Latest news with #PSI®ServiceTelephoneEffectiveness®
Business Wire
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Wire
Group 1 Tops Pied Piper's 2025 Service Appointment Rankings; Industrywide A.I. Often Beats Human Staff
MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Group 1 Automotive dealerships ranked highest in Pied Piper's 2025 PSI ® Service Telephone Effectiveness ® (STE ®) Auto Dealer Group Study, which measured efficiency and quality when attempting to schedule service appointments by telephone. Following Group 1 Automotive were Napleton Automotive Group, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, and Ed Morse Automotive Group. 'A.I. now often outperforms human staff on service calls, but handoffs to people frequently fall apart; Dealers must use A.I. as a tool—not a crutch—and stay committed to staffing and smooth transitions." Share Pied Piper submitted service calls to 2,105 dealerships representing 26 of the largest U.S. auto dealer groups, as well as to 200 independent service centers. Each location received an STE score ranging from 0-100 based on their performance in over 30 differently weighted measurements tied to best practices most likely to drive service revenue and customer loyalty. Each dealer group's average STE Score is a combined average of their individual dealership performances. Industrywide - Telephone Service Behaviors Improve Industrywide average service telephone performance continues to steadily improve, with a 2025 average STE score of 64, up four points since last year and six points since 2023. The improvement in average STE score was in large part due to a reduced rate of negative behaviors compared to the previous year. Less Time Spent on Hold – Service customers were placed on hold for more than two minutes only 2% of the time on average in 2025 compared to 13% of the time last year. Fewer 'Mission Failure' – The share of service customers who hung up without having been offered an appointment dropped to 9% this year, down from 13% last year. Group 1 Automotive Leads the Pack – Group 1 dealerships improved their average STE score by 12 points over the past year, achieving a record average STE score of 76. More Service Appointments Scheduled – Only 4% of Group 1 service callers weren't offered an appointment—down from 10% last year and less than half this year's dealer group average. Less Downtime on the Phone – The average Group 1 caller reached a service associate in 51 seconds—8 seconds faster than Group 1's performance last year, and 9 seconds quicker than this year's dealer group average. Group 1 callers were also half as likely to be placed on hold compared to the industry and 9% less likely to experience hold times exceeding two minutes. Rise of A.I. in Service Calls Use of artificial intelligence to interact with service customer calls continues to grow, and for the study Pied Piper collected data comparing the experience of service phone customers who interacted with A.I. vs those who interacted with a human. Today's A.I. Can Handle Most Service Calls – For dealerships using A.I. to answer service calls, those calls were handled successfully by the A.I. 91% of the time, including addressing the customer's request to schedule an appointment, without any reliance on a human service employee. Overall, customers successfully scheduled a service appointment 86% of the time at dealerships that rely on A.I., compared to 90% of the time at dealerships that rely on humans to interact with customers. ' Full Capability' Service A.I. Outperforms Majority of Human Associates – the average STE score when A.I. successfully handled the entire service call was 72, 8 points higher than the 2025 national dealer group average, and nearly as high as the STE average scores of top performing dealer groups. 84% of these successful A.I. interactions achieved STE scores equal to or better than this year's dealer group average STE score. When A.I. Cannot Handle Service Calls, The Transfer Often Fumbles – While some customer requests are very simple, such as oil changes or standard maintenance, other customers call about recalls or a combination of issues, which today usually requires a transfer to a human. A.I. was unable to handle the customer request 9% of the time, and when attempting to transfer to a human associate, those handoffs failed 56% of the time. Typical issues include requiring the customer to call back later, sending to voicemail, endless hold, and call dropped when transferred. Note that the average A.I. transfer occurs 88 seconds into the call, meaning that the failure may leave the customer disgruntled over having wasted their time, compared to the alternative of having to leave a voicemail at the start of a call. When Transferred from A.I. to Human Associate, Average Human STE Performance is Worse – At dealerships using A.I., when the A.I. transfers customers to a human service associate, whether by customer request or reaching the limit of A.I. capability, the average STE score was 50, 14 points lower than the dealer group average and 22 points below the current 'full capability' A.I. average score. At dealerships using A.I., only 28% of transferred customers interacted with service staff whose performance achieved an STE score higher than the average A.I. STE score. 