FCA US LLC Launches Customer First Award for Excellence for Dealers and Customers

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Dec 14, 2015, 10:40 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Dec. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

All 2,600 FCA US dealers have opportunity to earn award certification
Customers will recognize certified dealers as the best in sales and service experience
Dealers may market themselves as Customer First Award for Excellence certified dealers
FCA US designs certification process with dealers and J.D. Power

FCA US LLC announced today that it has launched its new Customer First Award for Excellence initiative for its 2,600 dealerships nationwide.

FCA US created the Customer First Award for Excellence with its dealer partners and J.D. Power to elevate customer satisfaction with their dealerships with a specific focus on the sales and service experience, employee training and facility condition.

"At its core, this initiative will enable each of our dealers to earn certification as Customer First Award for Excellence dealers and market themselves to customers as elite stores," said Al Gardner, Head of Network Development, FCA - North America. "We believe it will give us a serious competitive advantage in the marketplace that along with our great products and strong brands will significantly improve customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention in our dealerships."

Dealers must achieve goals in five core "pillars" to earn the Customer First Award for Excellence designation:

Facility – Customers consistently find dealerships to be clean, convenient and comfortable. Facilities are certified every six months.
Customer Processes – Develop and consistently execute processes for key customer interaction points, such as sales negotiation, delivery and follow up.
Performance – Achieve required high level of satisfaction in customer sales and service satisfaction surveys.
Employee Survey – Survey employees annually, share findings with employees, and act on the feedback and results.
Training Certification – Meet minimum training requirements for sales, service, parts and technical staff.

The Customer First Award for Excellence was rolled out to dealers in October. Dealers are currently participating in 60 workshops across the country focused on award requirements and industry best practices. Certified dealers will be able to advertise their new designation beginning in July 2016.

"Over the past several years, we've taken bold strides to improve our business plan, our products and our market share," said Reid Bigland, Senior Vice President - Sales, FCA - North America. "Those efforts have translated to FCA delivering a streak of 68 consecutive months of year-over-year sales growth. If we are to continue our growth, we need to retain the customers that we've work so hard to conquest over the last four years and bring new buyers to our brands and dealerships. Developing relationships with those customers that we've earned translates to growth in our service business and long-term sales success."

FCA's expectation is that the elevation in customer treatment provided by Customer First Award for Excellence dealers will be noticeable compared to the competition. The ultimate result will be an approach to the customer that is less about the transaction and more about building a relationship.

Dealers who are certified as Customer First Award for Excellence winning dealers will receive a rewards and recognition package from FCA US, including designation as award winner on all FCA US brand websites, the Find-A-Dealer search tool, dealership websites and Google searches. In addition, these dealers will have the ability to use the award logo in all local advertising and marketing efforts, and proudly display an awards plaque in their showroom.

About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

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