How do unused seats build up?

People leave and their logins are never removed, or a login is set up for someone who never really uses the system. Each one can keep counting as a paid seat until someone notices.

Will StitchOps cancel seats with our vendor for us?

No. StitchOps shows you which seats are unused and can remove the logins you approve. Changing your contract or seat count is between you and your vendor.

Does this work for every DMS?

Yes. It works for any DMS or CRM your staff log in to: CDK, Reynolds, Dealertrack, Tekion, PBS and the rest. StitchOps pulls the user list at every rooftop and shows every seat that nobody who works for you is using.

How often should we look at seat counts?

Monthly, alongside your access check. Then before every renewal, so you go into the conversation with a current count.

Dealer guides

How to stop paying for unused DMS and CRM seats

Find out how many paid seats each DMS and CRM has, match each seat to a current employee, and release the seats held by people who left or never log in. StitchOps pulls the user lists on a schedule, matches them to your HR roster, and shows which seats you are paying for that nobody uses.

Last updated October 2, 2026

The problem

Your DMS and CRM bills are often tied to how many people have access. But nobody at the store owns the seat count.

Here is how unused seats pile up:

A salesperson leaves and nobody removes their CRM login.
A new hire gets set up at two rooftops but only works at one.
A manager asks for a login "just in case" and never uses it.
A vendor or trainer gets a login for a week and keeps it for a year.

The controller sees the bill. The office manager sees the user list. They rarely see them together.

The manual way

1. Find out what you pay for

Look at your contract or invoice for each system and note how seats are counted. It differs by vendor, so check yours.

2. Pull the user list

Log in to each system at each rooftop and export the users. For the DMS that may be CDK Drive, Reynolds and Reynolds with ERA-IGNITE, Tekion ARC, Dealertrack DMS or PBS Systems. For the CRM, VinSolutions, DealerSocket or Elead.

3. Match each login to a person

Compare against your HR roster, for example in ADP Workforce Now. Mark each login as current, former employee, or unknown.

4. Release what you do not need

Remove the logins for former employees. Ask managers about the unknowns. Then talk to your vendor about your seat count if your contract allows it.

5. Do it again next month

The count drifts the moment you stop looking.

How StitchOps handles it

License counts on a schedule. StitchOps logs in to each DMS and CRM at every rooftop, pulls the user list, and counts who has access.
Matched to HR. Each login is checked against your HR roster, so seats held by people who left stand out.
Removals you approve. Mark a seat to release and StitchOps removes that login, with a record of the change.
Ready for renewal. You go into your next vendor conversation knowing exactly who uses what.

StitchOps does not change your contract or talk to your vendor for you. It gives you a current count you can trust.

This runs alongside the monthly access check. More on the automotive page.