All of this is just lipstick on a pig until people start having truly good dealer experiences. Greed from the corporation on down is a hard drug to get over. Besides, this whole thing involves real work, things most executives think are beneath them. What, me work? No way!
Customer Experience: Every Customer Counts, Every Journey Matters
From the media release:
How are we getting there?
We are reshaping the entire customer experience by giving special attention to the complete customer journey and inspiring actions throughout our value chain with a focus on four key areas:
1. reaching an unprecedented level of customer satisfaction with our electrified products and services
2. using Big Data to reduce time to fix by 50%
3. improving each customer touchpoint with a new holistic view of the customer journey
4. always keeping the customer at the center of everything we do
We have dedicated Customer Care organizations in all regions to manage customer engagement activities worldwide.
Full media release here:
Customer Experience | Stellantis
How are we getting there?
We are reshaping the entire customer experience by giving special attention to the complete customer journey and inspiring actions throughout our value chain with a focus on four key areas:
1. reaching an unprecedented level of customer satisfaction with our electrified products and services
2. using Big Data to reduce time to fix by 50%
3. improving each customer touchpoint with a new holistic view of the customer journey
4. always keeping the customer at the center of everything we do
We have dedicated Customer Care organizations in all regions to manage customer engagement activities worldwide.
Full media release here:
Customer Experience | Stellantis
41 - 60 of 84 Posts
Right. It’s all about meeting their annual goals and collecting their big fat bonuses.All of this is just lipstick on a pig until people start having truly good dealer experiences. Greed from the corporation on down is a hard drug to get over. Besides, this whole thing involves real work, things most executives think are beneath them. What, me work? No way!
Which is why I don’t think Stellantis gives a rat’s äss. If it did, executive goals and bonuses would be tied to fixing product quality and the dealer experience.
Unfortunately, Marchionne didn’t believe that the automaker had anything to do with the dealer experience.
Years ago I worked at Maritz Research. At the time, Maritz had 70% of the automakers’ dealer customer satisfaction tracking work, including Chrysler’s. I left in 2005 but stayed in touch with my colleagues.
One of Marchione’s first actions after taking over was to cancel Chrysler’s dealer tracking. In his view, customers would reward good dealers and punish bad ones, and the market would take care of things for him.
Of course this didn’t happen. Strict state franchise laws and driving distance kept bad dealers in business.
Things went from bad to worse until circa 2014, when FCA was forced to reintroduce some sort of dealer satisfaction measuring mechanism. But in typical FCA fashion, the new measurement tool was so closely tied to financial carrots and sticks, that good dealer managers and service advisors lost the freedom to do the right thing. It became all about playing the game of getting the customer to give them that vaunted “10” so that FCA would pay them their “bonus.”
If you look at JD Power Customer Satisfaction (CSI) rankings, you can clearly see CDJR and ARF dealers slide to the bottom of the rankings. By 2015, all FCA dealers were clustered at the very bottom.
Stellantis has now been in existence for 2+ years. Some of its brands have gone up in the rankings only to slide back down. I don’t know how concerted an effort they are doing to remedy the situation.
Judging from my own personal experience with the two CDJR dealers nearby, I still haven’t noticed any drastic improvements.
So yeah, Stellantis can write all the beautiful prose it wants, but the proof is in the pudding.
Going back to some of the earlier posts in this thread, the speed of a repair item. Unless Stellantis has changed it Chrysler (all lines) did not pay for diagnosing a problem, the technician basically had to take a guess at what was causing the problem. The only real exception were the Lean Burn system (I know I'm dating myself) where, if it ran you could used the tester to verify the system and any bad components and even if it wouldn't certain tests could still be run. Interesting policy on those, and they were not the only ones, if it wouldn't run at all, and was out of normal warranty, the owner was out of luck, but if it ran poorly, the emission performance warranty kicked in. The theory being "If it doesn't run it can't pollute." loads of fun!
Essentially, you got real good at quick tests on things like alternators, where you could get at the brush connectors to tell if it was getting power and ground.
Essentially, you got real good at quick tests on things like alternators, where you could get at the brush connectors to tell if it was getting power and ground.
