Automotive News
Study: Dealerships respond better to Internet leads
March 2013
LOS ANGELES – Car dealerships are doing better at responding to Internet leads, but the quality of the responses still leaves something to be desired, according to a new study. Mystery-shopping consultant Pied Piper Management Co. found that most of the 11,353 dealerships it submitted Internet inquires to in the past year now use customer relationship management software. And although the software usually automatically responds immediately to an ...
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Automotive News First Shift
Secret shoppers pick Benz
July 2012
Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in a study that looked how auto dealers treat customers. Pied Piper's annual study sends thousands of secret shoppers to stores across the U.S. and measures how salespeople perform.
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Automotive News
Mercedes has most effective sales process
July 2012
Some vehicle brands that score high in customer satisfaction surveys do less well when the effectiveness of dealership salespeople is measured, according to a California consultant. Mystery shopping consultant Pied Piper of Monterey, Calif., sent 4,419 shoppers to dealerships nationwide, from July 2011 to June 2012, to measure salespeople's effectiveness in selling cars on the showroom floor. Mercedes-Benz ranked first in the survey and led all ...
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Automotive News First Shift
Secret Shoppers Pick Mercedes
July 2011
Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in a study by Pied Piper Management Company to measure how effectively dealerships sell cars. Jaguar and Lexus tied for second.
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Automotive News
Rethinking Scion
May 2011
According to mystery-shopping consultancy Pied Piper of Monterey, Calif., although Toyota's sales practices are near the industry average, Scion's are the third-worst. Scion trailed other youth-oriented brands such as Volkswagen, Kia and Mazda mostly because the brand's low-pressure sales techniques don't give customers a reason to buy now or return for a future visit. Scion salespeople fared well in product knowledge, not overselling, and having ...
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Automotive News
Survey: Dealers botch many Web leads
March 2011
Ninety percent of internet customers received some sort of response, but usually it's the e-mail equivalent of a form letter, according to a survey by Pied Piper Management Company of Monterey, California.
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Automotive News First Shift
Lexus, Honda and Toyota Dealerships Rank Highest
March 2011
Lexus, Honda and Toyota dealerships ranked highest in a study to measure how dealerships treat car customers online. Pied Piper tracks dealerships' performance with mystery shoppers, but in this case, online mystery shoppers.
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Automotive News
Pied Piper helps track dealerships' internet results
February 2011
Mystery shoppers are nothing new, but Internet mystery shoppers are. That's part of the expansion plan for Fran O'Hagan as CEO of Pied Piper, which tracks not whether customers enjoyed their shopping experience but whether dealership salespeople did the things that would lead to a sale.
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Automotive News TV
Mystery Shoppers: Benz Wins
July 2010
Mercedes ranked number one—just above Lexus—in the 2010 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index. The results come from more than 3,600 anonymous mystery shoppers nationwide.
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Automotive News
Mercedes dealers ranked most customer-friendly; Ford, Chevy gain
July 2010
A study measuring how dealerships treat customers rated Mercedes-Benz highest but said Detroit's brands have showed the most improvement. Ford, Lincoln and Chevrolet scored above the average for the first time in the four years that Piped Piper Management Co. has conducted its study. Lexus was No. 2 and Mitsubishi placed last in the survey. Pied Piper, of Monterey, Calif., sent 3,658 mystery shoppers into dealerships to develop its Prospect ...
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