FAIRFAX, Va. -

A recent Customer Satisfaction Pulse Study conducted by BARE International indicated that more than 40 percent of vehicle-sales conversations do not gather key information. The research found that dealership personnel didn’t gather information such as what the buyer is looking for, how the vehicle will be used and how much a buyer is comfortable spending.

The firm explained this Pulse Study was conducted to gain insights from an everyday customer´s point of view.

Three major automotive brands — Jeep, Toyota and Ford — were evaluated across 10 countries. The study investigated five relevant touch-points of the customer journey:

—Pre-visit telephone call
—Arrival at the dealership
—Sales advisor interaction
—Sales closing
—General impressions and recommendations

According to BARE president Mike Bare, the overall results show clear indications for areas of improvement during the sales process.

“We consult with several automotive brands. Our goal was to conduct a brief pulse study to give our current and potential clients insight into how their customers experience the sales process,” Bare said. The results show some clear industry indicators.”

To download the benchmark report, go to www.bareinternational.com/global-automotive-pulse-study/.