My thoughts on "Transaction Time"... and WHEN shoppers give a s*** about it?
Bill,
I forgot to mention, in 99.9% of his shopping journey, never once did he mention any thing that connected to "time at dealership". It was not a significant concern to him. His expectations were set by past buying experiences. He knew what was coming and found it logical.
That being said... when the day before the dealer visit came, that's when TIME at dealership became important! (note: context is important here!) I watched him, his dealer visit was tomorrow, phone calls are coming in from work, he has ppl to see, places to go, new things to add to his schedule... he's got 100 balls in the air. He managed his schedule by moving "less important things" off the dealership visit day (note: he cut out visits to a 2nd dealer if dealer #1 screwed up!). What this means is to us is "the FULL dealership visit" was a critical part of the journey. Reducing the 'transaction time' never once entered his mind because he had too many open questions preceding it. Ultimately, he concluded that if he ran out of time, he'd take delivery another day.
My $0.02 on "Transaction Time"
10 years inside stores, reading a jillion emails, chats, phone calls, No where can I recall any organized presence of shoppers clamoring for a "get me out fast" solution.
Here's a study of >200 chat's I made. Not one request to improve the transaction time.
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Why is "Transaction Time" Important?
From a shoppers POV, "Transaction Time" is your store's responsibility. They know it's complicated, they don't get pissed until they feel like you're wasting their time.
From my seat, fast Transaction Time does not have pre-sale wow factor... BUT, if your team can execute a fast Transaction Time, it's a nice closing tool and it'll be your 1st chance to wow your new customer (i.e. a branding opportunity).
From a management POV, It's a demonstration that your store is a team and it's highly organized and it's going to sell you more cars.
HTH
--Joe
