WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -

"Always answer the phone," could be a dealership’s best sales route, according to recent research by CallSource Automotive showing that customers who call to inquire about a vehicle typically make a purchase in two to five days.

On Tuesday, CallSource Automotive announced a partnership with IHS Automotive to provide dealer customers with analytics on how many sales prospects ultimately buy at the dealership they called, and how many sales are lost to competing dealerships and brands.

CallSource will add key new- and used-vehicle purchase insight to its patented Sales Profit Management System that will allow better pinpointing of ways to improve dealer clients' call management processes, and track performance improvements over time. 

"IHS Automotive purchase insight provides a key element in analyzing the results of our clients' call management efforts," said Andrew Price, president of CallSource Automotive.

"Our patented SPM system provides a continuous loop of ongoing improvement for our dealers. The IHS Automotive insight is an important measurement of dealership performance that allows dealers to identify areas of profit leakage and improve their call management processes," Price said.

A recent 90-day review of calls at nearly 500 dealerships by IHS Automotive, meant to measure the impact of CallSource's DealSaver service, more than 40 percent of customers who purchased from the initial dealership they contacted came into the dealership following a DealSaver alert.

DealSaver alerts are sent to a dealership following mishandled sales or service calls, offering management a second chance to reach the prospect and set up an in-dealership meeting.

"Adding our analytics to CallSource's SPM system provides some important metrics," said Bob Sherman, director, sales and client services, for IHS Automotive. "As in the case of the DealSaver analysis, we can validate that CallSource services are providing an immediate impact on a dealer's bottom line.

'In addition, we can uncover important industry trends that help dealers monitor their individual call management performance against the rest of the industry," he said.

The company noted that gaps in call-handling skill cost dealers hundreds of thousands of dollars in missed sales opportunities.