Wouldn't the second lead to the first?No, there is a difference between having no leverage to make a dealer improve and openly hostile treatment of dealers.
This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about.Right. It’s all about meeting their annual goals and collecting their big fat bonuses.
Which is why I don’t think Stellantis gives a rat’s äss. If it did, executive goals and bonuses would be tied to fixing product quality and the dealer experience.
Unfortunately, Marchionne didn’t believe that the automaker had anything to do with the dealer experience.
Years ago I worked at Maritz Research. At the time, Maritz had 70% of the automakers’ dealer customer satisfaction tracking work, including Chrysler’s. I left in 2005 but stayed in touch with my colleagues.
One of Marchione’s first actions after taking over was to cancel Chrysler’s dealer tracking. In his view, customers would reward good dealers and punish bad ones, and the market would take care of things for him.
Of course this didn’t happen. Strict state franchise laws and driving distance kept bad dealers in business.
Things went from bad to worse until circa 2014, when FCA was forced to reintroduce some sort of dealer satisfaction measuring mechanism. But in typical FCA fashion, the new measurement tool was so closely tied to financial carrots and sticks, that good dealer managers and service advisors lost the freedom to do the right thing. It became all about playing the game of getting the customer to give them that vaunted “10” so that FCA would pay them their “bonus.”
If you look at JD Power Customer Satisfaction (CSI) rankings, you can clearly see CDJR and ARF dealers slide to the bottom of the rankings. By 2015, all FCA dealers were clustered at the very bottom.
Stellantis has now been in existence for 2+ years. Some of its brands have gone up in the rankings only to slide back down. I don’t know how concerted an effort they are doing to remedy the situation.
Judging from my own personal experience with the two CDJR dealers nearby, I still haven’t noticed any drastic improvements.
So yeah, Stellantis can write all the beautiful prose it wants, but the proof is in the pudding.
It would actually be nice to know who at Auburn Hills is really in charge of these things. That way we could flood his or her email or Twitter, or whatever he or she is using. Ironically, they're like ghosts, no one is in charge.
I think you're right. No one at Auburn Hills is in charge of this. It's probably someone at Corporate HQ in the Netherlands or someone else in Europe. Someone a lot further away from the problem and is getting reports that are heavily filtered by the time they get there.It would actually be nice to know who at Auburn Hills is really in charge of these things. That way we could flood his or her email or Twitter, or whatever he or she is using. Ironically, they're like ghosts, no one is in charge.
Yeah, this totally won't end badly.
Another problem I see... just tossing this in with regard to two way streets:
Many Chrysler dealers are scum. We all know that. But how the company treats the good ones is just as telling as how it treats the bad ones.
The bad ones are allowed to thrive if (a) they sell enough cars and/or (b) they kiss the *** of their zone reps. That's always been true and IMHO, (b) was the primary rationale used during bankruptcy to keep or drop dealerships, followed by (a) and at a long distance, (c) how they treated customers.
Today, the very best dealerships, the ones with the most trust and best fix-it-first-time scores, are required to take photos of everything they do to get warranty authorizations. There are week-long delays as the company sends some lout in person to make sure the company isn’t being cheated. Again, at the dealerships everyone can trust.
Do they turn anything up? I doubt it. Except maybe some parts that are actually broken due to factory or design flaws, but not according to some sort of factory criteria, e.g. shock absorbers that no longer work but don't have a telltale oil stain.
Many Chrysler dealers are scum. We all know that. But how the company treats the good ones is just as telling as how it treats the bad ones.
The bad ones are allowed to thrive if (a) they sell enough cars and/or (b) they kiss the *** of their zone reps. That's always been true and IMHO, (b) was the primary rationale used during bankruptcy to keep or drop dealerships, followed by (a) and at a long distance, (c) how they treated customers.
Today, the very best dealerships, the ones with the most trust and best fix-it-first-time scores, are required to take photos of everything they do to get warranty authorizations. There are week-long delays as the company sends some lout in person to make sure the company isn’t being cheated. Again, at the dealerships everyone can trust.
