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Associated Press
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Associated Press
BMW Motorrad Dealers Top-Ranked in 2025 Powersports Study for Providing Quick and Easy Service Appointments
MONTEREY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 2, 2025-- BMW Motorrad dealerships ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI ® Service Telephone Effectiveness ® (STE ® ) Powersports Industry Study, which measured the efficiency and quality of customer attempts to schedule service appointments by telephone. Following BMW were Kubota, Triumph, Polaris Off-Road and Harley-Davidson. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Source: 2025 Pied Piper Powersports Service Telephone Effectiveness Industry Study (USA) Pied Piper submitted service calls to 1,531 powersports dealerships representing 27 brands, then evaluated the telephone interactions. Each brand's overall STE Score is a combined average of its individual dealer performances. Scores range from 0 to 100 and include over 30 differently weighted measurements tracking the best practices most likely to generate service revenue and customer loyalty. BMW Ranked Highest: Consistency in Challenging Conditions 'BMW has consistently been ranked among the top three performing brands during the three years this annual study has been conducted,' said Cameron O'Hagan, Pied Piper's Vice President of Metrics and Analytics. ' This year they have achieved the top position due to that consistency.' BMW led the 2025 STE study with an average STE score of 50 – the same score BMW achieved in both 2023 and 2024. The following are examples of behaviors which set BMW dealers apart from the industry average when customers call for service: Why Should We Care About a Customer's Service Telephone Experience? ' Well-run service departments focus on building customer loyalty, and the first opportunity to drive that loyalty is a customer's phone call to schedule an appointment,' said O'Hagan. ' Powersports customers who struggle to schedule service vote with their feet by moving to another dealership or independent shop. In extreme cases, due to most powersports purchases being discretionary, if ownership becomes frustrating, many customers will begin to question whether it's worth the effort and may sell the vehicle and become sour with the brand. ' The industry's average STE score improved one point over the past year, reaching an average score of 44, one point higher than 2024 but trailing the 2023 high watermark average score by two points. Performance varied substantially from dealership to dealership, with a minority of dealerships clearly benefiting from their superior processes. 16% of dealerships nationally achieved STE scores over 70, by providing an interaction with their service customers that was speedy, efficient and proactively helpful. In contrast, customers for 11% of the dealerships hung up their phone having completely failed in their attempt to schedule service. The business implications between those two extremes are substantial. Powersport Industry Performance Lacking in Key Areas Customer expectations for scheduling service aren't set by the powersports industry. Nearly all powersports customers also schedule service for their cars and trucks, and over the past few years the auto industry has significantly improved the service scheduling experience for their customers. Industry's Greatest Opportunities for Improvement ' The cliché is true: sales sells the first; service sells the rest,' said O'Hagan. ' Dealerships that prioritize a superior service experience gain in both sales and service.' Turn 'Just Drop it Off' Into a Positive – 41% of powersports customers are told to 'just drop it off,' where the vehicle will wait—often outside in the elements—for an undetermined number of days, before the dealership will get to it. This demonstrates little concern for a customer's time or expectations. However, this 'drop it off' mentality can be transformed from a frustration into a positive experience by also offering an appointment. For example: ' I can schedule you two weeks from today, or if you prefer, you're welcome to bring it in and we'll try to get to it sooner. ' Framing it this way respects the customer's time and shows that the dealership is organized and responsive—turning a traditionally negative interaction into a loyalty-building moment. Understand What Customers Are Really Experiencing – In the 2025 study there were 14 brands which improved their STE score over the previous year. The brand with the greatest improvement was Kubota, with a six-point gain since last year, moving from a tenth-place ranking in 2024 to second in this year's study. Kubota dealers nearly doubled their rate of setting appointments, occurring 58% of the time in 2025 compared to 31% of the time last year. Kubota dealers also drastically cut the rate of insisting 'just drop it off' from 62% of the time in 2024 to 38% of the time this year. The key to this improvement was showing dealers what their customers actually experienced when calling for service. 2025 Brand Performance Compared Performance varied substantially by brand, as shown by these examples: Why Was This Study Conducted? 'The first service interaction that drives loyalty and service revenue is a customer's initial phone call to schedule an appointment,' said O'Hagan. 