Building Stronger Teams: The Impact of Automotive Surveys in 2024

Employee surveys tell you a lot about your current workforce. For example, did you know that 36% of employees in the automotive sector say they’re likely to leave a job due to a lack of pay increase? This statistic is much higher than for other sectors. 

But you wouldn’t know that without automotive surveys. Automotive surveys can provide you with clear insight into improving employee retention, leadership, and customer loyalty. 

Why Automotive Surveys Are Essential 

Automotive team building is an essential aspect of running a successful automotive dealership in 2024. Gone are the days when managers handed down orders, and staff members hopped to.

Today’s most powerful companies are those that recognize the power of their team. This means they train, support, and encourage their team members to grow and thrive.

To that end, employee feedback in auto industry sectors is critical. Automotive surveys can help dealers:

• Understand the challenges facing their staff.
• Gain insight into team members’ and customers’ experiences.
• Gage the current state of employee engagement.
• Assess leadership performance.
• Help identify root causes of poor performance on all levels. 

Jake Brief, the Director of Preferred Ownership at Empire Automotive Group adds that:

“Automotive surveys from employees will help you monitor the pulse of your dealership or dealer group. In an industry that is intrinsically plagued by high turnover, it is vital to hear from your people and more importantly, proactively seek out solutions to a problem yet to come.

Simply sending out surveys to evaluate new or current processes can provide you with enough feedback to predict the true impact said process will have moving forward. You will also be able to gauge your shortcomings, whether they are engagement, pay plans, packs, a disconnect between staff and management, and the list goes on."

These surveys allow dealerships to gather valuable feedback from employees. This feedback offers a firsthand look at the employee experience. It also does more than that. It gives dealerships a critical look into how customers interact with salespeople and service agents. It will also let you know exactly how your employees feel about their managers. 

All of this data allows you to view your dealership from every angle. With this chance to adapt and shift, you can: 

1. Implement leadership training specific to your dealership: You don’t want just any training program for those in leadership. Instead, you want to provide management classes and materials that speak directly to their jobs in automotive team building. This approach to training empowers and emboldens your leaders to lead. 
2. Offer growth and development classes to staff: Your managers aren’t the only ones who need training. Employees who receive leadership and development training are happier in the workplace. That means less turnover in an industry that already sees 46% turnover. When you train staff to take ownership of their work, you help them find purpose in their careers.
3. Enhance communication among your team members: Surveys are an excellent way to bridge the distance between managers and their staff. It can open up lines that previously felt blocked and encourage open dialogue. That way, everyone feels like they’re on the same page working toward the same goals. 
4. Foster a culture of inclusion and pride in the workplace: Many dealerships don’t understand the plight, the concerns, and the frustrations of their staff. The right surveys can change this reality to one of insight, compassion, and a changing culture. Employees who feel seen are more likely to perform. 
5. Deliver a superior customer experience: The bottom line is and will always be that happy customers keep your business going. What many businesses don’t realize is that happy employees create happy customers. The more receptive you are to employee feedback, the more likely you are to have happy employees. 

The benefits of automotive surveys are many. Now, you just have to find the right surveys for your dealership and its needs. 

Best Types of Automotive Surveys 

The best types of automotive surveys are those that focus on the specific environment you’re in. A generic “how are we doing” survey is a nice sentiment, but it won’t get you results. For dealerships, you want to address your market, your employees, and your region. 

Pulse Survey

ESI-Q’s NPS Pulse Surveys are designed for your specific dealership, with just 15 questions. You can send the surveys to employees on their smartphones, tablets, or desktops. 

The questions will encourage employees to share their professional insight into their experiences. This way, you can keep your finger on “the pulse” of your business. You’ll be able to better understand how employees feel about their jobs, the workplace, and their leaders. 

Leadership Assessment Surveys

You might think your managers are doing a great job, but do your employees? Leadership assessment surveys provide you with feedback from the staff members of leaders. This feedback helps you adapt enhanced leadership training and development techniques. The results are more productive teams and happier customers. 

Readiness Surveys

The vast majority of businesses have no idea where their employees stand on knowledge and skill. Readiness surveys help you identify issues and barriers preventing you from making progress. 

And, of course, progress is the name of the game in a dealership. You’ll also be able to identify the root causes of employee turnover. From there, you can make necessary changes to improve employee retention.  

How to Implement Automotive Surveys into Your Dealership 

With 26 years of experience in automotive surveys, ESI-Q has conducted over 100,000 surveys in the industry. You’re not alone. ESI-Q helps dealerships not only by designing surveys and offering them to employees, but also by enacting change. 

The mere act of offering a top-quality survey to employees is the beginning of getting “buy-in” from your staff. When they know you care, they’re more likely to engage with their jobs better. 

Then, as you begin to shift the culture at your dealership, your employees will be much more likely to be responsive. Approach the implementation of automotive surveys as a signal to your employees. Show them you’re invested in everyone’s growth and success.

Best Practices for Implementing Automotive Surveys 

You get the idea. You cannot throw surveys at your employees and expect open feedback. The issue of real, authentic communication between staff members and their leaders is touchy. You can make the relationship, and the survey process, a kinder, gentler one by putting a few best practices into place.

Regularly Scheduled Surveys

Don’t spring these surveys on your staff. It’s not a pop quiz meant to catch them off guard. Have regularly scheduled surveys with plenty of advance notice. That way, your employees can begin to think about how they view your company, their managers, and their customers. Then, when they sit to respond, they’re more likely to be reflective and honest. After all, 80% of employees questioned say they value meaningful feedback. They’re more engaged. 

Anonymity and Confidentiality

Perhaps one of the most important elements of automotive surveys is anonymity. Employees must be free from fear of negative repercussions for their honesty. The more you prove that their responses will be kept confidential, the more likely you are to get the truth. And if you really want to improve your work culture, and your bottom line, you want the truth. 

Follow-up on Survey Results with Action

Finally, what good is a well-designed survey if you don’t do anything about the responses? Your staff will thank you for your involvement when they see real changes. Over time, these surveys will be something everyone looks forward to. Automotive surveys have the ability to empower employees to take ownership. Why? Because they know their feedback matters. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What are the best practices for building stronger teams within automotive dealerships?

For starters: encourage communication and empower employees to take positive action. After that, train your leaders to encourage and support your employees — your people on the front lines. 

How can dealerships effectively use survey data to improve operational efficiency and customer satisfaction?

By ensuring the surveys are designed to address issues specific to your dealership, the data will give you insight into those issues. Then, dealerships must put that data into action by making real changes your employees can see. 

What are the most effective ways to collect and analyze employee feedback in automotive dealerships?

The collection of feedback should be anonymous and confidential. Analysis of that feedback should be critical and open. It helps to have an unbiased, third party invested in your success like ESI-Q. That way, you can be sure your analysis is free from personal preference, fear, or preconceived notions.