Autosoft: Supporting Four Decades at Wolf Auto Group

A LEGACY BUILT ON TRUST

In the wide-open landscapes of western Nebraska, relationships matter. Farmers, ranchers, and hardworking families depend on businesses they can trust, and dealerships are no exception. For decades, the team at Wolf Auto Group has built its reputation by serving customers with honesty, reliability, and a commitment to getting the job done right.

Today, Wolf Auto Group operates four dealerships across Nebraska, representing Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Chevrolet, Corvette, Callaway, and GMC brands. Their locations serve communities throughout the state, with a strong presence in the rural western region where trucks are more than transportation; they’re essential tools for work and life.

Behind the scenes, helping keep the operation running smoothly is Meghann Lauts, Controller for Wolf Auto Group. Her connection to the dealership business runs deep.

SERVICE THAT CREATED A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE

“My dad, Ron Schmidt, started the dealership in 1980 as Schmidt Motors Incorporated,” Meghann explains. “Back then, we were an Oldsmobile, Plymouth, Pontiac, and Cadillac dealer.”

Having grown up in the dealership, she experienced nearly every department firsthand.

“I started working in the dealership when I was a teenager,” she says. “My dad made me wash cars when I was in high school, and I even learned how to change oil. Then I moved on to service, became the receptionist, and eventually worked my way into accounting and controller responsibilities.“

Today, Meghann oversees accounting operations for two of Wolf Auto Group’s four locations. Throughout her entire dealership career, one constant has remained: Autosoft.

In fact, Schmidt Motors first implemented Autosoft in 1989, making the DMS a part of the dealership’s operations for nearly four decades.

The relationship began with exceptional customer service that left a lasting impression on Meghann’s father.

“My dad was a night owl and would be at work until two o’clock in the morning,” she recalls. “He thought he could call Autosoft tech support and somebody would answer the phone at that hour. Well, somebody would answer the phone, and it was Harry Veon, the creator of Autosoft.”

Meghann continues the story of Autosoft’s customer-first model, “He would get tech support directly from Harry at two o’clock in the morning,” Meghann says. “My dad finally got to meet him at an NADA event and they just kind of laughed about it.”

While the personal support made a strong impression, it was the product itself that kept the dealership loyal year after year.

“Because of the great product and customer service, Autosoft has been our DMS of choice since 1989.”

ONE DMS FOR FOUR DEALERSHIPS

When Wolf Auto Group acquired Schmidt Motors in 2019, the company made another significant technology decision: transitioning from on-premise servers to Autosoft’s hosted environment.

For a dealership group with multiple locations and employees regularly working across stores, the move was an easy choice.

“Switching to a hosted server from Autosoft was a no-brainer,” Meghann says. “When you’re talking about having four separate locations where people jump back and forth between all four locations, it makes total sense.”

The benefits were immediate.

“No longer did we have to maintain each server and manually install updates on our own. Now when we log in, everything is always up to date. It’s really nice.”

The hosted environment also gives Meghann real-time visibility into the performance of the stores she manages without the burden of maintaining infrastructure.

“It takes the worry out of having to maintain the system,” she explains. “Having the hosted network from Autosoft really makes my job easy to see how each store is doing.”

BUILT FOR TEAMS THAT WEAR MANY HATS

Like many rural dealerships, Wolf Auto Group employees wear multiple hats. With 15-20 employees at each location, efficiency and flexibility are critical. Meghann credits Autosoft’s security permissions and operational flexibility with helping employees manage multiple responsibilities effectively.

“Our employees do a lot of different jobs, and Autosoft makes it nice because it allows you to wear a lot of hats based upon permissions settings,” she says.

For Meghann, Autosoft isn’t just another software platform, it’s the system that powers virtually every aspect of the dealership’s operations.

“To be honest, I use Autosoft for everything,” she says. “From a general journal entry to submitting financial statements, for running payroll. It’s the only way we get things done.”

That confidence has influenced business decisions beyond the original Schmidt Motors location. In fact, when Wolf Auto Group acquired another dealership, the company made one requirement clear. “When we purchased our last dealership, they were using CDK, and one of our stipulations was that if we entered into a buy-sell, they needed to migrate to Autosoft,” Meghann says with a laugh. “It was a sorry, not sorry scenario. We don’t want to use anything else.”

WHEN IT JUST WORKS, WHY CHANGE?

After nearly 40 years with Autosoft, Meghann believes the reason for that loyalty is simple.

“I feel like Autosoft is the best option for us,” she says. “When you find the right solution, and it works, why would you ever change it?”

For Wolf Auto Group, Autosoft delivers everything they need: a reliable, easy-to-use DMS that supports multiple locations, streamlines operations, and helps employees stay productive. Most importantly, it allows them to focus on what matters most: serving the customers and communities that have trusted them for generations.

“As far as we’re concerned,” Meghann says, “with Autosoft – it just works, and we get what we need.”