BMW And Honda Tie For Top Dealership Website Honors

Press release from Pied Piper: BMW and Honda dealerships ranked highest in the 2016 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness (ILE) Motorcycle Industry Study, which measured how motorcycle dealerships responded to customer inquiries received through dealership websites. Study rankings by brand were determined by the Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to dealership sales success.

Pied Piper sent customer inquiries through the individual websites of 1,757 motorcycle dealerships, asking a question about a vehicle in inventory, and providing a contact name, email address and local telephone number. Pied Piper then evaluated how the dealerships responded over the next 24 hours. Nineteen different measurements generated a dealership’s PSI-ILE score.

Motorcycle industry average performance has improved compared to previous years. For example, in 2008, Pied Piper found that motorcycle dealerships on average responded in any way within 24 hours only 30% of the time. Response increased to 72% of the time in 2013, and 89% of the time in 2016, as “auto responder” customer relationship management (CRM) software became more common. CRM software is only the first step though, since acknowledging a customer inquiry with an automated response fails to answer customer questions. Despite acknowledging customer inquiries 89% of the time in 2016, motorcycle dealerships answered customer questions only 41% of the time.

“Imagine ignoring 60% of the customers who walk into a dealership,” said Fran O’Hagan, President and CEO of Pied Piper Management Company LLC. “A dealer principal would never accept such poor performance, yet that is exactly what’s happening today to customers who reach out through a dealer website.” Pied Piper has found that today more than 8 out of 10 motorcycle shoppers research their purchase online before ever visiting a dealership in person. Today interaction through a website is likely to be a new customer’s first contact with a dealership.

The 2016 Pied Piper PSI-ILE Motorcycle Industry Study (U.S.A.) was conducted between August 2015 and July 2016 by submitting customer internet inquiries directly to a sample of 1,757 motorcycle dealerships nationwide representing all major brands. Examples of other recent Pied Piper PSI studies are the 2016 Pied Piper PSI (In-Person) U.S. Motorcycle Industry Study, in which Ducati was ranked first, and the 2016 Pied Piper PSI-ILE (Internet) U.S. Auto Industry Study in which Porsche was ranked first. Complete Pied Piper PSI industry study results are provided to vehicle manufacturers and national dealer groups. Manufacturers, national dealer groups and individual dealerships also order PSI “mystery shop” evaluations—in-person, internet or telephone—as tools to improve the sales effectiveness of their dealerships. For more information about the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, and the patent-pending PSI process, go to www.piedpiperpsi.com.