How Having Happy, Well-Trained Employees Leads to Happy Car Buyers
One of the oldest rules in the car business is “the customer is always right.” When customers are consistently unhappy, the issue is rarely the customer but something off inside the dealership. To keep customers happy, research shows dealers should keep their employees happy, well-trained, and engaged. Tiffani Bova, Chief Strategy and Research Officer at Futurum Group, joins us on CBT Now to discuss the link between employee and customer experience. She’s also the author of two bestselling business books, GrowthIQ and The Experience Mindset. Bova says the employee experience drives the customer experience, not the other way around. Bova’s research into the customer experience began while she was working at Salesforce. While giving a speech on stage, Bova told the audience that she didn’t think it was a coincidence that Salesforce ranked among the best places to work globally, was one of the most innovative companies in the world, and was the fastest-growing enterprise software company at the time. That observation caught her attention, and she decided to see if she could prove that connection. Bova launched a year-long research study, and the findings supported her theory. Employee experience and business growth aren’t just related. Click here for the full interview.
Nissan US Product Chief Talks Tariffs, Hybrids and Hands-Off Driving
Nissan is in the midst of an across-the-board product remake. In the aftermath of a failed merger with Honda last year, the automaker announced a new long-term strategy in April emphasizing next-generation AI strategies and shared vehicle architectures. In the nearer term, the revamp positions Nissan with a product portfolio that’s smaller on a global basis but better positioned for the U.S., which the automaker considers a key global market. Ponz Pandikuthira has more than two decades of industry experience and has been with Nissan since 2012 in a variety of leadership roles, including global head of for Nissan Motor Co. He now oversees the company’s North American product planning as a senior vice president for Nissan Americas. WARDSAUTO: How do you foresee the mix of ICE versus BEV, HEV, PHEV and EREV going forward? PANDIKUTHIRA: The best strategy is to have a suite of available powertrains that we can switch across relatively easily. The best-selling vehicle and the best segment for us is the Rogue in the C-SUV segment. We’re selling about 225,000 right now, but 35 percent-40 percent of that segment is hybrid at this point. Click here for the full interview.
Web-Based Service Scheduling More Effective Than Phone Calls at Dealerships, Study Says
Dealership websites handle service requests more effectively than phone calls, averaging a score of 71 out of 100 compared with 61 for phone requests, according to a new study. For the first time, the 2026 Pied Piper Auto Dealer Group Service Scheduling Effectiveness Study distinguished between the two channels, revealing a 10-point gap that reflects less room for human error online. Pied Piper sent out 4,163 service requests to every dealership within 31 auto groups across the U.S., and also evaluated four independent service center brands for comparison, reports Automotive News. They assigned each dealership and service center a service scheduling effectiveness score out of 100 based on more than 40 metrics related to service revenue and customer loyalty. Within the groups surveyed, overall scores ranged from a high of 80 to a low of 47. “The difference is that top-performing dealer groups remove friction. Customers get where they need to go quickly, schedule service with less effort, and know exactly what happens next,” Pied Piper Vice President of Metrics and Analytics Cameron O’Hagan said in a statement. “Lower-performing groups not only make scheduling harder, they fail customers far more often.” Click here for the full story.
VW CEO Oliver Blume Faces Uphill Battle After Board Rejects Revival Plan
Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume is facing an uphill battle to push through a fundamental overhaul of Europe’s biggest carmaker after failing to win initial backing from the supervisory board. Blume’s deliberations, including additional job cuts, plant closures in Germany and possibly even a carve-out of the VW brand from the rest of the sprawling carmaker, was rejected by 12 of the 19 supervisory board members at a meeting July 9 in Wolfsburg, reports Automotive News.Without the support of labor representatives, who account for 10 of the board seats, and the state government of Lower Saxony as the company’s second-largest shareholder, the prospects for his far-reaching restructuring plan are uncertain.Blume struck a conciliatory tone in an interview published July 12 in the Sunday edition of Bild newspaper. He appeared to rule out shutting factories, saying “there are smarter solutions” for Europe’s biggest carmaker. Last year, VW was able to trim costs at its German facilities by one-fifth on average, he said, calling it “strong progress.” “Our products are highly popular, we just aren’t making enough money from them,” Blume told the paper. “That is why we must continue to cut costs — in every area.” Click here for the full story.
Bank of America’s Weekly Rates Market Update
BofA credit card spending data suggests the U.S. consumer remains resilient, supported by solid July 4 holiday spending and continued World Cup-related activity. While the boost to spending from the World Cup appears to have peaked, consumer demand remains healthy and is expected to stay supportive of growth in the months ahead. Attention next week will be focused on Fed Chair Warsh’s congressional testimony, June CPI, and retail sales data. BofA expects headline inflation to decline on lower gasoline prices, but forecasts core CPI to remain firm at +0.3% m/m (2.9% y/y), reflecting ongoing services inflation and continued consumer strength. Recent FOMC minutes were viewed as modestly hawkish, with several policymakers suggesting current policy may not be particularly restrictive and some seeing a case for additional tightening. BofA continues to expect the Fed to deliver three 25bp rate hikes this year beginning in September, citing resilient growth, a stable labor market, and inflation that remains above target. Click here for the full report.
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