Gliffy Helps Teams at CarGurus Capture Import Information — No Training Required

Shared Goals: Easy Online User Experiences

CarGurus was founded in 2006 and has since become the most-visited automotive shopping site in the United States, growing to nearly 1,000 employees in the process. Buyers can search listings for free and dealers can list vehicles for free or purchase additional subscription services.

While the concept sounds straightforward, the powerhouse behind CarGurus is a series of algorithms that pull data from the 5 million listings on their site. These rankings include complex factors like price relative to the location of dealership, accident history, and the trim and options of each vehicle listed.

For every listing, they use this data to rank a search result between a high rating of “great deal” and a low rating of “overpriced.” All the hard work on the back end is compiled into easily digestible, helpful information for buyers.

Similarly, their team uses Confluence as a knowledge base to make sure useful information is always a few clicks away. Daniel Renfro, Principal Architect of Technical Learning and Knowledge Management, explains that his team takes the mission of CarGurus to heart.

“CarGurus’ mission is to build the world’s most trusted and transparent automotive marketplace. As part of that, we help car-buyers find a great deal on a car from top-rated dealers easier and faster, without the headache normally associated with car dealerships. We also provide tools for dealers to make it easier for customers to find and search their inventory. I see my role similarly — I aim to reduce the headache around finding and managing employee’s day-to-day work."

Supporting Knowledge Management in Confluence

The main knowledge base at CarGurus, simply “the wiki,” captures and categorizes information for employees. The team uses Gliffy as their solution for adding diagrams and charts in the wiki as a supplement to Confluence’s existing capabilities.

To help wiki editors add images or diagrams, the Knowledge Management team recommends Gliffy because of its intuitive diagramming features. As the team ultimately tasked with keeping everything organized and updated, being able to edit diagrams within Confluence saves time. Previously, their wiki had included screenshots or exported images from other tools, which both poses a challenge for documentation and means any time the diagram needed an update, a new one would be drawn from scratch.

They also know that there’s no complicated training or learning curve when it comes to getting started. “I have yet to encounter any employee at CarGurus that cannot immediately understand what to do or how to do it. Of course it takes some time to build a diagram, but your product seems intuitive in a way not found in many other software [products].” Renfro explains.

“Like many other companies, we struggle with myriad tools; having one less thing to worry about is better.” 

Intuitive Diagramming in Confluence and Jira

When it comes to investing in software and getting your team unified around one tool or process, required trainings and complicated set-up can derail your team — or, in other words, chip away at your potential return on investment. Instead, give your team a turn-key tool and let them capture their ideas in the tools they already use.

Atlassian Apps

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this case study are those of Mr. Daniel Renfro and do not express the views or opinions of CarGurus.