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Automotive World
Internet Lead Response Linked to Dealer Success
March 2015
The Internet offers dealers a chance to shine in terms of customer service, but not everyone is using the platform as they could. Responding quickly and efficiently to online questions from customers can do much to improve brand perception; getting it wrong could cause serious setbacks.
The Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Internet Lead Effectiveness Benchmarking Study measures the responsiveness of US dealerships representing all major brands, gathering data through ‘mystery shopping' to compile a score for the dealerships. It looks at 19 factors, including the speed of responses and whether dealerships answer questions at all. The latest study was fielded between September 2014 and March 2015 and covered 13,637 dealerships.
Automotive World spoke to Fran O'Hagan, President and Chief Executive of Pied Piper Management Company, on some of the findings and the implications for industry players. The study has now been conducted for five years, and has consistently shown room for improvement. In the 2015 study, every 12th customer (8%) did not receive any response to an Internet query. This level has not improved over the past five years. However, some changes have emerged during that time. “Industry wide, dealerships are more likely now to attempt follow-up contact by telephone and less likely to attempt to schedule an appointment by email,” observed O'Hagan. In the latest study, dealerships showed a moderate 1-point overall gain in the industry average when it came to Internet responsiveness, compared to last year.
Why is responding promptly so important? “The reason we measure what we measure is that we've tied it to sales. We've tied it to dealership success,” said O'Hagan.
The Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index Internet Lead Effectiveness Benchmarking Study measures the responsiveness of US dealerships representing all major brands, gathering data through ‘mystery shopping' to compile a score for the dealerships. It looks at 19 factors, including the speed of responses and whether dealerships answer questions at all. The latest study was fielded between September 2014 and March 2015 and covered 13,637 dealerships.
Automotive World spoke to Fran O'Hagan, President and Chief Executive of Pied Piper Management Company, on some of the findings and the implications for industry players. The study has now been conducted for five years, and has consistently shown room for improvement. In the 2015 study, every 12th customer (8%) did not receive any response to an Internet query. This level has not improved over the past five years. However, some changes have emerged during that time. “Industry wide, dealerships are more likely now to attempt follow-up contact by telephone and less likely to attempt to schedule an appointment by email,” observed O'Hagan. In the latest study, dealerships showed a moderate 1-point overall gain in the industry average when it came to Internet responsiveness, compared to last year.
Why is responding promptly so important? “The reason we measure what we measure is that we've tied it to sales. We've tied it to dealership success,” said O'Hagan.