'Because these phone calls often go unnoticed in daily operations, they're frequently neglected — and without clear visibility, improvement becomes difficult.' For more than 15 years, Pied Piper has independently published annual industry studies that rank the omnichannel performance of brands and dealer groups. These studies track how industry performance changes over time and let clients understand how their own performance compares. Pied Piper clients order ongoing Prospect Satisfaction Index ® (PSI ® ) measurement and reporting – internet, telephone or in-person – for their dealerships, as tools to improve and maintain omnichannel sales and service effectiveness. Pied Piper clients have found that the key to driving dealership improvement is showing what sales and service customers are really experiencing – which is often a surprise. About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC Monterey, California - based Pied Piper helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers. Pied Piper's PSI process applies data science analytics to determine the omnichannel sales and service best practices most likely to drive unit sales and loyalty. PSI then uses a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and human actors to measure and report how effectively retail locations follow those best practices. Other recent Pied Piper PSI industry studies include: Learn more, request a presentation of industry study results, or request PSI measurement and reporting at ------------------------- This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC. View source version on Contact at Pied Piper: Ryan Scott,[email protected](831) 648-1075 KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY AUTOMOTIVE GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE OTHER RETAIL CONSULTING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DATA ANALYTICS RETAIL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Pied Piper Management Company, LLC Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/02/2025 12:01 AM/DISC: 06/02/2025 12:01 AM
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BMW Motorrad Dealers Top-Ranked in 2025 Powersports Study for Providing Quick and Easy Service Appointments
Missed Opportunities: Industrywide half of all customer calls ended without a service appointment date and time being offered, and 4 in 10 customers were told to "just drop it off" despite a typical one-week service availability backlog BMW, consistency in difficult times: While the industry faces tough conditions, BMW maintained consistently high performance three years in a row MONTEREY, Calif., June 02, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BMW Motorrad dealerships ranked highest in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI® Service Telephone Effectiveness® (STE®) Powersports Industry Study, which measured the efficiency and quality of customer attempts to schedule service appointments by telephone. Following BMW were Kubota, Triumph, Polaris Off-Road and Harley-Davidson. Pied Piper submitted service calls to 1,531 powersports dealerships representing 27 brands, then evaluated the telephone interactions. Each brand's overall STE Score is a combined average of its individual dealer performances. Scores range from 0 to 100 and include over 30 differently weighted measurements tracking the best practices most likely to generate service revenue and customer loyalty. BMW Ranked Highest: Consistency in Challenging Conditions "BMW has consistently been ranked among the top three performing brands during the three years this annual study has been conducted," said Cameron O'Hagan, Pied Piper's Vice President of Metrics and Analytics. "This year they have achieved the top position due to that consistency." BMW led the 2025 STE study with an average STE score of 50 – the same score BMW achieved in both 2023 and 2024. The following are examples of behaviors which set BMW dealers apart from the industry average when customers call for service: Higher Rate of Setting Appointments – 65% of BMW service calls resulted in an appointment being set, compared to only 52% for the industry overall. More Likely to Ask About Other Issues – BMW customers were asked if they had any other issues or needed any additional service 35% of the time on average, compared to only 22% of the time for the industry overall. More Likely to Ask if Visited Before – On average, BMW dealers asked service customers whether they had visited the dealership before 44% of the time, compared to 28% of the time for the industry overall. Reach Service Advisor Quickly – BMW customers on average reached a service advisor within one minute 84% of the time, compared to 78% of the time for the industry overall. Why Should We Care About a Customer's Service Telephone Experience? "Well-run service departments focus on building customer loyalty, and the first opportunity to drive that loyalty is a customer's phone call to schedule an appointment," said O'Hagan. "Powersports customers who struggle to schedule service vote with their feet by moving to another dealership or independent shop. In extreme cases, due to most powersports purchases being discretionary, if ownership becomes frustrating, many customers will begin to question whether it's worth the effort and may sell the vehicle and become sour with the brand." The industry's average STE score improved one point over the past year, reaching an average score of 44, one point higher than 2024 but trailing the 2023 high watermark average score by two points. Performance varied substantially from dealership to dealership, with a minority of dealerships clearly benefiting from their superior processes. 