Honda Dealers Most Responsive, Others Struggle with Online Customers, According to Metricals Study

    NEW YORK--May 9, 2001--Honda dealers ranked highest among 37 major automotive brands in online responsiveness according to a recent nationwide study.
    Metricals, a New York-based research company, unveiled the findings of its Inbox Challenge study today. The study evaluated auto dealership responsiveness based on 16,826 anonymous online tests to 3,387 randomly selected dealerships nationwide.
    The study was designed to provide dealerships and manufacturers with analysis regarding online customer satisfaction.

    Some Dealers Do Not Respond

    42% of all the test requests delivered never received a reply from the targeted dealership, auto response or otherwise. This means that 4 out of 10 potential customers are ignored when they contact a dealer via the Internet.

    13 Hours = Average Response Time

    Internet users have high inherent expectations regarding the speed of information delivery. For this study, dealerships were rated for the timeliness of each response. Of the dealers who did reply, the average response time for the nation was over 13 hours per request.

    Content is a Problem

    Most dealer responses lacked appropriate content, identification and grammar. As requests became more complex, the dealer's ability to provide a complete response diminished significantly. Nationally, only 30% of the test requests delivered received complete answers.

    The Big Picture

    High response percentages, timely replies, and complete answers are significant factors for optimizing online communications and increasing sales. Honda dealers not only ranked consistently high in all three areas of responsiveness but ranked highest overall in the study.
    "Our study is a general indicator of the strengths and weaknesses in dealership responsiveness," explains Greg Narain, CEO of Metricals. "It's a first step towards helping dealers improve their online practices, which is still a serious customer service challenge."

    The Study

    Comprehensive reports of the research are available in national, manufacturer, and dealer format.

    About Metricals

    Metricals is a research company that provides advanced measurement tools and services for online industries. By leveraging innovative researching technology, Metricals offers focused analysis of target industries.
    For more information about Metricals and other studies currently in development, please visit us at http://metricals.com. You can also contact us at info@metricals.com or call 212-376-7333.