Do they turn anything up? I doubt it. Except maybe some parts that are actually broken due to factory or design flaws, but not according to some sort of factory criteria, e.g. shock absorbers that no longer work but don't have a telltale oil stain.
but if you have a charger or 300 with a warping door panel... good luck
Very true.Another problem I see... just tossing this in with regard to two way streets:
Many Chrysler dealers are scum. We all know that. But how the company treats the good ones is just as telling as how it treats the bad ones.
The bad ones are allowed to thrive if (a) they sell enough cars and/or (b) they kiss the *** of their zone reps. That's always been true and IMHO, (b) was the primary rationale used during bankruptcy to keep or drop dealerships, followed by (a) and at a long distance, (c) how they treated customers.
Today, the very best dealerships, the ones with the most trust and best fix-it-first-time scores, are required to take photos of everything they do to get warranty authorizations. There are week-long delays as the company sends some lout in person to make sure the company isn’t being cheated. Again, at the dealerships everyone can trust.
Do they turn anything up? I doubt it. Except maybe some parts that are actually broken due to factory or design flaws, but not according to some sort of factory criteria, e.g. shock absorbers that no longer work but don't have a telltale oil stain.
I saw this first hand years ago with my CDJR in Southern California, Glenn E Thomas Dodge.
Glenn E Thomas used to service Chrysler’s own regional vehicles. That’s how tight the dealer was with Chrysler.
One time I blew a front tire on my 2012 Challenger. I vented to my service manager that FCA Roadside Assistance gave me grief and charged me for a tow that should have been covered. Without my knowledge the manager calls FCA and next thing I know, he hands me a check refunding me for the tow, and another check for $400 for the purchase of an aftermarket spare tire kit. Both checks were from Chrysler.
Meanwhile, FCA tightened the screws on his poor service advisors. I knew them well and they knew me. Yet, they had to give me the spiel of “you will be getting a survey about your experience today. If you cannot give me a ‘10’ please call me first...”.
I thought this was so beneath them. But he told me that a lady had just given him an 8; he “...might as well had stayed home that day...”
Yup, I've been seeing that more and more. I even rate them a 10 on their facilities and then write in how crappy their facilities are, because anything but a 10 is poison. They claim that's based on your research (Well, TARP’s research, anyway.)
Now it's hard for them to approve any warranty work because some schmuck at HQ has to approve every. single. repair.
(Well, TARP’s research, anyway.) Now it's hard for them to approve any warranty work because some schmuck at HQ has to approve every. single. repair.
Yeah, no, that whole 10-point thing is not our doing.Yup, I've been seeing that more and more. I even rate them a 10 on their facilities and then write in how crappy their facilities are, because anything but a 10 is poison. They claim that's based on your research
Now it's hard for them to approve any warranty work because some schmuck at HQ has to approve every. single. repair.
If dealers need to achieve a "10" to get paid, then why give respondents another nine points on the scale?
Answer: because FCA doesn't want to have to pay them...
The whole thing is ridiculous.
The company I work for is the same. If you dont give five, it's the same as zero.
Dave, when they did the reorganization, they dropped the Dodge dealer I had worked for, and kept the larger Chrysler-Plymouth dealership and gave them Dodge. The second dealer had two locations, one near me and one about 15 miles away, but actually in my city, the other was closer, but actually in a different city. They were so great, their further away location had done the permanent Bendix 10 recall on the pump and butchered the banjo fitting bolt for the previous owner of the 93 Grand Caravan. When the nearer location had it (this was after the reorganization) they said due to the bolt being damaged they couldn't do the repair. I found a bolt at my favorite junkyard, and when they heard the story, they told me "take it, if you can get one over on xxxxx, good for you!" so I did and they had to replace the pump.Another problem I see... just tossing this in with regard to two way streets:
Many Chrysler dealers are scum. We all know that. But how the company treats the good ones is just as telling as how it treats the bad ones.
The bad ones are allowed to thrive if (a) they sell enough cars and/or (b) they kiss the *** of their zone reps. That's always been true and IMHO, (b) was the primary rationale used during bankruptcy to keep or drop dealerships, followed by (a) and at a long distance, (c) how they treated customers.
