Automotive News
Service scheduling better, but gaps remain
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October 2026
Service departments drive dealerships’ profits, but 1 in 6 customers who call for an appointment can’t get scheduled for a specific date and time. While the industry is improving scheduling service by phone and online, gaps threaten customer loyalty, according to benchmarking firm Pied Piper. “If you talk to dealers, 70 or 80 percent of their profit comes from fixing cars,” said Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan. “So, this is a huge issue for dealers, ...
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Automotive News
Why getting service scheduling right — from phone to online — is key for dealership profits, loyalty
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October 2026
Service departments drive dealerships’ profits, but 1 in 6 customers who call for an appointment can’t get scheduled for a specific date and time. While the industry is improving scheduling service by phone and online, gaps threaten customer loyalty, according to benchmarking firm Pied Piper. “If you talk to dealers, 70 or 80 percent of their profit comes from fixing cars,” said Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan. “So, this is a huge issue for dealers, ...
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Wards Auto
Volkswagen dealers lead peers in service scheduling study
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September 2026
Volkswagen dealerships were No. 1 in a recent U.S. market research study that measured dealership performance in scheduling service appointments online and over the phone, by independent market research firm Pied Piper Management Co. “There is a huge upside” to effective service appointments, said Fran O’Hagan, founder and CEO of Pied Piper, in a Sept. 16 phone interview. Getting service appointments right is key to retaining service customers — ...
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CBT News
Service scheduling improves industry-wide, Volkswagen dealers lead the pack
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September 2026
According to a new Pied Piper report, each auto brand improved its customer service scheduling this year. Per the report, Volkswagen dealers led the 2026 Service Scheduling Effectiveness (SSE) Auto Industry Study with an average score of 73 out of 100. The industry’s average increased by 7 points in its second year. Pied Piper evaluated 6,538 service requests via phone and website from dealerships of 33 U.S. brands and four independent chains. ...
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Auto Remarketing
VW dealers earn No. 1 ranking for service scheduling effectiveness
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September 2026
When it comes to making it easy for customers to schedule service on the phone or their websites, Volkswagen dealers, apparently, do it best. Pied Piper released its 2026 Service Scheduling Effectiveness Auto Industry Study, which examines the customer experience scheduling service on dealership websites and via telephone. Topping the list was VW, whose dealers averaged a Service Scheduling Effectiveness (SSE) score of 73 out of 100. Central ...
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Car Dealership Guy
VW dealers lead industry in service scheduling effectiveness
September 2026
Volkswagen dealers collectively were the most effective in scheduling service appointments for their customers via the phone or websites, but the entire industry showed improvement in the past year. Leading off: In its 2026 Service Scheduling Effectiveness auto industry study, Pied Piper submitted 6,538 service requests at 33 U.S. auto brands and four of the industry’s top independent service center brands. Using 40 different measurements ...
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Press Release: VOLKSWAGEN RANKED HIGHEST IN 2026 AUTO INDUSTRY SERVICE SCHEDULING EFFECTIVENESS™ STUDY
September 2026
Second annual Pied Piper study measured how effectively auto dealerships schedule service by website and telephone Volkswagen ranked highest overall and for telephone scheduling; Volvo ranked highest for website scheduling; Overall industry improved substantially AI improved routine scheduling but often breaks down with complex requests and handoffs Independent service centers outperformed dealerships on key scheduling measures AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA ...
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MarTech Edge
Pied Piper Brings Continuous AI Monitoring to Retail Customer Handling
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August 2026
Retail performance dashboards are good at explaining what happened. They are less useful when a customer is being lost right now. Pied Piper Management Company is taking a different approach with its Sales Lead Handling Effectiveness (LHE) and Service Scheduling Effectiveness (SSE) subscription programs, using recurring independent evaluations and automated alerts to identify failures in sales and service interactions before they become ...
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Powersports Business
Pied Piper launches continuous retail performance monitoring for dealers
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August 2026
Pied Piper Management Company is rolling out a new subscription-based service designed to give multi-location retailers real-time visibility into missed sales leads, unanswered customer inquiries and service-scheduling failures. Rather than relying on monthly or quarterly performance reports, Pied Piper’s new services independently evaluate customer interactions daily or weekly and alert local management when a problem is identified. The ...
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Auto Remarketing
Pied Piper launches 2 new dealership performance monitoring & alert programs
August 2026
The monthly report has been the dealership cadence for decades. Pied Piper Management Co. wants to bring the information tempo into the present with the launch of Sales Lead Handling Effectiveness (LHE) and Service Scheduling Effectiveness (SSE). They’re subscription programs that use technology to make continuous monitoring and proactive alerts practical and affordable, measuring customer interactions daily or weekly and alerting local ...
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