16% of dealerships nationally achieved STE scores over 70, by providing an interaction with their service customers that was speedy, efficient and proactively helpful. In contrast, customers for 11% of the dealerships hung up their phone having completely failed in their attempt to schedule service. The business implications between those two extremes are substantial. Powersport Industry Performance Lacking in Key Areas Customer expectations for scheduling service aren't set by the powersports industry. Nearly all powersports customers also schedule service for their cars and trucks, and over the past few years the auto industry has significantly improved the service scheduling experience for their customers. Fail to Live up to Expectations – Today, half of all auto service appointments for basic needs like oil changes are quickly booked online, and with the help of AI-powered chat, 87% of auto customers who phone to schedule service end their call with an appointment—compared to only 52% of the powersports customers. Too Many "Just Drop it Off" Demands – 41% of the time powersports customers were told to "just drop it off" and wait an undetermined amount of time, rather than the dealership committing to a specific date and time. In comparison, this unfavorable behavior occurs only 2% of the time in the auto industry. Rarely Ask About Additional Services – Across the industry, only 22% of customers were asked if they had other issues or needed additional services—significantly lower than the 40% rate seen in the auto industry. Industry's Greatest Opportunities for Improvement "The cliché is true: sales sells the first; service sells the rest," said O'Hagan. "Dealerships that prioritize a superior service experience gain in both sales and service." Turn "Just Drop it Off" Into a Positive – 41% of powersports customers are told to "just drop it off," where the vehicle will wait—often outside in the elements—for an undetermined number of days, before the dealership will get to it. This demonstrates little concern for a customer's time or expectations. However, this "drop it off" mentality can be transformed from a frustration into a positive experience by also offering an appointment. For example: "I can schedule you two weeks from today, or if you prefer, you're welcome to bring it in and we'll try to get to it sooner." Framing it this way respects the customer's time and shows that the dealership is organized and responsive—turning a traditionally negative interaction into a loyalty-building moment. Understand What Customers Are Really Experiencing – In the 2025 study there were 14 brands which improved their STE score over the previous year. The brand with the greatest improvement was Kubota, with a six-point gain since last year, moving from a tenth-place ranking in 2024 to second in this year's study. Kubota dealers nearly doubled their rate of setting appointments, occurring 58% of the time in 2025 compared to 31% of the time last year. Kubota dealers also drastically cut the rate of insisting "just drop it off" from 62% of the time in 2024 to 38% of the time this year. The key to this improvement was showing dealers what their customers actually experienced when calling for service. 2025 Brand Performance Compared Performance varied substantially by brand, as shown by these examples: "Set an Appointment" - How often did the brand's dealerships offer an appointment for a specific date and time? More than 60% of the time on average: Triumph, BMW, Royal Enfield, Moto Guzzi Less than 25% of the time on average: Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, John Deere "Just Drop it Off" - How often did the brand's dealerships insist that the customer drop off the vehicle without also offering an appointment? Less than 25% of the time on average: Triumph, Ducati, Moto Guzzi More than 50% of the time on average: Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, John Deere "Average Days Out" – What were the brand's dealerships' average number of days out until the earliest available appointment? Less than 5 days on average: Kubota, Triumph, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha More than 10 days on average: Suzuki, Zero, HiSun "Inquire About Additional Services" - How often did the brand's dealerships ask if there were other issues or services the customer would like to have addressed? More than 35% of the time on average: Ducati, Husqvarna, BMW, HiSun Less than 15% of the time on average: Yamaha, Segway, Arctic Cat, Aprilia, Moto Guzzi, CFMoto, Triumph "Communication Failure" - How often would calling a brand's dealerships for service result in an issue that prevented communication (placed on hold indefinitely, straight to voicemail, stuck in phone tree, etc.)