Dealership CSI scores: perfect or nothing -- WHY?

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
The system is set up to screw the dealer and the dealer employees over. ... there is a question that asks "Do you love your dealer?" if the customer does not answer "absolutely agree" the entire survey is a complete failure.


That's so wrong.

It's like these little electronic payment kiosks that have "tip buttons" that START at 20% & go UP from there!!

Sometimes.... I feel if the service wasn't worth 20%, then you should get no tip if that's the options....



I always tip in cash if I'm paying with plastic. So I select "zero" tip yet the server still gets rewarded, as that's whom I'm tipping in the first place. I am typically a generous tipper, as I've had jobs that relied on tips, so I feel good service should be rewarded.

Aside from solving your problem, it means the venue doesn't have control over tipping, reducing the amount given to servers by mandatory sharing policies.

 

[PimTac]

Healthcare is big into these surveys as well. 10s or 9s are okay but anything less requires action by management. In our case, it would be a few weeks before we were asked about a negative score. Either nobody remembers the case or it was not true. Most people taking these surveys do not know what happens on the other side. It drives employees nuts to say the least and when performing thousands of tasks each shift there is enough pressure as it is without the manager heading your way with a survey in hand.

 

[ragtoplvr]

It is a big red flag of a badly run company.

I make about 80 an hour, if they want to pay me for my time.

My last new car, admittedly about 10 years ago, I told them there was no way I was going to waste my time filling out their form. They insisted that it would cost the dealership their bonus, and let me take my money and walk out. Screw Ford, bought a Dodge that was excellent.

I fill out no survey for anyone. I am NOT a sheep.

Rod

 

[JustinH]

My mortgage lady at chase begged for an all perfect score, and said it was a failure if she did not get it.

She was very good and deserved it.

 

[Nick1994]

When I bought my Sonata I got multiple emails about doing a survey. I just ignored them because I thought I had an oil leak so I took it into the local Hyundai dealer (bought from a Subaru dealer 100 miles away). Turns out when the Subaru dealer did the oil change before selling it, they poured oil all over the place, down the backside and it dripped everywhere. Oil all over the top of the valve cover, etc.

So I figured I'll leave no review rather than a bad one.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

As far as I'm concerned it's poor / substandard / average /very good / perfect (on a 5 point scale, just expand that for a 10-point) and perfection is difficult to achieve; very good not so difficult if they care, and average is average. If everyone is a 10, then everyone is average.

 

[UncleDave]

Its a tool that poorly run entities lean on to control their people.

It mainly a way to avoid paying bonuses by Sir Management, and push the manufacturer for MDF.
As said here already usually anything but top scores all round and the guys or department get nada, or a chewing.

If I like the guys Im dealing with they do a decent job I give them a top score
If I don't like them I fill nothing out.

It feel like I lower my standards to do it lots of the time.

Thing is not one auto dealership, ever in my life ever really gave what our customer demanded of us in the television/ film business.

My Lexus guy does a pretty solid job of taking care of me and makes it worthwhile to go to the stealership for many things.

Having delivered 10's and yes's service I know what that really is is and the only reason I play along to to take care of the guys that take care of me.


Uncle Dave

 

[The_Nuke]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
However, having said that, I did read an article somewhere once (Consumerist.com maybe?) that was written by a manager in some business somewhere that used these types of surveys, and he laid out the case for treating their results in this fashion. While I cannot remember the specifics of his argument, I do remember thinking, "that's interesting, I never thought of looking at it from that perspective."

See, this is the kind of thing I want to read. I completely agree that the system seems insane, and this thread is a great example of every discussion I've seen so far on this topic -- i.e. uniformly negative. And yet it persists, which means there MUST be a reason, even if it's a stupid one.

If you stumble across this article again, please post it here!


I found the story I was thinking of, and it's not exactly as I remember. It is an employee subjected to this survey system [censored] that explains why the scores need to be all perfect or it's a fail:

https://consumerist.com/2013/09/19/car-s...arely-get-paid/

TL;DR: It's simple math. The survey answers are assigned points and counted up to compare against a pre-defined score that the survey total must beat. If it does not, the bad stuff happens; if it does, the bonuses, etc.

Well, what do you know, that number to beat just so happens to be within a few (as in 2 or 3) of completely perfect!! So while one non-10 answer won't technically sink them usually, 2 might, and 3 definitely will. That's way to difficult to try to explain to a customer, and so just asking for a perfect score across the board is done instead.

And yes, even though I now understand how it works, I still vehemently disagree with these surveys' usage in the modern workforce!

