Four Ways to Improve CSI Scores with LoJack® LotSmart™

  • October 25, 2018
  • Steve Manzi

Customer satisfaction index (CSI) scores are a stress point for car dealerships. For salespeople, CSI scores can make a huge difference in pay—and in some cases might mean keeping or losing their job. For Franchisees, CSI scores influence spiffs from the manufacturer. CSI is designed to build and measure customer satisfaction so that manufacturers and dealerships can maximize sales.

Dealers should take advantage of aftermarket solutions that help bolster CSI scores. Aftermarket technology is a viable option for dealerships looking for new ways to streamline operations and improve customer service. LoJack® LotSmart™, for example, is an inventory management system that’s designed to deliver a seamless car buying experience. For dealers, a quicker turn means happier customers and, ultimately, more sales.

Here are four ways you can use LotSmart™ to keep CSI scores high and your customers happy during the sales process.

#1 Know that the Car Will Start

One of the fastest ways to lose a sale is to walk an eager customer to their test drive vehicle, only to discover it has a dead battery. Why would the customer want to buy a car that is supposedly new, but already looks like it needs repair before it leaves the lot? No one wants to wait inside the dealership while your technicians try to bring a car back to life. In fact, over 50% of dealer personnel with more than one lot say they’ve jeopardized a sales in the past three months because of a dead car battery.1

LotSmart proactively notifies you when a vehicle has a low or dead battery, helping you ensure test drive vehicles are fully charged and ready for delivery. Knowing that your cars are ready to go will help rack up smooth sales, improving the scores for both your sales team and the dealership as a whole.

#2 Keep Wait Time Down

You already know customers don’t enjoy any wait time, and there’s nothing worse than the feeling of pressure while you try to locate a vehicle that is parked…somewhere. Is it nearby, or miles away at a satellite lot? Is it easily accessible or is it trapped behind three other cars? How long can you spend looking for a specific vehicle before your customers offer to go away and “come back later?”

With LotSmart, you can pinpoint the exact location of the car that the customer wants. By reducing customer wait time, you keep your customers interested and maximize the selling opportunity.

#3 Eliminate Unhappy Surprises

How many miles are on that car the customer just asked about? Does it have enough fuel for a test drive? You do not want the customer to discover that what they thought was new inventory is actually a dealer demo or a former rental, or that there is not enough gas to get around the block. Last-minute surprises lead to unhappy customers.

LotSmart tells you the mileage and fuel level of every vehicle on your lot. Knowing the details about the car before showing it to a customer helps you set expectations and keep the sale on track.

#4 Offer the Right Add-Ons

One way to kill CSI scores is to drop the customer like a hot potato right after the sale. Instead, keep the relationship going by offering ongoing value. The power of LotSmart can be harnessed to drive post-sale business, too. Using the same telematics device, you can sell LoJack® SureDrive™ a connected car app to your consumers. SureDrive™ keeps your customers connected with their car and their loved ones driving it. What’s more, SureDrive can help your dealership drive incremental PVR at the same time.

With customer loyalty and satisfaction more important now than ever, these tips can help drive success and revenue for your dealership—and for your sales team, too. To learn more about how LotSmart and SureDrive can help streamline operations at your dealership, click here.

1. Source: Internal LoJack Survey of Dealership Personnel – April 2017