Text2Drive
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Text2Drive does
Text2Drive is a US-based vertical SaaS platform that provides text-messaging, video, and mobile-bill-payment automation to franchised automotive dealerships. The company was founded in 2008 and operates as a subsidiary of Vehlo, an automotive-SaaS strategic parent. Its platform is built around customizable SMS templates, automated messaging workflows, and a suite of fixed-operations modules — Service Reminders, Video Tools, MPI+ multipoint inspections, Recall notifications, Lease Expiration alerts, Speed Checkout with FraudProtect, Parts Obsolescence, and a Compliance module that records and archives TCPA/FCPA-compliant communications. The product integrates with major Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and is delivered as a cloud-based, mobile-first application accessed via web and mobile login.
The company monetizes through annual SaaS subscriptions sold on a quote-based enterprise model, supplemented by a credit-card and remote payment-processing stream that charges transaction fees on dealership payments. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales targeting fixed-operations directors and sales managers at dealership groups, with a parallel top-down channel via OEM partner relationships that validate and recommend the platform to their dealer networks. Roughly 18 enterprise dealer-group customers are publicly named, including Billion Auto Group (35 stores), SaffordAuto (26 stores), Marino CDJR (500 employees), Zeigler, Fields, Earnhardt Lexus, Lester Glenn Group, and Sheehy. Headcount sits in the 11–50 range, and the company holds two granted US patents (8.907.816 and 10.586.292) covering dealership communication technology, with additional applications pending.
Operationally, the company positions itself as a people-first communications platform purpose-built for the dealership fixed-ops workflow, claiming a 98% text-message open rate, a 45% sales and service response rate, $20,000 in additional monthly revenue per full-solution client, and CSI-score improvements (e.g., from 40% to 90% at Flow, and a top-10-in-region ranking within 30 days for Sheehy Glenn). Revenue, funding, and detailed growth metrics are not disclosed in the source data, and the company appears to be self-funded with no venture rounds in evidence.
Text2Drive firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Text2Drive
- Legal name
- Text2Drive
- Website
- https://text2Drive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Text2Drive industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automotive Dealership Communication Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT) (MPAAAIAB)
Keywords
Where Text2Drive is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Text2Drive business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Platform Subscription: Subscription-based communication platform for automotive dealerships providing text messaging, video tools, inspections, and checkout capabilities
- Credit Card Processing: Credit card and remote processing services for dealerships - mentioned as beating bank rates with 26 stores on platform
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full solution encompassing all communication and revenue tools |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Text2Drive product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Text2Drive provides a unified, mobile-first SaaS communications platform built specifically for automotive dealerships, enabling customizable text messaging, automated service reminders, video communication tools, multipoint inspections, recall and lease expiration notifications, and contactless mobile bill payment with FraudProtect. The platform integrates with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and is designed to help dealerships streamline compliance with FCPA and TCPA regulations, improve CSI scores, retain customers, and drive fixed-operations revenue.
Product overview
TEXT2DRIVE is a unified dealership communications platform built for automotive dealerships, providing customizable text templates and automated messaging capabilities. The platform includes multiple integrated modules: Service Reminders, Video Tools, Multipoint Inspections (T2D MPI+), Recalls, Lease Expiration alerts, Contactless Checkout/Speed Checkout with FraudProtect, Compliance management, and Parts Obsolescence tools. The platform integrates with dealer DMS systems and is designed to work on mobile devices. Key claimed metrics include 98% text message open rate, $20,000 in additional monthly revenue potential, and 45% sales and service response rate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Speed Checkout™: Mobile bill payment with FraudProtect™ and contactless checkout for streamlining the payment cycle from start to finish.
- FraudProtect™
- MPI+
Products and services
- Service Reminders Automated text-based service reminder messaging that prompts vehicle owners to schedule maintenance appointments, driving customer retention and service revenue for automotive dealerships.
- Video Tools Video creation and sharing capabilities that enable dealership service and sales teams to create repair and vehicle demo videos and send them directly to customers, increasing transparency and trust.
- Multipoint Inspections (T2D MPI+) Integrated multipoint inspection solution that helps service advisors show and sell recommended services, build trust, drive retention, and generate fixed-operations revenue.
- Recalls Recall notification module that enables dealerships to pull reports of customers impacted by recalls and notify them via text, maximizing efficiency while building customer relationships.
- Lease Expiration Automated lease expiration alerts that help dealerships retain customers and boost revenue through proactive text messages for lease renewals, upsells, and new vehicle sales.
- Speed Checkout with FraudProtect Mobile bill payment with FraudProtect fraud protection and contactless checkout that streamlines the dealership payment cycle and integrates seamlessly with dealer DMS systems.
- Compliance Communication compliance module designed around FCPA and TCPA consumer laws, featuring recorded and archived text communications with customer opt-out options for legal peace of mind.
- Parts Obsolescence Inventory management and customer communication tool that reduces parts obsolescence through streamlined inventory management and timely special order parts notifications.