 

[GrtArtiste]

The "bonus money" paid to dealers is the driving force for the demand for "perfect" scores. But what the auto manufacturer really wants to know is this: Which dealers will try to bribe the customer with something of value (free oil changes...free tank of gas) in exchange for a perfect score? Which dealers are actually trying to get their hands on the survey so they can fill it out themselves? The dealer is allowed to beg, but not bribe. Compliance is monitored, and those who are caught too frequently put themselves at risk. It is not unusual that a dealer could lose his/her franchise over it. The next time your local dealership suddenly has a new name and a new owner for no apparent reason...you've now been told the reason.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: The_Nuke
I found the story I was thinking of, and it's not exactly as I remember. It is an employee subjected to this survey system [censored] that explains why the scores need to be all perfect or it's a fail:

https://consumerist.com/2013/09/19/car-s...arely-get-paid/

TL;DR: It's simple math. The survey answers are assigned points and counted up to compare against a pre-defined score that the survey total must beat. If it does not, the bad stuff happens; if it does, the bonuses, etc.

Well, what do you know, that number to beat just so happens to be within a few (as in 2 or 3) of completely perfect!! So while one non-10 answer won't technically sink them usually, 2 might, and 3 definitely will. That's way to difficult to try to explain to a customer, and so just asking for a perfect score across the board is done instead.

And yes, even though I now understand how it works, I still vehemently disagree with these surveys' usage in the modern workforce!

Thanks for posting!

That article suggests that competition is a big reason. Of course, like all competition, it apparently builds perverse incentives...

Here's another one: https://consumerist.com/2013/04/25/why-o...out-evangelism/

That one suggests that there's pressure to find and/or create customers who are not only satisfied, but willing to be evangelists for the store or brand. For that, only the highest possible scores will do.

What a rabbit hole this is...

 

[PeterPolyol]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
My mortgage lady at chase begged for an all perfect score

Originally Posted By: GrtArtiste
he dealer is allowed to beg

Does anyone else find this tragic?

 

[blupupher]

Originally Posted By: GrtArtiste
The "bonus money" paid to dealers is the driving force for the demand for "perfect" scores. But what the auto manufacturer really wants to know is this: Which dealers will try to bribe the customer with something of value (free oil changes...free tank of gas) in exchange for a perfect score? Which dealers are actually trying to get their hands on the survey so they can fill it out themselves? The dealer is allowed to beg, but not bribe. Compliance is monitored, and those who are caught too frequently put themselves at risk. It is not unusual that a dealer could lose his/her franchise over it. The next time your local dealership suddenly has a new name and a new owner for no apparent reason...you've now been told the reason.


And that is the problem.
To make it worth my while and for me to feel the service is "perfect", they need to go way above and beyond. Free oil changes, many places do that already, and I don't want them. Free carwashes, meh, no big deal.
Give me another $1000 off the price of the car on top of the best deal I already agreed to, sure, I will give you all 10's, if you are not a jerk.

 

[turtlevette]

I was extremely angry when I purchased my mustang. I told them I wanted to go home with the car and they drug their feet and I had to come back for it. They told me i couldn't take it without an inspection sticker. That's my business.

We decided to not return the survey rather than give poor ratings.

Its counter intuitive to give great ratings to people who are trying to screw you anyway. I don't get it. I never tip blackjack dealers either.

 

[Tdbo]

There has only been one time that I have ever been approached to fill one out.
In March, 2005, I purchased a brand new 2004 Ranger from a large Ford store.
I purchased the truck for less than I could buy the same truck used with 15K miles on it, with $9250 off sticker.
I dealt with a very nice salesperson but the rest of the experience was poor.
After the guy in the finance office told me that "I had to listen" to his spiel about vehicle etching,things went down hill fast, and turned into a shouting match. This was after waiting for 45 minutes because he thought that everyone who bought a vehicle there deserved to be waterboarded. To this day, he still is the most unprofessional jerk I have ever dealt with in a car dealership.
If it hadn't have been for the deal I got on the truck, I would have walked.
I guess the GM must have heard the yelling because after the transaction was completed, we were stopped by the GM of the dealership as we were walking out. He was giving me the apology tour and was only concerned about getting a perfect score on the survey.
I told him that it might be best that I not fill one out because he would find the result displeasing.
He flat out asked what it would take to get me to fill the survey out favorably. I told him a new drop in bed liner at no additional charge, doubting that he would ever go for it.
His response was "Give me fifteen minutes." He then returned, took me out to the truck, and it had the bedliner installed.
I filled out the survey and he got his desired result.
Later, I found out from someone at the dealership that because their CSI scores were so low, Ford was discussing taking action against the franchise.
However, I have never purchased another vehicle from that dealer again and never will.