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Study: Triumph dealers ranked No.1 for providing service appointments

Triumph Motorcycles was ranked first of 27 powersports brands in Pied Piper’s 2024 PSI Service Telephone Effectiveness (STE) Study. The study measured the efficiency and quality of service telephone calls based on a customer’s objective of quickly and easily setting up a service appointment. Following the Triumph dealers in the rankings were dealers who service Harley-Davidson’s electric Livewire brand, BMW, Aprilia, and Polaris Off-Road.

Following the Triumph dealers in the rankings were dealers who service Harley-Davidson’s electric Livewire brand, BMW, Aprilia, and Polaris Off-Road. (Photo: Pied Piper MC)

“Well-run service departments focus on increasing customer loyalty, and the first service experience to drive that loyalty is a customer’s phone call to schedule an appointment. Powersports customers who find scheduling service difficult vote with their feet by moving to another dealership or independent shop, or even getting rid of their vehicle.”

Fran O’Hagan, Pied Piper CEO

Triumph, Kymco, CFMoto, HiSun, and Kawasaki improved their STE scores by more than four points from last year’s study. However, the performance of 16 brands declined, including Harley-Davidson, Zero, Suzuki, Moto Guzzi, and Indian.

Overall STE scores range from 0 to 100 and are calculated from a mix of individually weighted measurements that support the customer mission of quickly speaking with a service representative who can schedule a service appointment within a reasonable amount of time. Efficiency measurements determine 62% of the total score, while quality measurements determine 38% of the total score.

One in seven (15%) of the study’s powersports customers hung up their phone, having failed to schedule service. Thirty-three percent of the customers quickly accomplished their objective, speaking with a service advisor within one minute and scheduling an appointment within one week. Thirteen percent of the powersports dealerships nationally went further, achieving STE scores over 70, by also providing a proactively helpful experience that went above and beyond the customer’s basic expectations.

The national average STE score dropped three points compared to last year, from 46 to 43. Powersports dealers in this year’s study were more likely, on average, to place customers on hold, less likely to give their name to the customer, less likely to ask for the customer’s contact information, and less likely to provide an estimate of how long the repair would take or what it would cost. However, dealers, on average, offered an earlier appointment, six days out on average compared to nine days out last year, and dealers were more likely, on average, to ask if there were any other services needed while the customer’s vehicle was in the shop.

Triumph, this year’s top-scoring brand, improved its STE score by nine points over the previous year to achieve a score of 55, close to the automobile industry average STE score of 58. Triumph customers spoke with a service advisor within one minute and scheduled service within one week 47% of the time on average, compared to only 18 percent of the time last year. Similarly, last year, Triumph customers waited on hold for more than two minutes 24 percent of the time, which improved to only eight percent of the time this year.

Performance of each measurement varied by brand and dealership, and the following are examples of performance variation by brand:

“Mission Failure” How often did a customer hang up their phone having failed to schedule a service appointment?

  • Less than 10% of the time on average: Polaris, Aprilia, Can-Am, Triumph
  • More than 25% of the time on average: Tracker, Zero, Moto Guzzi, Indian, Ducati

“Mission Acceptable” How often was a customer able to speak with a service advisor within one minute and schedule a service appointment within one week?

More than 40% of the time on average: Indian, Harley-Davidson, Triumph, Moto Guzzi, KTM
Less than 20% of the time on average: Cub Cadet, John Deere, Zero, Arctic Cat

How many days out was the first available service appointment?

  • Less than 5 days on average: KTM, Indian, Harley-Davidson, Roxor
  • More than 9 days on average: Arctic Cat, Tracker, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Livewire

How often was a customer placed on hold for more than two minutes?

  • Less than 5% of the time on average: Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Kawasaki, Roxor, Polaris, BMW, Kubota, HiSun, Moto Guzzi
  • More than 15% of the time on average: Tracker, Yamaha, Arctic Cat, Indian, KTM

How often was a customer asked if they were experiencing any other issues?

  • More than 35% of the time on average: Triumph, Indian, John Deere, Arctic Cat, Kawasaki, Royal Enfield
  • Less than 25% of the time on average: Tracker, Livewire, Harley-Davidson, Moto-Guzzi, Zero, Roxor, Cub Cadet

The first step toward improving the service telephone experience is understanding what happens when customers call, which is often a surprise. “The effort is worth it,” says O’Hagan. “Satisfied service customers are more likely to be long-time loyal customers not only for service work but also when it’s time to buy another vehicle.”

The 2024 Pied Piper PSI-STE Powersports Study (U.S.A.) was conducted between October 2023 and April 2024 by phoning the service departments at 1,928 dealerships nationwide representing all major powersports brands.

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