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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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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Press Release: CADILLAC DEALERS RANKED HIGHEST IN AUTO INDUSTRY STUDY MEASURING RESPONSIVENESS TO WEBSITE CUSTOMER INQUIRIES
Industrywide use of texting continues to grow: 61% of web customers received a response by text
March 2023
Monterey, California – March 6, 2023 – General Motors’ Cadillac dealerships were ranked highest according to the 2023 Pied Piper PSI® Internet Lead Effectiveness® (ILE®) Study, which measured responsiveness to Internet leads coming though dealership websites. Following Cadillac were Infiniti, Volkswagen, Subaru, Toyota and Volvo. “Auto dealers industrywide were quicker on average to respond to their website customers this year,” said Fran ...
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Press Release: MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS RANKED HIGHEST BY 2015 PIED PIPER PSI(R) --MINI, BMW, LEXUS MOST IMPROVED--
July 2015
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – July 6, 2015 – For the seventh consecutive year, Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2015 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured treatment of car-shoppers who visited 6,370 dealerships throughout the country. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” ...
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Press Release: MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS RANKED HIGHEST BY 2014 PIED PIPER PSI(R)
July 2014
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – July 7, 2014 – Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2014 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured treatment of car-shoppers who visited 5,671 dealerships throughout the country. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales ...
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Press Release: MERCEDES-BENZ, INFINITI AND LEXUS DEALERS RANKED HIGHEST BY 2013 PIED PIPER PSI(R)
July 2013
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – July 8, 2013 – Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2013 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of car-shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. Infiniti and Lexus dealerships, ...
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Press Release: MERCEDES-BENZ DEALERS TOP RANKED BY 2012 PIED PIPER PROSPECT SATISFACTION INDEX(R)
Treatment of car shoppers improves industry-wide; Highest industry average PSI score
July 2012
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA – July 9, 2012 –Mercedes-Benz dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study, which measured dealership treatment of car-shoppers. Study rankings by brand were determined by the patent-pending Pied Piper PSI process, which ties “mystery shopping” measurement and scoring to industry sales success. Acura, Infiniti and Lexus ...
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