'A.I. now often outperforms human staff on service calls, but handoffs to people frequently fall apart,' said Cameron O'Hagan, Pied Piper's Vice President of Metrics and Analytics. 'Dealers must use A.I. as a tool—not a crutch—and stay committed to staffing and smooth transitions.' Independent Service Centers: Competitive Threat New for 2025, the study also included measurement of independent service center STE performance. The findings show that independent service center performance was mixed, but for some important measurements their performance exceeded the dealer group average. The Independent Service Centers at a Glance – the locations of four different independent service center brands were studied. Average STE scores for each independent were as follows: Midas (65), Firestone (62), Meineke (57), Pep Boys (56), with an overall independent service center industry average STE score of 60, compared to the dealer group average STE score of 64. While 51% of independent service centers outperformed dealers, the independent service centers offered an appointment only 79% of the time on average, compared to 90% of the time on average for the dealer groups. Advantages in some key behaviors – While the average dealer group STE score is higher, independent service centers excel in some individual behaviors: They are twice as likely to offer a cost estimate over the phone and most notably, the average days out until the earliest available appointment hovered around 1 day on average, compared to 4 days out for the dealer groups nationally. 'Failure to schedule an appointment quickly may be all it takes for a dealership's service customer to choose an independent shop,' said O'Hagan. 'Dealerships work hard to avoid losing service customers, and the faster availability and greater price transparency of independents can be a real threat.' 2025 Dealer Group Performance Compared 'Quickly Reach Associate' - How often did customers of the group's dealerships reach a service associate within one minute? More than 80% of the time on average: Zeigler Auto Group, Greenway Automotive, Serra Automotive, Bergstrom Automotive Less than 40% of the time on average: Ken Garff Automotive Group, Ciocca Auto Group, Penske Automotive Group 'Set an Appointment' - How often did the group's dealerships offer an appointment for a specific date and time? More than 95% of the time on average: Napleton Automotive Group, Ed Morse Automotive Group, Group 1 Automotive, Bergstrom Automotive, Morgan Auto Group Less than 80% of the time on average: West Herr Automotive Group, Fox Motors 'Average Days Out' – What was the group's dealerships' average number of days out until the earliest available appointment? Less than 2 days on average: Napleton Automotive Group, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Group 1 Automotive, Ourisman Automotive Group, Greenway Automotive More than 7 days on average: West Herr Automotive Group, Fox Motors 'Communication Failure' - How often would calling a group's dealerships for service result in an issue that prevented communication (placed on hold indefinitely, straight to voicemail, stuck in phone tree, etc.)? Less than 3% of the time on average: Ed Morse Automotive Group, Napleton Automotive Group, Zeigler Auto Group, Group 1 Automotive More than 15% of the time on average: Penske Automotive Group, West Herr Automotive Group, Fox Motors Why This Study Matters 'A service customer's initial phone call is a dealership's first step toward building loyalty and generating revenue,' said O'Hagan. 'Yet because these calls often go unnoticed in daily operations, problems are easily overlooked. Increasing visibility leads directly to improvement.' For more than 15 years, Pied Piper has independently published annual industry studies that rank the omnichannel performance of brands and dealer groups. These studies track how industry performance changes over time and let clients understand how their own performance compares. Pied Piper clients order ongoing Prospect Satisfaction Index ® (PSI ®) measurement and reporting – internet, telephone or in-person – for their dealerships, as tools to improve and maintain omnichannel sales and service effectiveness. A.I.-powered insights are delivered directly to clients' phones—providing concise, actionable guidance to boost omnichannel sales and service. About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC Monterey, California - based Pied Piper helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers. Pied Piper's PSI ® process applies data science analytics to determine the omnichannel sales and service best practices most likely to drive unit sales and loyalty. PSI ® then uses a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and human actors to measure and report how effectively retail locations follow those best practices. Other recent Pied Piper PSI ® industry studies include: 2025 Internet Lead Effectiveness ® (ILE ®) Auto Industry Study (Subaru was ranked first) 2024 Service Telephone Effectiveness ® (STE ®) Auto Industry Study (Acura was ranked first) 2024 Telephone Lead Effectiveness ™ (TLE ™) Pontoon Boat Industry Study (BRP's Sea-Doo brand ranked first) Learn more, request a presentation of industry study results, or request PSI ® measurement and reporting at This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC.
