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Does everyone have a receptionist or service department that just blindly shotguns calls to parts every day that have nothing to do with parts?

No. Our folks are pretty good at assisting the caller with their decision before transferring to someone. We have an insurance agency on the next block, same family name but no relation, which we receive calls for by mistake. Sometimes we really have to screen those call types in case they are for our body shop.

Last place I was at, no one but parts would pick up the friggin phone so when they got tired of trying to get a hold of service or sales, they would call back and press 3 for parts.

We had no receptionist which was ridiculous

Oldtimer wrote:Does everyone have a receptionist or service department that just blindly shotguns calls to parts every day that have nothing to do with parts?

ALL THE TIME!!!

Yes, we refer to ourselves as the Information Dept.

Our receptionist is pretty good at screening calls correctly.

However, we have a different problem...customers (both wholesale and retail) calling our dedicated parts line...only to ask to be transferred to sales/service etc. Happens multiple times a day...we try and explain to them to call the main line for the respective department but alot of these guys have our number stuck in their brain from buying parts.

We had an automated answering tree that said if you need Ford service press 1, for GM service press 2, for Ford parts press 3,for GM parts press 4 and for the operator press 0. It seemed everyone press 4 for GM parts and asked for everyone in the dealership. They have finally turned it off. Now the phone rings constantly until someone ( usually in parts) picks up and transfers the call to whoever.

yes , we know everything in the parts dept.

Yes!!! Service advisors will not pick up the phone or call customers when sop parts are in so they call us.

The problem at our store is the same as many of you are experiencing. The parts department is the only department that answers the phone properly or even answers it at all so we have customers calling our dedicated parts line and asking for a salesman or service advisor because it is the only way people can get a hold of someone. It's sad and one of my biggest pet peeves is people who are afraid to or just plain don't answer the phone.

I just don't understand if customers/people are calling you to try and do business with you and spend money at your store...answer the friggen phone!