? Less than 5% of the time on average: Segway, Husqvarna, Cub Cadet, Kubota, Polaris More than 15% of the time on average: Kymco, Zero, Ducati, Tracker Why Was This Study Conducted? "The first service interaction that drives loyalty and service revenue is a customer's initial phone call to schedule an appointment," said O'Hagan. "Because these phone calls often go unnoticed in daily operations, they're frequently neglected — and without clear visibility, improvement becomes difficult." For more than 15 years, Pied Piper has independently published annual industry studies that rank the omnichannel performance of brands and dealer groups. These studies track how industry performance changes over time and let clients understand how their own performance compares. Pied Piper clients order ongoing Prospect Satisfaction Index® (PSI®) measurement and reporting – internet, telephone or in-person – for their dealerships, as tools to improve and maintain omnichannel sales and service effectiveness. Pied Piper clients have found that the key to driving dealership improvement is showing what sales and service customers are really experiencing – which is often a surprise. About Pied Piper Management Company, LLC Monterey, California - based Pied Piper helps brands and national retailer groups improve the omnichannel sales & service performance of their retailers. Pied Piper's PSI process applies data science analytics to determine the omnichannel sales and service best practices most likely to drive unit sales and loyalty. PSI then uses a combination of artificial intelligence, machine learning and human actors to measure and report how effectively retail locations follow those best practices. Other recent Pied Piper PSI industry studies include: 2025 Internet Lead Effectiveness® (ILE®) Powersport Industry Study (Indian Motorcycle was ranked first) 2025 Internet Lead Effectiveness® (ILE®) Auto Industry Study (Subaru was ranked first) 2024 Service Telephone Effectiveness® (STE®) Auto Dealer Group Study (Serra Automotive was ranked first) 2024 Telephone Lead Effectiveness™ (TLE™) Pontoon Boat Industry Study (BRP's Sea-Doo brand ranked first) Learn more, request a presentation of industry study results, or request PSI measurement and reporting at ------------------------- This press release is provided for editorial use only, and information contained in this release may not be used for advertising or otherwise promoting brands mentioned in this release without specific, written permission from Pied Piper Management Co., LLC. View source version on Contacts Contact at Pied Piper: Ryan Scott, rscott@ (831) 648-1075 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Transcript: Michael Roth, Wesleyan University president, on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," June 1, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Michael Roth, Wesleyan University president, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 1, 2025. MARGARET BRENNAN: And we're turning now to the President of Wesleyan University, Michael Roth, who joins us from Monterey, Massachusetts. Good morning to you. WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT MICHAEL ROTH: Good morning. Good to be with you. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to pick up on something we were just discussing with the congressman, and that is this instruction to have new scrutiny of Chinese students, but also, more broadly, Secretary Rubio said all U.S. embassies should not schedule any new student visa application appointments at this time. About 14% of your students are international. Are you concerned they won't be able to come back to school in September? ROTH: I'm very concerned, not only about Wesleyan, but about higher education in the United States. One of the great things about our system of education is that it attracts people from all over the world who want to come to America to learn. And while they're here learning, they learn about our country, our values, our freedoms. And this is really an act of intimidation to scare schools into toeing the line of the current administration. It really has nothing to do with national security or with anti- antisemitism. This heightened scrutiny is meant to instill fear on college campuses, and I'm afraid it is working. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it is noticeable, sir, that you know, at a time when so many higher education institutions, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, have had federal funding revoked because of their policies, we find heads of universities are fearful of speaking out. Why are you not afraid of speaking critically? ROTH: Oh, I am. I'm afraid too. But I just find it extraordinary that Americans are afraid to speak out, especially people who, you know, run colleges, universities. Why- this is a free country. I've been saying it my whole life. I used to tell my parents that when I didn't want to do something, I would say it's a free country. And this idea that we're supposed to actually conform to the ideologies in the White House, it's not just bad for Harvard or for Wesleyan, it- it's bad for the whole country because journalists are being intimidated, law firms are being intimidated, churches, synagogues and mosques will be next. We have to defend our freedoms. And when we bring international students here, what they experience is what it's like to live in a free country, and we can't let the president change the atmosphere so that people come here and are afraid to speak out. MARGARET BRENNAN: But there are also some specific criticisms being lodged by members of the administration. Do you think that higher education has become too dependent on federal funding, for example, or money from foreign donors, are there legitimate criticisms? ROTH: There are lots of legitimate criticisms of higher education. I don't think overdependence on federal funding is the issue. Most of the federal funding you hear the press talk about are contracts to do specific kinds of research that are really great investments for