Business Wire
02-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Wire
BMW Motorrad Dealers Top-Ranked in 2025 Powersports Study for Providing Quick and Easy Service Appointments
MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BMW Motorrad dealerships ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI ® Service Telephone Effectiveness ® (STE ®) Powersports Industry Study, which measured the efficiency and quality of customer attempts to schedule service appointments by telephone. Following BMW were Kubota, Triumph, Polaris Off-Road and Harley-Davidson. 'Well-run service departments focus on building customer loyalty, and the first opportunity to drive that loyalty is a customer's phone call to schedule an appointment.' Share Pied Piper submitted service calls to 1,531 powersports dealerships representing 27 brands, then evaluated the telephone interactions. Each brand's overall STE Score is a combined average of its individual dealer performances. Scores range from 0 to 100 and include over 30 differently weighted measurements tracking the best practices most likely to generate service revenue and customer loyalty. BMW Ranked Highest: Consistency in Challenging Conditions 'BMW has consistently been ranked among the top three performing brands during the three years this annual study has been conducted,' said Cameron O'Hagan, Pied Piper's Vice President of Metrics and Analytics. ' This year they have achieved the top position due to that consistency.' BMW led the 2025 STE study with an average STE score of 50 – the same score BMW achieved in both 2023 and 2024. The following are examples of behaviors which set BMW dealers apart from the industry average when customers call for service: Higher Rate of Setting Appointments – 65% of BMW service calls resulted in an appointment being set, compared to only 52% for the industry overall. More Likely to Ask About Other Issues – BMW customers were asked if they had any other issues or needed any additional service 35% of the time on average, compared to only 22% of the time for the industry overall. More Likely to Ask if Visited Before – On average, BMW dealers asked service customers whether they had visited the dealership before 44% of the time, compared to 28% of the time for the industry overall. Reach Service Advisor Quickly – BMW customers on average reached a service advisor within one minute 84% of the time, compared to 78% of the time for the industry overall. Why Should We Care About a Customer's Service Telephone Experience? ' Well-run service departments focus on building customer loyalty, and the first opportunity to drive that loyalty is a customer's phone call to schedule an appointment,' said O'Hagan. ' Powersports customers who struggle to schedule service vote with their feet by moving to another dealership or independent shop. In extreme cases, due to most powersports purchases being discretionary, if ownership becomes frustrating, many customers will begin to question whether it's worth the effort and may sell the vehicle and become sour with the brand. ' The industry's average STE score improved one point over the past year, reaching an average score of 44, one point higher than 2024 but trailing the 2023 high watermark average score by two points. Performance varied substantially from dealership to dealership, with a minority of dealerships clearly benefiting from their superior processes. 16% of dealerships nationally achieved STE scores over 70, by providing an interaction with their service customers that was speedy, efficient and proactively helpful. In contrast, customers for 11% of the dealerships hung up their phone having completely failed in their attempt to schedule service. The business implications between those two extremes are substantial. Powersport Industry Performance Lacking in Key Areas Customer expectations for scheduling service aren't set by the powersports industry. Nearly all powersports customers also schedule service for their cars and trucks, and over the past few years the auto industry has significantly improved the service scheduling experience for their customers. Fail to Live up to Expectations – Today, half of all auto service appointments for basic needs like oil changes are quickly booked online, and with the help of AI-powered chat, 87% of auto customers who phone to schedule service end their call with an appointment—compared to only 52% of the powersports customers. Too Many 'Just Drop it Off' Demands – 41% of the time powersports customers were told to 'just drop it off' and wait an undetermined amount of time, rather than the dealership committing to a specific date and time. In comparison, this unfavorable behavior occurs only 2% of the time in the auto industry. Rarely Ask About Additional Services – Across the industry, only 22% of customers were asked if they had other issues or needed additional services—significantly lower than the 40% rate seen in the auto industry. Industry's Greatest Opportunities for Improvement ' The cliché is true: sales sells the first; service sells the rest,' said O'Hagan. ' Dealerships that prioritize a superior service experience gain in both sales and service.' Turn 'Just Drop it Off' Into a Positive – 41% of powersports customers are told to 'just drop it off,' where the vehicle will wait—often outside in the elements—for an undetermined number of days, before the dealership will get to it. This demonstrates little concern for a customer's time or expectations. However, this 'drop it off' mentality can be transformed from a frustration into a positive experience by also offering an appointment. For example: ' I can schedule you two weeks from today, or if you prefer, you're welcome to bring it in and we'll try to get to it sooner. ' Framing it this way respects the customer's time and shows that the dealership is organized and responsive—turning a traditionally negative interaction into a loyalty-building moment. Understand What Customers Are Really Experiencing – In the 2025 study there were 14 brands which improved their STE score over the previous year. The brand with the greatest improvement was Kubota, with a six-point gain since last year, moving from a tenth-place ranking in 2024 to second in this year's study. Kubota dealers nearly doubled their rate of setting appointments, occurring 58% of the time in 2025 compared to 31% of the time last year. Kubota dealers also drastically cut the rate of insisting 'just drop it off' from 62% of the time in 2024 to 38% of the time this year. The key to this improvement was showing dealers what their customers actually experienced when calling for service. 2025 Brand Performance Compared Performance varied substantially by brand, as shown by these examples: Why Was This Study Conducted? 'The first service interaction that drives loyalty and service revenue is a customer's initial phone call to schedule an appointment,' said O'Hagan. "Because these phone calls often go unnoticed in daily operations, they're frequently neglected — and without clear visibility, improvement becomes difficult." For more than 15 years, Pied Piper has independently published annual industry studies that rank the omnichannel performance of brands and dealer groups. These studies track how industry performance changes over time and let clients understand how their own performance compares. Pied Piper clients order ongoing Prospect Satisfaction Index ® (PSI ®) measurement and reporting – internet, telephone or in-person – for their dealerships, as tools to improve and maintain omnichannel sales and service effectiveness. Pied Piper clients have found that the key to driving dealership improvement is showing what sales and service customers are really experiencing – which is often a surprise. About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC Monterey, California - based Pied Piper helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers. Pied Piper's PSI process applies data science analytics to determine the omnichannel sales and service best practices most likely to drive unit sales and loyalty. PSI then uses a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and human actors to measure and report how effectively retail locations follow those best practices. Other recent Pied Piper PSI industry studies include: Learn more, request a presentation of industry study results, or request PSI measurement and reporting at ------------------------- This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC.
