Over 6,000 Auto Dealers to be Tested in 2nd Annual Metricals Study

    NEW YORK--Sept. 28, 2001--Metricals, a New York-based research company, announces the Second Annual Inbox Challenge. The study, occurring during the first two weeks of November 2001, will evaluate auto dealership responsiveness based on over 30,000 anonymous online tests to some 6,000 randomly selected dealerships nationwide.
    Last year's Inbox Challenge study evaluated the online responsiveness of 3,387 dealerships. Numbers from the first Challenge showed that 42% of all online requests never received a response from the dealer, while 13 hours was the average response time per online request for the entire nation.
    The Inbox Challenge is designed to provide dealerships and manufacturers with a first-hand account of their customer's online shopping experience. "This knowledge is invaluable for dealerships that are attempting to address declining sales and maintain existing customer relationships," says Greg Narain, Metricals CEO.
    Each dealership will be administered five tests, randomly distributed during business hours, over a period of two weeks. Tests will consist of simulated customer inquiries submitted via e-mail or website form. These tests are indistinguishable from actual customer requests. Messages will inquire about vehicles, services, and other applicable dealership offerings.

And The Winners Are?

    The results of the Second Annual Inbox Challenge will be announced during the 85th Annual NADA Convention, to be held in New Orleans on February 2-5, 2002. Dealerships picked for testing will be able to pick up a copy of their test results at the Metricals booth (#5025), including a complete breakdown of their performance, regional and national market statistics, and feedback on the results.
    Dealerships, dealer groups, and OEMs wishing to participate in the Second Annual Inbox Challenge may visit http://metricals.com to register their dealerships for testing.

About Metricals

    Metricals is a leader in automotive online communications research. The company supplies competitive market research, objective customer service assessments, and online responsiveness evaluations. Metricals' mission is to provide accurate measurements of online communications, from the individual dealership all the way through to the OEM.