DriveCentric and Dealer Pay announced a partnership to embed compliant payment processing directly inside DriveCentric’s CRM, aiming to keep transactions within the same workflow as sales and service engagement. Dealer Pay provides the payments technology and compliance layer, while DriveCentric maintains its focus on customer engagement rather than building a payments business.
Key points
- In-CRM payments: Staff can request and collect payments without switching systems or relying on manual handoffs.
- Compliance-first approach: Dealer Pay handles card acceptance, regulatory requirements, and back-end reconciliation tailored to dealership operations.
- Platform strategy: DriveCentric extends its CRM through targeted integrations instead of expanding into adjacent businesses.
- Operational efficiency: The integration targets reduced friction, fewer context switches, and faster time to payment across departments.
Why it matters
- Dealers increasingly expect software to drive measurable outcomes, not just track activity.
- Bringing payments into the same channel as customer conversations can streamline deposits, service invoices, and parts orders.
- Unifying communication and payment reduces risks from disconnected apps and manual process breaks.
What the companies say
- DriveCentric: CRMs should extend through the moment revenue is collected while keeping the core focus on engagement and adoption.
- Dealer Pay: The partnership “completes the lifecycle” by bringing payments expertise, compliance, and dealership controls into the CRM experience.
Notable claims from the announcement
- Dealer Pay says it’s the only connected payments platform built specifically for automotive dealerships and unifies money movement across sales, service, parts, accounting, and payables.
- Dealer Pay claims it automates payments, reduces errors, removes hidden fees, accelerates transactions, and helps keep dealerships compliant—improving customer experience and profitability without adding work.
- DriveCentric positions its CRM as designed for adoption and execution, focused on turning engagement into results.
Context
Payment acceptance in dealerships has traditionally lived in DMS, service platforms, or standalone terminals. Integrating payments into the CRM moves transactions closer to the teams managing customer conversations and follow-ups, potentially compressing the path from engagement to revenue.
What’s unknown
- No product specifics yet: features, pricing, and the exact scope remain undisclosed.
- Timing: No specific availability date; rollout details will follow as development progresses.
- Commercial terms: Not disclosed.
What’s next
DriveCentric and Dealer Pay plan to share more during a keynote-style session at NADA 2026, with additional rollout details to come as the integration advances.