the country. However, the criticisms of colleges and universities that we have a monoculture, that we don't have enough intellectual diversity, that's a criticism I've been making of my own school and of the rest of higher education for years. I think we can make improvements, but the way we make improvements is not by just lining up behind a president, whoever that happens to be. We make improvements by convincing our faculty and students to broaden our perspectives, to welcome more political and cultural views, not to line up and conform to the ideology of those in power. But yes, we have work to do to clean up our own houses, and we ought to get to it. But to do it under the- under this- the gun of an aggressive authoritarian administration that- that will lead to a bad outcome. MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you define some of the protests that even Wesleyan had on its campus that were, you know, critical of the State of Israel, for example, regarding the war against Hamas in Gaza, do you consider them to be xenophobic by definition, antisemitic or anti-Jewish? ROTH: Oh no, certainly not by definition. There are lots of examples of antisemitism around the country, some of them are on college campuses. They're reprehensible. When Jewish students are intimidated or afraid to practice their religion on campus, or are yelled at or- it's horrible. But at Wesleyan and in many schools, the percentage of Jews protesting for Palestinians was roughly the same as the percentage of Jews on the campus generally. The idea that you are attacking antisemitism by attacking universities, I think, is a complete charade. It's just an excuse for getting the universities to conform. We need to stamp out antisemitism. Those two young people just murdered because they were Jewish in Washington, that's a great example of how violence breeds violence. But the- the attack on universities is not an- is not an attempt to defend Jews. On the contrary, I think more Jews will be hurt by these attacks than helped. MARGARET BRENNAN: President Roth, thank you for your time this morning. We'll be back in a moment.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
1 dead in Highway 101 crash with pickup truck, semi-truck pulling trailer: CHP Monterey
(KRON) — The California Highway Patrol Monterey Area office is investigating a fatal crash on Friday afternoon involving a pickup truck and a Freightliner semi-truck pulling a trailer. Man charged with DUI, manslaughter for running over woman in SF intersection CHP said it was alerted of the incident at 3:07 p.m. after receiving several reports of a traffic crash on northbound Highway 101 at Hartnell Road. 'Preliminary investigation indicates that the red Toyota pickup, driven by a 47-year-old Salinas resident, was traveling northbound on US-101, approaching Hartnell Road,' said CHP in a news release. 'At the same time, the Freightliner semi-truck, driven by a 62-year-old resident of Yuba City, was traveling southbound on US-101 and preparing to make a left turn onto Hartnell Road.' It was at this moment that CHP said the semi-truck crossed the northbound lanes of Highway 101, and the right side of the semi-truck's trailer collided with the front of the pickup. CHP said the driver of the Toyota pickup suffered fatal injuries, and was pronounced dead at the scene, while the driver of the semi-truck was not injured. The identity of the deceased will be released by the Monterey County Coroner's Office after next of kin has been notified. This crash is an active investigation. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the CHP Monterey Area Office at (831) 770-8000 or email MontereyCHPTips@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hospitality Net
7 days ago
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Dawn Aronson has been appointed Director of Sales at Cypress Inn
A California hospitality professional with more than two decades of leadership experience, Aronson brings both strategy and heart to her new role—qualities that resonate with the hotel's enduring identity as a boutique destination where old Hollywood charm meets coastal elegance. As Director of Sales, Aronson will oversee corporate, social, and group sales initiatives, working closely with clients to deliver seamless, personalized experiences rooted in the Inn's long-standing tradition of gracious service. Born in Long Beach, Aronson studied Business Administration at the University of Arizona before moving to Monterey in 1989. She served for 12 years in the California Air National Guard at Moffett Field as an administrative specialist with the 129th Rescue Squadron. She later established her own business as a global account executive and meeting planner with ConferenceDirect LLC, overseeing high-level events across California and beyond. Her career includes leadership roles at properties such as Sanctuary Beach Resort, Hyatt Place Santa Cruz, and Carmel Mission Inn. Most recently, she served as Senior Sales Manager at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds, leading a team and managing association and nonprofit group accounts. A longtime Peninsula resident, Aronson has lived in Seaside, Marina, Carmel, and Carmel Valley, and currently resides in Monterey. She enjoys travel, biking along the coast, walking Carmel Beach, and spending time with her family. She was recently married in Seaside to Mark Spainhower, and her daughter is a graduate of the Carmel school district.
