Automotive Dealership Research, Certification and Training
Take Customer Experience to the Next Level
Deliver consistent, best-in-class sales and service experience for your customers
A poor sales or service experience can lead to a loss of confidence with your brand, creating defectors and rejectors and resulting in the loss of revenue from vehicle sales and parts.
Improve the dealership experience by leveraging J.D. Power's proprietary SSI and CSI syndicated data, combined with J.D. Power's in-dealership consulting and customer experience programs. These programs effectively leverage syndicated sales and service best practices to improve the customer experience.
Our consultants provide the ability to analyze and address root-cause issues impacting dealer performance. Our solutions provide clients with the insight and business tools to ensure that strategies, business practices, and performance improvement initiatives are aligned with customer expectations. Provide leadership training, management workshops, and field staff training to help your team align their efforts with customer-centric principles.
Research Solutions
Dealer Sales Rejecter Research
Helps dealers improve close rates by showing why consumers leave or reject a dealership showroom in favor of another one when shopping for a new vehicle. Sales rejecter research data provides tactical and insightful information to dealers to drive improvement in both retail sales and satisfaction.
Surveys customers to assess key sales processes to identify rejection issues
Identify consumer rejection reasons
Effect change and drive action through 1-on-1 store level discussion with expert facilitators
Dealer Service Retention Research
Enables dealers and OEMs understand why service customers defect and where they go, how much they spend, how frequently they have their vehicle serviced, and the types of work they have performed
Assess reasons customers choose independent service centers over dealers
Review dealer’s potential to recapture service defectors
Assess dealer service department online presence
Sales and Service Mystery Shop
Provides “eyes and ears” for management to determine process compliance in every department with a variety of methodologies
Evaluate dealer sales and service process strengths and weaknesses
Compare dealer performance to J.D. Power benchmarks
Provide dealers with shopper feedback to make immediate process changes
SSI and CSI Mimics
Develops customer satisfaction and quality tracking programs that mimic J.D. Power syndicated benchmark studies to enable clients to identify issues and implement process and product improvements
Provide a pulse on how well automakers are meeting established industry benchmarks
Early Buyer/Fast Launch Feedback
Provides a proprietary Voice of the Customer (VoC) solution that collects feedback from buyers, rejecters, and avoiders shortly after a major redesign or launch
Informs on the measurement of a vehicle redesign or launch from all aspects, including marketing, quality, design, and the customer experience
Dealership Training and Certification
In-Dealer Consulting
Helps dealer group management to devise program objectives and scope, then qualifies, trains, and activates specialized consultants to conduct in-store visits
Access tailored action plans for improving key aspects of sales and/or service processes and integrating digital retail components to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience
IQS Dealer Assessments
Conducts in-dealership assessments that help to determine the impact of dealer operations and processes on perceived vehicle quality
Identify prioritized areas of opportunity accompanied by recommended best practices to help improve perceived vehicle quality
Dealer of Excellence
Recognizes dealers that achieve sales customer experience excellence and helps top-performing dealers differentiate themselves online and in their local markets
Build customer trust by using Dealer of Excellence logo in advertising and merchandising efforts
Get additional referrals with J.D. Power recognition on jdpower.com and periodic press releases
Customer Experience
Contact Center Certification/Consulting
Blends insights and best practices, helping hundreds of companies benchmark their performance, improve customer service and satisfaction, and optimize operational activities by providing measurable, actionable analyses and recommendations for improvement.
Directly addresses the performance your customers and management value most
Offers meaningful recognition by a trusted, credible source to boost awareness, sales, and profits
Optimizes call centers, a critical touch point in engaging customers and understanding and addressing their concerns
Customer Journey Analytics
Combines the power of Voice of the Customer data and operational behavior to enable a hyper focus on pain-points directly tied to transforming the customer experience and driving bottom-line results
Optimize critical touch-points to retain customers
Utilize consumer experience and details around actual behavior to better connect consumers
Social Media and Text Analytics
Provide leading technological tools to help automakers leverage social media and text to improve the customer experience
Incorporate both social and text in the context of broader customer feedback into a best-in-class customer experience solution
Retail Tracking/Customer Experience Management
Focus on helping dealers better connect with customers and supporting dealer and customer engagement through the combination of the latest technology and analytical support
Focus on only the most vital elements that support a great customer experience
Understand brand gaps, identify areas for improvement and help measure that improvement
Sales, Service, and Digital Retail Consulting
Enhances the dealership experience through the design and execution of in-store consulting programs aimed at improving sales, service, and technology processes
Individual dealership receives customized support based on their store and needs, and in-store consulting efforts are fully aligned with brand customer experience initiatives
Digital Retail Assessments and Training
Offers a portfolio of solutions that helps dealers deliver the ideal online customer experience by capturing and analyzing the voice of the customer, evaluating key aspects of the dealer's online presence, identifying which shopping/purchase steps are addressed by each platform and how they are handled and providing the necessary training.
Digital Retail Assessment
Digital Retail System Customer Experience Measurement
Digital Retail Foundations
Experts You Can Count On
Doug Betts
Doug Betts is the President of the Automotive Division at J.D. Power. He is responsible for leading the strategy and operations for J.D. Power’s entire automotive division, which includes operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2017, Mr. Betts was at Apple, Inc., where he helped lead the introduction of Apple’s latest product innovations. Previously, he held senior executive roles in global manufacturing and quality at FCA-Chrysler Automobiles as Senior Vice President & Global Head of Quality with responsibilities covering all Fiat and Chrysler brands and services around the world; Nissan Motor Corp, as senior vice president of Total Customer Satisfaction for North and South America including Nissan and Infiniti brands; and Toyota Motor Manufacturing as General Manager of Quality for full size trucks, SUV’s and minivans.
Mr. Betts received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton is Vice President, U.S. Automotive Retail Practice at J.D. Power. He is responsible for the company’s U.S. syndicated retail studies, Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) and Customer Service Index (CSI). Additionally, his team conducts proprietary research and tracking engagements, including sales rejecter, service defection measurement, and sales, service and Internet mystery shops. The team also conducts strategic consulting engagements that support client customer experience improvement, as well as numerous in-dealership consulting engagements resulting in demonstrated improvement.
Prior to joining J.D. Power in 2005, Mr. Sutton spent 12 years at Ford Motor Company in various field and corporate positions, gaining experience in sales, marketing, dealer franchising, vehicle operations and customer experience program management.
Mr. Sutton speaks regularly at automotive industry conferences and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal; The New York Times; Automotive News; The Washington Post; and USA Today.
Mr. Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and an MBA from Miami University in Ohio.
Dave Sargent
Dave Sargent is Vice President and Head of Connected Vehicle Practice at J.D. Power. He is responsible for leveraging connected vehicle data to unlock new consumer and product insights for automakers and others.
Previously, Mr. Sargent was vice president, Automotive Quality at J.D. Power, responsible for all of the company’s vehicle quality research globally, including the Initial Quality Study (IQS); Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study; and Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), as well as vehicle quality tracking studies. Prior to that, he was the practice leader of J.D. Power’s European operations, where he established the company’s London office in 1995. Earlier, he worked in the company’s headquarters in California.
Before joining J.D. Power in 1992, Mr. Sargent worked for a UK consulting firm, as well as for Ford of Europe and the Rover Group.
Mr. Sargent holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of York and an MBA from Manchester Business School, both in the UK.
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