.

Research

It should be no surprise that car buyers begin their purchase journey by researching online. What is interesting is that car buyers no longer primarily rely on OEMs and dealerships for their research; most of them, 56%, begin at third-party sites, and not at the brand or dealer sites. (AutoTrader)

These car researchers don’t limit themselves to just one site to find information. In fact, car researchers visited an average of 4.3 websites in their purchase process, including third-party sites, which 80% of researchers visited, OEM sites (27%), and dealership sites (40%). The most-visited third-party sites include Kelley Blue Book, AutoTrader, Cars.com, Carfax, and Edmunds. (Cox Automotive)

Mobile

Smartphones and tablets are an integral part of the car buying journey.

To show just how important mobile devices are to a car buyer, consider these statistics:

•   60% of all automotive searches come from a mobile device and some of the top mobile searches are related to dealerships (Google)
•   48% of new car buyers use their smartphone for information gathering while at the dealership (JD Power)
•   69% of car buyers say it is important to have their smartphone with them while shopping for a car (AdColony)

Virtual Shopping

COVID accelerated the move from visiting a showroom, to virtual showroom visits at dealerships, but that change was happening even before COVID started.

•   86% of car buyers said they shopped online to save time at the dealership (Kelley Blue Book)
•   34% of new vehicle buyers visit only one dealership (Cox Automotive)
•   With online video, shoppers can experience parts of the car buying journey that could previously only be done on the lot, such as vehicle walkarounds, feature demos, and video “test drives” (Google)
•   The watch time of test drive videos on YouTube has grown by more than 65% in the past 2 years (Google)

With technology, most of the new car buying journey can take place virtually with showroom “visits,” demonstrations, and videos, all from the shopper’s mobile device, or from their own home.

Friction

Online shopping has made consumers much less patient, and one major purchase that has always been complex, time-consuming, and full of friction, is buying a car. But seamless and easy experiences are what the new car buyer requires. Technology has made this (close to becoming) a reality.

Having a technology platform that includes credit applications, financing, insurance, and tax, title, and license to speed the purchase process and keep it frictionless is crucial.

Consider this:

•   18% of car buyers would purchase sooner if they could do so without going to a dealership (Google)
•   By 2025, over 25% of global car sales will be conducted online (ZDNet)
•   22% of car buyers have bought a car online and had it delivered by Carvana or Vroom, and 37% said they would be interested in this option (AdColony)

The bottom line is that a smooth, frictionless car buying experience is a requirement for the modern economy, and technology is helping to make that happen.

ATC provides dealers, lenders, and auto technologies accurate tax, title, and license data for in-state and out-of-state vehicle titling and registration. Contact us for more information about how our technology helps to increase car sales and remove friction from the car buying experience.

Automotive Titling Company has been named to the “Emerging 8” list, an award program designed to honor companies that aim to improve a specific aspect of the vehicle-buying process through innovative use of technology.

“We are extremely honored to be named to the ‘Emerging 8’ list,” said Ken Alley, Chief Executive Officer of ATC. “It’s always nice to be recognized for the work you do, but it’s also an affirmation that the products we have brought to market, and the services we offer, are making an impact in the automotive industry. We set out to make the car buying experience better by providing the best out-of-state tax, title and registration (TTR) software, data and services, and it’s nice to see that others agree.”

The “Emerging 8” award program is presented by Cherokee Media Group, publisher of Auto Remarketing and Auto Fin Journal, and honorees are selected by the Cherokee Media Group staff, leveraging guidance from the Auto Intel Council and other industry leaders.

“We’re in good company,” Alley said, referring to the other 7 companies on the “Emerging 8” list. “The list covers all aspects of fintech development, from vehicle marketing and retail, to data privacy. The entire automotive wholesale and retail process has been changed and we’re all trying to make the process even better for vehicle buyers.”

Thousands of dealerships across the country rely on ATC to process their out-of-state vehicle transactions and the company recently introduced an API that integrates with online automotive applications. The proprietary ATC database contains 19 million unique TTR combinations covering all of the 11,000 tax jurisdictions in the U.S., making ATC the most comprehensive and only independent platform available.

For more information about how we help traditional and digital dealerships and retailers, automotive credit providers, loan aggregators, and many others create a better, more seamless automotive sales experience, feel free to reach out to [email protected].

Recently, ATC went through some strategic planning to continue improving the services and products we provide to our customers. Part of this planning involved talking with our customers to learn what we do well, and what we could improve upon. Two themes emerged from these conversations: the data ATC provides is extremely accurate, and as a company, we are very easy to work with.

This was welcome feedback, because accurate nationwide tax, title and license data is an absolute must in order to create the best car buying experience for your customers, and we are pleased that we are delivering on our promise of providing the best TT&L data in the automotive industry. Being easy to work with means that you can focus your energy and attention on your customer’s car buying experience, and creating a deeper connection with them, and not expend valuable time and resources on us.

Chris Ciccone of Roadster said, “Accurate pricing is the foundation of any great digital retailing solution, which means that taxes and registration fees have to be spot on in every state and for every customer. ATC has been instrumental in delivering this data seamlessly. Not only do they make the process easy, but they are true partners willing to go the extra mile anytime we need them.”

When Chris says we deliver data seamlessly, we do. Our API can integrate with any digital tools because that’s what our customers told us they needed so that is exactly what we developed.

Christina Cuatto of DealerOn said, “ATC has the highest quality tax/fee data in the industry, so partnering with them to power our native ecommerce solution, APEX, was an easy decision. Our experience with the ATC team has been great and we look forward to our mutual continued success.”

When success is shared, we all have “skin in the game” and strive to make each other’s business better, and working with ATC gives you a true feeling of “team,” because we know if we do good work, so will you, and when you succeed, so do we.

Nicholas Stellman of Digital Motors summed it up nicely by saying “ATC provides us with complete TT&L data helping us deliver an amazing car buying experience!” Again, with ATC on your team, you can focus on what matters most: your customer’s car buying experience.

Sometimes you need to take a moment and ask your customers what they think about your products and services, and that’s exactly what ATC did. As with any business, there are things we are working on improving, but it’s also good to know when you are fulfilling your business promise. We appreciate our customers and will continue to provide the products and services that help them sell more cars.

ATC provides dealers, lenders, and auto technologies accurate TT&L data for in-state and out-of-state vehicle title and registration. For more information about how to create a better, seamless offline to online experience, feel free to reach out to [email protected].