DealersEdge Professional Forums

My service department recieves mystery shops on a monthly basis. Sometimes its a car that comes in, sometimes its just a phone call. It's really obvious when a car comes in. It will have random missing things like wiper caps, and the wipers will be "good" but have an abnormal tear, and the oil is always clean as it gets. lol the plates are from out of state but the new customer has a local address. haha! Anyways, do any of you guys get mystery shop phone calls or anything for the parts department?

I've had a few phone calls in the past where I thought it could be. The customer would ask odd questions picking my knowledge in a nonchalant way. But I never got a phone shop report back to me or anything. So who knows lol.

Might be a question to ask my rep (glorified salesman) on his next visit.

One thing parts customers will always ask is what your name is - they only things they've ever asked for here are wiper blades

I had one, I noticed it pretty quickly, because she asked me if a Chevrolet truck grille would fit in a GMC truck, even though the bumpers were different shapes. This was in 2008, the truck she asked about was a 2001, by the way. Of course, there is a lot more than the bumper, that won't fit, but I still don't know if she was a GM shopper, or one our DP hired. Most of our website and advertising phone numbers ring in to a recording service for "QuLity & or training purposes". Yours probably do too, call them & see!

Our dealer group mystery shopped it's dealers a year or so ago. They musta forgot we had caller ID....the call came from one of or sister stores LOL!!!

"Most of our website and advertising phone numbers ring in to a recording service for "QuLity & or training purposes". Yours probably do too, call them & see!" LMAO!!!! Chevy Dealer 60 miles down the road went to that scenario a few years back, including their wholesale phone line. First time I heard it I went " WTF was that? Did you guys turn into one of them Nazi stores where the management thinks you are all as big a crooks as they are? The guy who answered said "you know this one IS being recorded". I told him "I hope so, maybe the dumb ass that set this up will look in the mirror."
It was gone from the wholesale line 2 days later.

My dealer group signed up for Dealsaver. They record all incoming phone calls (not really sure that is legal in this state) and evaluate them. They send a notification to me as the manager, the fixed ops manager, and the DP whenever something doesn't fit their checklist.

For example, if you have a customer ask for the size of wiper blades (because they are standing in K-Mart) and you know darn well they aren't buying anything from you, you still have to ask for the sale during the phone call so you don't get a 'ding'. "Can I set those aside for you?" There, butt covered. The good news, no wholesale customers are affected, only retail.

they send an email (with the recording of the call) for the following reasons: (service and the sales dept have their own rules)

call disconnected (if they weren't really interested in talking to service about the installed $ and they hang up.......DING)
voicemail left
no attempt to secure parts order (ask for that sale)
when we don't have the part in stock and you don't offer to order one for them (this includes very old discontinued parts....because the jackwagon listening in doesn't actually understand a parts department)
when the customer is referred to someone else (once again, even when it is necessary)
and if you have to call them back for any reason. (apparently its better to let them rot on hold, that's not a DING)

And for this I am paying 200 out of my department.

dbuck; Obviously some coporate clown has had "siminar man" come by and explain how the "upper management" knows more about your dept. than you do. DING, DING, does this remind anyone of RIM or any other corp. control factor that is not standing there dealing with the customer. I could (should) write a book about this crap except, a large part of the younger generation would have no friggen idea what I was talking about, for that matter, the corp. clowns would not either. You ALL know what I am talking about but it is the Post Turtles that hold the reins so it matters not. I feel so sad for you.

We also pay $2.99 per call. A wholesale customer calls for price and availability and I get a text message and an email!!!! Ridiculous!!!! I'm supposed to ask for the sale? He has to quote his customer. HE has to ask for the sale. Dealers just love dishing money out to consultants who they think know how to run our departments better than we do. Why don't they just hire the consultants to manage the departments?