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Better Call Handling Boosts Service Loyalty, Study Finds
July 2025
Dealership groups are improving at fielding phone calls from customers seeking service department appointments.
That’s according to a new mystery-shopping survey by Pied Piper. The consultancy says quality call handling fosters healthy profits and happy customers – as opposed to those who get miffed by long waits and other phone mishaps.
“A service customer's initial phone call is a dealership's first step toward building loyalty and generating revenue,” says Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan.
In the company’s 2025 Service Telephone Effectiveness Study, eight of 10 dealer groups improved their average scores from last year’s survey.
“Dealers are improving that part of the process, without question,” O’Hagan tells WardsAuto. “Other industries we work with aren’t doing so well.”
And although it cannot do everything on its own – yet – artificial intelligence helps handle calls. But glitches persist. More on that momentarily.
Ranking highest in this year’s telephone effectiveness study is Houston-based Group 1 Automotive. It’s followed in descending order by Napleton Automotive Group (based in Chicago), Berkshire Hathaway Automotive (Dallas) and Ed Morse Automotive Group (Delray Beach, FL).
