Car dealers who consistently offer test drives and follow up with buyers are seeing major improvements in customer satisfaction, according to research by JudgeService.

Analysis of over 436,100 customer questionnaires found that offering test drives led to the biggest increase in satisfaction scores, rising 45% to 81%. Dealers who follow up after a sale also benefit, with satisfaction climbing 41% to 87%.

Showroom sales staff who introduce customers to a manager also see notable gains, with satisfaction rising 24% to 90%. Meanwhile, dealers who fail to implement any of these steps are unlikely to receive recommendations from customers.

“Our net promoter research reveals the positive impact of consistently delivering sales processes that acknowledge some of the fundamental expectations of customers,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.

“Test drives sell cars. They always have done and always will do. Sales staff who do not consistently introduce them as part of their sales conversations will prompt customers to shop elsewhere. Post-Covid some salespeople had got used to unaccompanied test drives and this caused a bit of a malaise in the sales process.

“Likewise introducing customers to showroom managers helps build relationships and trust. While contacting buyers after they’ve made a purchase makes them feel valued and provides an opportunity to address any issues that may have arisen during their first weeks of ownership.

“In a challenging retail environment successfully executed sales processes deliver incremental gains in terms of sales and customer satisfaction,” said Addley.