Automotive Dealership

Automotive Dealership Interview Questionnaire

The purpose of this survey is to get an understanding of how automotive dealers sell vehicles to their customers and ensure that the vehicles are maintained for proper use and in an environmentally responsible manner. There is no right or wrong answer to each question. We are looking for your insights regarding the practices, processes, operational procedures, or policies of the dealership.

The responses will be analyzed and reported in an aggregated form. Under no circumstance will we identity those that responded to the survey (i.e. anonymity is assured). The interview may take 45 minutes to an hour to complete.

I. Interaction with Customers
	*Pre-sales: How to create value with customers before sales.*
	Question	Expected Information
1	What marketing/ advertising strategies do you use to inform and attract potential customers? In effect, advertisements, showroom events, ride and drives, financial plan.	How the dealership entices potential customers to visit the dealership whether for a purchase or to obtain additional information.
2	How do you track potential customers’ needs in order to identify the best product or service required?	How the dealer helps to build customer trust and make the dealership visit a more pleasant experience leading up to a possible purchase.
3	Are there a set of standard procedures implemented by your sales department that are intended to build value for the customer?	How the sales people engage the customer.
	*After-sales: How to provide after-sales services to increase customer loyalty.*
	Question	Expected Information
4	Are there a standard set of procedures that each maintenance person follows relative to interacting with customers as well as repairing their vehicles?	How services are provided to customers’ vehicles as well as how the customers are able to contact maintenance and receive those services.
5	How are customers reminded of required maintenance and vehicle upkeep services?	Those services that create value for the customer after their purchase and build loyalty based upon their further satisfaction with provided maintenance services.
6	How do you survey customer satisfaction?	How the dealership identifies and evaluates customer satisfaction in relation to the pre and after-sales services delivered by the dealership operations.
7	Are incentives provided to encourage returning customers?	Any type of programs in place that identify and provide incentives such as special rebates or discounts to encourage customer loyalty, i.e. return visits and purchases.
II. Interaction with Suppliers (OEMs and part suppliers)
	Question	Expected Information
8	Who supplies your cars?	A list of suppliers for the inventory of cars available at the dealership.
9	Are they sole manufacturer?	Whether the suppliers listed in the question 8 are the main manufacturers of the cars, or are the cars a product of a collaborative relationship with other tier 1 suppliers.
10	Are there any other suppliers?	Whether the suppliers listed in question 9 are the only manufacturers or work in collaboration with other suppliers to produce the cars. In effect tier 2 suppliers, who supply major components and additional tier 3 suppliers, who supply components to the tier 2 suppliers.
11	How do you interact with suppliers?	Methods used to communicate with suppliers and keep track of the supply chain. Whether a manual or automated mechanism/information system is in place to estimate inventory levels and demand.
12	Do suppliers provide related parts/components?	Any spare inventory the suppliers listed above may produce, whether for the maintenance department or for sale at the dealership.
13	How do you provide customer feedback to the OEMs?	The methods used to communicate customer comments back to the suppliers and manufacturers. Whether a formal documentation method exists in which this feedback is collated and disseminated to the affected parties.
III. Interaction between Internal Departments
	*Internal Operations*
	Question	Expected Information
14	How do your departments interact with each other? For example, service department with parts/maintenance department.	Details regarding the flow of information between departments as well as the method used to communicate this information. For example, the sales personnel take the new car purchase order to the finance department to complete the transaction; in addition, the sales personnel inform the maintenance department to ensure the car is prepped to be driven off the lot by the customer.
15	Is any formal training program for employees in place?	Whether or not the dealership trains its employees, which ones and how.
16	Are there a set of standard procedures every employee follows?	Company-wide procedures that are expected to be followed by employees in regards to interacting with customers (etiquette) and internal communications.
IV. Use of Information Technology
	Question	Expected Information
17	How do you track your vehicle and part inventory?	How the dealership keeps track of their inventory of vehicles and replacement vehicle parts (e.g., paper records, electronic spreadsheets, specific software, etc.)
18	How do you document customers’ requirements?	How the dealership keeps track of customers’ voices. (e.g., paper records, electronic spreadsheets, specific software, etc.)
19	How do you get back to customers’ requirements?	How the dealership keeps track of customers’ voices. (e.g., phone, emails, newsletters, specific software, etc.)
20	How do you use information technology to interact with suppliers?	How the dealer communicate with suppliers, exchange information with suppliers with what type of information technologies.
V. Success Factors
	Question	Expected Information
21	What are the key aspects that provide success to an automotive dealership?	What management believes to be the main services, procedures or policies that make them a successful car dealership.
22	What might be the areas that you may want to improve on through training?	What management believes to be operational deficiencies within their dealership that could possibly be improved upon through additional employee training.
VI. Energy Usage
	Question	Expected Information
23	How far or how much time on average does it take the customers to travel to the dealership for services?	The expected customer base for this dealership. Average mileage or time information related to how far and/or how long it takes the customer to travel to the dealership in order to obtain services.
24	How do you manage the use of heat, recycling of material like oils, etc.?	The ways the dealer manages its own use of energy, the recycling of materials.

Demographic Information

1. Location (City)

2. What is the major car brand?

3. What are major departments within the dealership (e.g. parts sale, major automotive body repair, finance the sale of a car, used cars, new cars)?

4. Do you service other brands not sold by the dealership? (Brand)

5. Service years (how long)

6. The number of employees

7. The lot size (i.e., the maximum capacity)

8. Ownership (Private, State Owned, Joint venture)

9. How many employees in each department?

10. Name of the dealership (optional)

11. Contact information (Name and Title, optional)

Source: http://www.sba.oakland.edu/Faculty/deng/SBC475S110/Project/Automotive%20Dealership%20Interview%20Questionnaire.doc

Web site to visit: http://www.sba.oakland.edu

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Automotive Dealership

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