- TEXT2DRIVE Communications Platform Unified, mobile-first SaaS communications platform built for automotive dealerships, offering customizable text templates, automated messaging, video tools, multipoint inspections, recall and lease notifications, contactless bill payment, and compliance, integrating with dealer DMS systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% text messaging open rate
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Text2Drive
Customer profileNamed customers18 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Text2Drive technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
Text2Drive partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- VehlocoreParent company powering TEXT2Drive platform. Footer indicates 'Driven by Vehlo' with link to vehlo.com. Vehlo appears to be the parent organization behind TEXT2Drive.
- OEM PartnerscoreOEM partner program for automotive manufacturers. Page exists at /oem-partners/ listing OEM partnerships that validate and recommend TEXT2DRIVE to their dealer networks.
- Preferred PartnersminorPreferred partner program for third-party vendors and integrators. Page exists at /preferred-partners/ for ecosystem partnerships.
- DMS VendorscoreDealer Management System integration partnerships enabling seamless connectivity with dealership DMS platforms. Mentioned as working 'seamlessly with your DMS'.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Text2Drive competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Birdeye: Birdeye is a customer experience and messaging platform that explicitly serves automotive dealerships with SMS, reviews, and surveys. It overlaps with Text2Drive's service-reminder, survey, and customer-feedback workflows and competes for the same fixed-ops buyer.
- Kenect: Kenect is a texting, reviews, and payments platform purpose-built for automotive dealerships. It targets the same dealership fixed-ops and BDC personas as Text2Drive and offers comparable SMS, video, and contactless payment capabilities.
- Podium: Podium is a leading customer messaging and review platform with deep penetration in automotive dealerships. It competes head-to-head with Text2Drive on SMS-based service-to-sales communication, online reviews, and contactless payments for dealer fixed ops.
Emerging players
- Reputation.com: Reputation.com offers a customer experience platform with surveys, messaging, and listings management that overlaps with Text2Drive's review/survey and customer-feedback workflows for dealers and other multi-location businesses.
- Dealer Center / DealerCenter: DealerCenter offers an all-in-one dealer management platform with built-in texting, CRM, and desking tools. It overlaps with Text2Drive's SMS and BDC use cases as an integrated alternative for independent and small franchised dealers.
Others
- Twilio: Twilio is a communications-platform-as-a-service provider that powers SMS, voice, and messaging APIs. While not a direct competitor to Text2Drive's dealer workflow UI, it is the underlying messaging infrastructure competitor could use or that Text2Drive itself may rely on.
Broad incumbents
- CDK Global: CDK Global is the largest US DMS provider, with growing native CRM and customer-engagement capabilities. Its scale and OEM relationships make it the dominant incumbent Text2Drive must integrate alongside rather than displace.
- Salesforce (Automotive Cloud): Salesforce offers automotive CRM and customer engagement tooling at large enterprise dealer groups. It is not a specialist messaging vendor but represents the broad incumbent CRM that large dealer groups may consolidate toward over time.
- VinSolutions (CDK Global): VinSolutions, owned by CDK Global, is a major dealer CRM with built-in messaging, lead handling, and customer engagement. It represents the DMS-aligned incumbent that can bundle messaging into a wider stack, pressuring standalone dealers like Text2Drive.
- DealerSocket (PBS Systems): DealerSocket (now part of PBS Systems) is a broad dealer CRM and marketing platform that includes SMS messaging, BDC tools, and customer engagement features. It competes as a full-suite incumbent where Text2Drive is a specialist communications overlay.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Text2Drive social profiles
Digital presenceText2Drive compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Text2Drive financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Text2Drive leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Text2Drive funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Text2Drive M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Text2Drive
What does Text2Drive do?
Text2Drive provides a unified, mobile-first SaaS communications platform built specifically for automotive dealerships, enabling customizable text messaging, automated service reminders, video communication tools, multipoint inspections, recall and lease expiration notifications, and contactless mobile bill payment with FraudProtect. The platform integrates with Dealer Management Systems (DMS) and is designed to help dealerships streamline compliance with FCPA and TCPA regulations, improve CSI scores, retain customers, and drive fixed-operations revenue.
Is Text2Drive a public or private company?
Text2Drive is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Text2Drive founded?
Text2Drive was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Text2Drive based?
Text2Drive is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Text2Drive make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. SaaS Platform Subscription is the primary driver. The others are credit Card Processing.
Who are Text2Drive's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Birdeye, Kenect and Podium. Emerging players are Reputation.com and Dealer Center / DealerCenter. Twilio is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are CDK Global, Salesforce (Automotive Cloud), VinSolutions (CDK Global) and DealerSocket (PBS Systems).
Does Text2Drive have an API?
No public API is recorded for Text2Drive.
What industry is Text2Drive in?
Text2Drive's product category is Automotive Dealership Communication Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAIAB, SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7370.