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Getting your dealership up and running in Dealer Funnel takes less than 15 minutes. Follow the five steps below to log in, configure your basic profile, bring your team on board, and send your very first message — so you can start working leads the same day.
1

Log In to Dealer Funnel

Open your browser and navigate to app.dealerfunnel.com. Enter the email address and password associated with your Dealer Funnel account, then click Sign In.If your account has two-factor authentication enabled, Dealer Funnel will send a six-digit one-time passcode (OTP) to your phone via SMS, or to your email address if no mobile number is on file. Check your messages or inbox, enter the code on the verification screen, and click Verify. Request a new code if yours expires before you can enter it.Once you’re signed in, you land on the Conversations inbox — the central hub where all inbound messages appear.
Bookmark app.dealerfunnel.com in your browser so your team can access it instantly each day without searching for the link.
2

Complete Your Dealership Profile

Before you start messaging customers, make sure Dealer Funnel knows who you are. Go to Settings (the gear icon in the bottom-left navigation) and select Dealership Profile.Fill in the following fields:
  • Dealership Name — Your store’s full legal or DBA name as you want it to appear in outbound messages and reports.
  • Address — Your physical dealership address. This populates certain automated message templates.
  • Business Hours — Set the days and hours your dealership is open. Dealer Funnel uses these hours to determine when automated messages and funnel steps are sent, so customers aren’t contacted in the middle of the night.
  • Timezone — Select the correct timezone for your location. Incorrect timezone settings will cause scheduled messages and appointments to appear at the wrong time.
  • Phone Numbers — Confirm your assigned SMS number is listed under Settings > Phone Numbers. This is the number customers see when you text them.
Click Save when you’re done. Your dealership profile settings apply immediately.
If your assigned phone number is not showing up under Settings > Phone Numbers, contact Dealer Funnel support to have your SMS number provisioned before you start texting customers.
3

Invite Your Team Members

Dealer Funnel works best when your whole BDC or sales team is inside the platform. To add team members, click Users in the left navigation, then click the New User button in the top-right corner.Fill out the invitation form:
  • First and Last Name — The team member’s display name inside the platform.
  • Email Address — The address where their invitation will be sent. They’ll use this to log in.
  • Role — Choose Agent for frontline team members who work conversations, or Manager for supervisors who need access to reporting and team-wide conversations.
  • Location — If your account covers multiple rooftops, assign the user to the correct dealership location.
Click Send Invite. The new user receives an email with a link to set their password and access their account. The link is valid for 48 hours — ask them to accept it promptly.
Invite your manager first so they can help onboard the rest of the team and verify that role permissions are set correctly before agents start working live leads.
4

Add Your First Lead

With your profile set and your team invited, it’s time to get a lead into the system. There are two ways to add your first contact:Option A — Import from a file: Go to Leads in the left navigation and click Import. Download the CSV template, fill in your contacts’ names, phone numbers, and email addresses, then upload the file. Dealer Funnel maps your columns and creates contact records automatically.Option B — Accept an inbound lead: If you’ve already connected a lead source (such as a website widget, Facebook page, or third-party lead provider), simply wait for the first inbound message to arrive. Dealer Funnel creates a new lead record automatically when a customer reaches out and surfaces the conversation in your team inbox.
You can also capture leads directly from your website using the Dealer Funnel SMS widget. The widget adds a “Text Us” button to your site — when a visitor clicks it and sends a message, Dealer Funnel creates a lead and opens a live conversation instantly. Ask your Agency Admin or Dealer Funnel support to install the widget snippet on your website.
5

Send Your First Message

Open the Conversations section in the left navigation. Click on any conversation — either one created from your imported lead or an inbound message that arrived in Step 4.Inside the conversation thread, you’ll see the full message history at the top and a message composition box at the bottom. To send your first message:
  1. Click in the message box at the bottom of the conversation.
  2. Type your message. Keep it personal — use the customer’s first name and reference their specific vehicle interest or inquiry if you have it.
  3. Choose your channel using the icons above the message box: select SMS to send a text message or Email to send an email. The customer’s preferred contact method is shown in their lead profile.
  4. Click Send.
Your message appears immediately in the conversation thread and is delivered to the customer. When they reply, their response shows up in the same thread so the conversation stays in one place.
Use a saved Quick Reply template for your first message so you don’t have to type a greeting from scratch. Browse available templates by clicking the lightning bolt icon inside the message composer.

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You’re Ready to Work Leads

Once you’ve completed these five steps, Dealer Funnel is live and your team can start engaging customers. From here, explore how to build automated drip funnels to follow up with leads on autopilot, run a blast campaign to your existing database, or configure Carly to handle after-hours inquiries for you.
Pro tip for website visitors: The Dealer Funnel SMS widget lets shoppers on your website text your dealership with one tap on mobile. When they send that first text, a conversation opens automatically in your team inbox — no form fills required. Ask your Agency Admin to enable the widget under Settings > Integrations > Website Widget.