Today, the very best dealerships, the ones with the most trust and best fix-it-first-time scores, are required to take photos of everything they do to get warranty authorizations. There are week-long delays as the company sends some lout in person to make sure the company isn’t being cheated. Again, at the dealerships everyone can trust.
Do they turn anything up? I doubt it. Except maybe some parts that are actually broken due to factory or design flaws, but not according to some sort of factory criteria, e.g. shock absorbers that no longer work but don't have a telltale oil stain.
Prior to that I had another pump go out on it at the dealership I had worked at, when I dropped the van off, I walked around to the parts window, called the manager over, and told him what was going on, so he ordered a pump for it then. The next afternoon I went by and was told it had a modulator code and they couldn't do any further testing until it was fixed and it wasn't covered. I asked the kid working on it if a bad pump would set a modulator code, he had to look it up (I actually had the special text fixture for it) and confirmed it would. I told him I had verified the pump was leaking internally, he tried to tell me he couldn't test any further. One of the Mercedes-Benz techs was on the other side of the 3 foot wall dividing the service area, he looked at the kid working on my van and told him "he used to work here when we were downtown, he knows what he's talking about". Kid tested the pump said "it's bad we'll have to order one." I told him check parts and be sure, M-B tech is grinning like the Chesire Cat, he had a good idea what the kid would find, he came back with the pump and then said he wouldn't be able to get it on that day (it was almost closing time). I looked at him and said I understood that, and would pick it up the next day.
The original TARP research showed that a 10 score would be worth __ increase in loyalty and __ increase in likelihood of recommending. As with Frederick Winslow Taylor never actually saying "Oh, by the way, once productivity goes up, slash the piece-rate," TARP certainly never said "Only reward for 10s." (Taylor was quite frustrated with his clients for repeatedly using his work to shaft line workers.)Yeah, no, that whole 10-point thing is not our doing.
If dealers need to achieve a "10" to get paid, then why give respondents another nine points on the scale?
Answer: because FCA doesn't want to have to pay them...
The whole thing is ridiculous.
@85lebaront2 ... I still think the dealerships to be chosen was internal politics. Not Democratic/Republican. At the time 98% of dealerships were owned by Republicans, so obviously most of the closed dealerships were owned by Republicans. I doubt that factored into it at all. From the input I got from across the country, it was all about relationships with the dealer relations and zone people... though high volume certainly didn't hurt. It certainly was not 100% “the customer numbers.”
In this area, they closed most of the worst dealerships, most of which came back later.
The same thing happened to my dealer at the time. FCA shut down Long Beach Chrysler Jeep, and gave those franchises to Glenn E Thomas Dodge, two blocks down the street.
Strangely, though, where my dad lives, Langley, BC, there are two CDJR dealers across the street from each other - Langley CDJR and Willowbrook CDJR. And the BOTH SUCK!
Strangely, though, where my dad lives, Langley, BC, there are two CDJR dealers across the street from each other - Langley CDJR and Willowbrook CDJR. And the BOTH SUCK!
Sadly this has yet to change on either the sales or service side.At the same time, I saw how FCA tightened the screws on the poor service advisors. I knew them well and they knew me. Yet, they had to give me the spiel of “you will be getting a survey about your experience today. If you cannot give me a ‘10’ please call me first...”.
I worked at a bank that started doing these customer service surveys and same thing. Anything but a 10 is a zero. It’s absurd. It’s human nature not to rate things 100%. How many movies have you seen that you would rate 5/5 stars? How many meals in a restaurant would you give 10/10 to even if everything was completely fine? It’s normal for everyone to say 9/10 or 4/5. It’s companies trying to put a metric on human perceptions and you can’t do that.The company I work for is the same. If you dont give five, it's the same as zero.
Edit to add: I've long advocated that if their metrics are measured as a binary response (10 meets, 9 through 1 did not meet), then the questions should be structured as a Yes/No response.
"Was the reason for your visit resolved to your satisfaction?" Yes/No
"Would you categorize your experience in this visit as excellent?" Yes/No
"Based on your experience in this visit, would you recommend Dealer to a friend or family?" Yes/No
41 - 60 of 84 Posts
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