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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Press Release: ACURA DEALERS RANKED FIRST IN INDUSTRY STUDY FOR PROVIDING QUICK AND EASY SERVICE APPOINTMENTS
Industrywide 1 in 7 Customers Failed in their Attempt to Schedule Service
July 2024
Monterey, California – July 1, 2024 – Acura was ranked first out of 34 automobile brands in Pied Piper’s 2024 PSI® Service Telephone Effectiveness® (STE®) Study, which measured the efficiency and quality of service telephone calls from a customer’s objective of quickly and easily setting up a service appointment. Following the Acura dealers in the rankings were dealers who service Mazda, Lexus, Infiniti, and Volkswagen. “Well-run service ...
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Wards Auto
Sales Leads Caught in the Web
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April 2024
A mystery-shopping survey says auto dealerships are getting better - and faster - at responding to online customer inquiries. In this year's Pied Piper Internet Lead Effectiveness Study, 34% of dealerships scored above 80 (providing a quick and thorough personal response). Twenty-one percent scored below 40, with the worst markdown transgression being a failure to respond at all. Industrywide average performance increased four points to a ...
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Automotive News
Dealerships' responses to website inquiries improving, new study shows
March 2024
More dealerships than ever provided more thoughtful and thorough personal responses to inquiries on their websites, according to a new study from Pied Piper. The study, released this month,ranks dealerships on a 100-point scale based on how they responded to mystery-customer inquiries on their websites within 24 hours. The industry average score rose to 62, the highest since Pied Piper started tracking responses in 2011. Many dealerships ...
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