How To Use Auto Dealership Survey Results for Improved Customer Experiences

Managing an auto dealership requires you to juggle many key duties. Perhaps the most important one is making sure all of your customers are happy with their experience. Whether someone is buying a car, browsing your lot, or bringing their vehicle in for repairs, your team has to deliver unbeatable service.

Launching a customer experience survey is a step in the right direction. However, results only come when you take action and react accordingly to your customers’ responses. In this guide, we’ll review ways that your dealership can enhance customer satisfaction based on survey answers.

Five Ways Customer Survey Answers Benefit Your Dealership

Crafting a thought-out survey lets your customers connect with you and share their negative and positive feedback openly. However, how you use this insight will affect how people view your business moving forward. Accepting criticisms and improving certain aspects of your dealership can enhance customer satisfaction in the long run.?

Below, we break down common survey answers that you can use to your benefit. Find out why these answers are important and what you can do to respond to them.?

1. How People Learn About Your Dealership Will Influence Your Marketing Efforts?

One of the first questions auto dealers ask their customers is, “How did you find us?” You can either leave this open-ended for a written response or with multiple choice boxes that people can check off. The answers you collect directly show the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.?

For example, if 80 of the 100 surveys you receive list television and radio commercials as their introduction to your business, you know that these advertisements are increasing your customer base. Say you’re spending money on social media marketing, but few surveys reflect these efforts. Take it as a sign that you need to change your strategy.?

This doesn’t mean that you should only advertise your dealership on platforms drawing the most responses. It simply means that you have room for improvement. Explore different marketing strategies and channels to further boost your brand.?

2. Answers May Indicate a Need for Greater Employee Training?

It’s important to ask a few questions about the associates helping customers. Your survey may ask for the names of all employees a customer works with, along with rated feedback evaluating key traits, including:

• Friendliness
• Knowledge of the business
• Attentiveness
• Communication

These answers should let you know if your employee training process is effective. For example, if one associate continually gets poor ratings for their knowledge, have them undergo additional training. In these situations, having the proper training tools is crucial. A DealerPhones communication system can help by offering features like call monitoring, call recording, and call whisper, which allow managers to guide employees in real-time and improve their customer interactions.

These tools help management identify common pain points during customer interactions and provide targeted coaching to improve performance. With call monitoring, managers can listen to live calls, and with call whisper, they can discreetly guide employees during calls without the customer knowing. Call recording enables the team to review past conversations and highlight areas for improvement. These features streamline the training process and help ensure consistent, top-notch customer service across the dealership.

If the majority of your customers give poor feedback to your staff, you have larger issues to address. Consider revamping your entire training process or implementing new rules regarding communication. When everyone at your dealership is on the same page, you won’t have to worry about poor customer satisfaction.

3. Open-Ended Questions Provide the Most Room for Growth

Many businesses utilize open-ended questions in their customer surveys. For car dealerships in particular, this section of the sheet could ask questions like:

• What did you like or dislike about your experience?
• What can we do to improve the car-buying or auto service experience?
• Why would you choose to come to our dealership over others?

Using this feedback will be crucial for retaining loyal customers. As you analyze the results, take note of both positive feedback and criticism. Your team can evaluate what you do well and areas to improve on.?

Bear in mind that these opinions are subjective, and you likely won’t find a one-size-fits-all solution for every piece of negative feedback. For example, one participant may like routine communication and phone calls with a sales associate, while another person could find it off-putting. The best thing you can do is try to reach a compromise with both groups.?

4. Expand Your Dealership’s Inventory Based on Customer Demand

It may not seem like an important question, but asking your customers about the vehicles they consider buying can drive your sales in the future. Dedicate a portion of your survey to the types of vehicles on your lot.?

You can ask broad and specific questions with multiple-choice answers, such as:

• Did you look at new or pre-owned vehicles?
• What type of vehicle (truck, sedan, SUV) did you consider buying?
• What car manufacturer(s) would you consider buying from in the future?

The answers you receive may impact the inventory you acquire. While it’s important to have new and used vehicles available for sale, you might need to adjust your options if the majority of customers only consider being new.?

This also pertains to select models and manufacturers. Keep a close eye on how these survey answers change over time. To better align with your customer’s views, update your inventory so it meets their needs.?

5. Aim for Customer Loyalty and Recommendations

Many car dealership surveys end by asking, “How likely are you to recommend us to your friends and family?” These answers can fall on a scale from “Extremely unlikely” to “Would definitely recommend.” Learning where your dealership falls on this scale can change your business’s outlook.?

You want the majority of participants to recommend your services with enthusiasm. If your answers aren’t showing full satisfaction, look at the rest of the survey for insight. Open-ended questions, in particular, will shed some light on why a customer wouldn’t recommend your business.?

As you continue to implement new measures, monitor the answers to this survey question. Over time, you should garner more positive results.

Strengthen Your Customer Satisfaction and Watch Your Dealership Succeed

Don’t give your car dealership customers a survey if you don’t intend to use the results to your advantage. Pay attention to the responses you get and be proactive about improving certain areas of your business. Whether you need to switch up your marketing efforts or implement new training tactics, your business will benefit from honest survey answers.?