Getting Around DMS¶
This is your map of the DMS backend. It shows where everything lives, what each menu item does, and where to go for a given task.
Info
Menu items only appear if your user role has permission to see them. If something described here is missing, your role may not include it - ask whoever manages your site. Screens are labeled Dealer.ms by default, though the menu may have been renamed on your site.
Video walkthrough¶
Prefer to watch? This walkthrough tours the whole Dealer Management System.
The three DMS menus¶
DMS adds three separate items to your WordPress admin sidebar (look for the DMS icon, near the top):
- Dealer.ms - the control center: the dashboard plus all site-wide tools and settings.
- Leads - your CRM: inquiries, contacts, and stock alert sign-ups.
- One menu per inventory type - a separate item for each type you sell (Vehicles, Boats, RVs...), holding that type's listings and everything about them.
If a number badge appears on the Dealer.ms item, something needs attention - an available extension update, pending stock alerts, or a stalled background task.
The Dealer.ms menu¶
The Dealer.ms item is the control center for site-wide features. Click it to open the Dashboard; its sub-items are:
| Menu item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Dashboard | Landing screen with an overview of your inventory and recent activity. |
| Extensions | Add-on features for DMS. Install, activate, and update paid extensions here. |
| Types | Create and manage your inventory types (what kinds of things you sell). |
| Settings | Global settings that apply across every inventory type. See Settings. |
| Help & Guides | Built-in help content. |
| Support | Open a support ticket with Dealer.ms. |
| System Status | Technical health check - useful when reporting an issue. |
| Billing & Usage | Your license, plan, credit usage, and buy-more options. Your DMS version is shown here too. |
Note
Leads and each inventory type are their own top-level items in the sidebar, not sub-items of Dealer.ms. They're covered next.
Inventory types in the menu¶
An inventory type is a kind of thing you sell - Vehicles, Boats, RVs, Trailers, and so on. Each type you create gets its own top-level menu in the sidebar, named after that type. This keeps a boat dealer's boats separate from their trailers, each with their own categories, settings, and listings.
Click a type's name to see all listings of that type. Underneath it you'll find:
| Sub-item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| All [type] | The full list of listings, where you search, filter, edit, and bulk-manage them. |
| Add New | Create a single new listing and fill in its details, photos, and price. |
| Templates | The Elementor layouts for this type's Search Results Page (SRP), Search Result Items (SRI), and Vehicle Details Page (VDP). See Templates & Pages. |
| Categories | The options shoppers filter by - makes, models, conditions, body styles, and so on. Managed per type. |
| Groups | Group related listings together for display or organization. |
| Badges | Create, style, and assign the labels that appear on listings ("Sale", "New Arrival", "Sold"). |
| Statuses | The states a listing can be in (Available, Pending, Sold) and how each affects what shoppers see. |
| Imports / Exports | Bring listings in from a CSV or VIN lookup, or export your inventory out. (Label changes to just "Imports" or "Exports" depending on your permissions.) |
| Settings | Settings that apply only to this inventory type - its templates, display options, and behavior. |
Note
Every type has its own separate Categories, Badges, Statuses, and Settings. Changing them for Vehicles does not affect Boats.
Leads¶
The Leads menu is its own top-level item in the sidebar - your built-in CRM. It has three sections:
| Sub-item | What it's for |
|---|---|
| All Leads | Every inquiry submitted through your listing and contact forms. |
| Contacts | Saved people - the address book built from your leads. |
| Stock Alerts | Shoppers who asked to be notified when matching inventory arrives. A badge shows how many are pending. See Stock Alerts. |
Where do I find...?¶
| I want to... | Go to |
|---|---|
| Add or edit a vehicle/listing | The inventory type's menu > All [type] or Add New |
| Change the makes/models shoppers filter by | The type's menu > Categories |
| Mark something as Sold | Open the listing and set its Status, or manage states under the type's Statuses |
| Create a "Sale" or "New Arrival" label | The type's menu > Badges |
| Import inventory from a spreadsheet | The type's menu > Imports / Exports |
| Change how one inventory type displays | The type's menu > Settings |
| Design the results page or detail page | The type's menu > Templates (see Templates & Pages) |
| Create a whole new kind of inventory | Dealer.ms > Types |
| See who has contacted me | The Leads menu |
| Set up back-in-stock notifications | Leads > Stock Alerts |
| Check my plan, usage, or DMS version | Dealer.ms > Billing & Usage |
| Add an add-on feature | Dealer.ms > Extensions |
| Get help or report a problem | Dealer.ms > Help & Guides or Support |
A note on permissions¶
DMS respects WordPress roles. Each menu item above is tied to a permission, so what a given user sees depends on their role. An inventory manager might see listings and categories but not billing or settings. If you need access to something you can't see, ask a site administrator to adjust your role. See Permissions & Roles for what each permission covers.
Next: learn how listings appear to shoppers in Using Shortcodes, or set up notifications in Stock Alerts.