Pentagon Group is piloting the appointment of a customer service manager at its Rochdale Vauxhall Chevrolet showroom in a drive to enhance satisfaction.

The dealer group will create similar posts throughout its 14-site network if the trial is successful. It is measuring its success through customer satisfaction surveys.

The results will be reviewed after six months, but the initial response has been positive and Pentagon expects a 10-fold return on its investment.

Rochdale’s customer service manager is Harriet Bailey. Her remit is to improve the handover experience of new and used vehicles. Customers will be given a tour of the dealership and introduced to the aftersales team, with a familiarisation drive offered to help them get used to their new car.

Bailey has several years’ experience in customer service, but this is her first role in the motor industry. “Pentagon wanted a fresh pair of eyes to bring in some new ideas to improve the customer experience,” she says. “It has been quite challenging so far to match my ideas with the sales consultants’ traditional way of doing it.”