An hour's drive for a car that is not there
The customer booked by phone on Thursday. The salesperson wrote it in the diary: Saturday, 11am, the grey Octavia. On Friday the car was reserved by another customer who had seen it earlier in the week. On Saturday morning a different salesperson took the Octavia's keys for a test drive with a walk-in.
The Thursday customer arrives at eleven. The car is either gone or out on the road. They are offered something similar. They go home.
The diary does not know what the car is doing
Test drives are usually booked in a paper diary, a shared calendar or a notes field in the CRM. None of those know the car's status.
- Reservations and sales are recorded in the DMS, not the diary.
- Cars go into the workshop or out on demonstration without the sales team knowing.
- Two salespeople can book the same car for the same time.
- Customers are not reminded, so some do not turn up.
And the details you need before a test drive, such as the driver's licence check your insurance requires, are gathered at the last minute.
What goes wrong costs you
A customer who makes a trip and finds no car is unlikely to come back. Customers who do not turn up waste a salesperson's Saturday slot. Double-booked cars cause awkward conversations on the forecourt.
Last-minute paperwork slows every test drive and makes the dealership look disorganised at the moment the customer is deciding whether to trust you.
There is a record-keeping cost as well. When test drives are not logged against the car and the customer, you lose sight of which cars get driven and not bought, and which customers drove something and never heard from you again. Both are useful to know, and both are usually invisible.
How we tie test drives to the car
- Test drives are booked on a screen, or by the customer online, against a specific car from live stock.
- The car's status is read from your DMS: available, reserved, sold, in workshop or on demo. Unavailable cars cannot be booked.
- Booking holds the car for the slot, and anyone trying to take it out at that time sees the booking.
- The customer gets a confirmation and a reminder, with a link to provide the details your process requires in advance.
- If the car's status changes before the slot, the salesperson is told straight away to contact the customer.
- Test drives are recorded against the customer and the car, so they count towards the car's interest and the salesperson's follow-up list.
| Situation | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Car reserved after booking | Found on the day | Salesperson alerted immediately |
| Same car, same time | Clash on the forecourt | Second booking blocked |
| Driver details | Gathered on arrival | Provided before the visit |
| No-shows | Common | Reminder sent |
What checks you require before a test drive is decided by your insurer and your own policy. We build the steps around them.
Test drives that happen as booked
Customers who book find the car ready and waiting. Salespeople see the day's test drives with the details already collected. When a car is sold, everyone booked on it is contacted before they set off, which is the difference between an apology and a lost customer.
Is this happening on your forecourt?
- Test drives are booked in a diary with no link to stock.
- Customers arrive to cars that are sold or out.
- Two salespeople have booked the same car.
- Paperwork for test drives is done at the last minute.
- No-shows are common on busy days.