WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -

Dealers that fail to invest in consumer-facing technologies risk being trumped by competitors.

That’s the message from J.D. Power following its 2015 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index Study released on Thursday.

J.D. Power’s study, in its 29th year, measures customer satisfaction with the sales experience for new-vehicle shoppers — for both buyers and non-buyers — to gauge what works and what does not to keep customers satisfied.

This year, the company highlighted especially the importance of utilizing consumer-facing technologies during the car-shopping process. One example, in particular, pointed out the use of tablets.

According to J.D. Power’s study, among both premium and non-premium buyers, the use of tablets by sales personnel to perform tasks such as recording customer vehicle needs, demonstrating a vehicle’s features and displaying pricing information yielded higher customer satisfaction.

Perhaps most notably in respect to tablets, the study shows that handwritten price quotes had a negative impact on buyer satisfaction.

The study also found that F&I products, such as extended warranties, pre-paid maintenance contracts and tire/road hazard protection helped increase satisfaction to the customers that were presented with the option.

“With retail vehicle sales in the United States in 2015 forecast to reach 14.2 million units and this positive momentum expected to carry into 2016, dealers face challenges in properly servicing a high volume of new-vehicle buyers who are increasingly tech savvy,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of the automotive retail practice at J.D. Power. “Dealerships should understand that customers want and trust technology and that it can enhance efficiencies. Dealers that disregard it may risk being left behind in three to five years. Customers are experiencing interesting uses of technology in many of their other retail transactions — and now expect this in auto.”

Here are some other key findings of the study, listed by J.D. Power:

  • Sales staff remain vital to sales experience: The most impactful sales satisfaction key performance indicator (KPI)—best practice—is interacting with a salesperson who understands the customer’s needs completely (+106 points). Such salespersons are good listeners, ask relevant questions and are able to deliver on customer requests. This KPI demonstrates that even with the growing prevalence of online communications and emphasis on an efficient transaction, the salesperson still plays a key role.
  • 5 of top-10 KPIs relate to working out the deal: Among the most impactful KPIs are five that involve making customers feel comfortable (not pressured) and confident they are receiving the most transparent and up-front information to aid their decision-making while at the dealership. Delivering on these best practices improves satisfaction and builds loyalty and advocacy.
  • Gen Y equally interested in safety and protecting vehicle value as other generations: Among generational groups, Gen Y is as likely to purchase F&I products as other generations. For example, by generation, the following proportions of customers purchase tire/road hazard protection: Gen Y (21 percent); Gen X (21 percent); Boomer (20 percent); and Pre-Boomer (20 percent).

Among brands, Porsche ranked the highest on a 1,000-point scale in customer satisfaction with a score of 752, marking a 14-point increase over last year. MINI, for the sixth-year straight, ranked highest among the mass-market brands, with a score of 762 (35 points over last year).

Want to check out the full study? Click here.