Automotive News - October 16, 2017 - Supplement - S44

44 | OCTOBER 16, 2017
JACK DEMMER LINCOLN, DEARBORN, MICH.

Stores get customers, cars in sync
Saturday seminars help
resolve gripes with Ford
infotainment system
Printed in Automotive News July 31, 2017
Nick Bunkley

nbunkley@crain.com

ETROIT - After decades of loyalty
to Mercedes-Benz, Jim Stevenson
switched to a Lincoln MKX in September. It's been great, he said, except that he often can't get the voice-controlled navigation system to recognize what
he's saying.
"I'm still just trying to get used to it," said
NICK BUNKLEY
Stevenson, a retired land developer. "Sometimes, you get aggravated and it's easier to
Pat Montague-Wade, left, a retired Ford plant supervisor, gets help with the Sync infotainment
pull over and pull out your phone."
system in her 2017 Lincoln Continental from Samer Awazem of Jack Demmer Lincoln.
Stevenson's complaint earned understandtrying to smooth over relations with confused
ing nods from others who filled the lounge in
encourage customers to seek assistance.
owners.
the otherwise quiet service building at Jack
Each seminar begins as a question-andThe latest iteration of Ford's system, known
Demmer Lincoln on a Saturday morning.
answer session.
as Sync 3, has addressed many of the glitches
Martin Whitehead, a Ford Motor Co. retiree,
"The questions do get tougher as more stuff
and design flaws that MyFord Touch often was
jumped into the conversation to vent that the
is added on," said Samer Awazem, a Jack
criticized for, but that doesn't mean it's necesbuttons on the instrument panel of his MKX,
Demmer Lincoln salesman who ran the semsarily easy for all customers to figure out.
offering an alternative to the voice cominar that Stevenson and Whitehead attended.
"There's still as many questions,
mands, were too small.
"Sometimes it's the car, but most of the time,
maybe more so with this new sys"We're talking about tiny little
it's the customer input."
Ford and
tem," said Eulah O'Connor, who
buttons for old folks," WhitePat Montague-Wade, a retired Ford plant suLincoln dealerships
manages the business develophead said. "We used to try to
pervisor, said her phone was constantly dishold monthly Sync
ment center at Jack Demmer
surprise and delight, and I'm
connecting from the 2017 Continental she had
Seminars to help
Ford. "We discovered that
not surprised nor delighted in
bought two weeks earlier. Awazem hopped incustomers learn how to
when a new car's being delivthe size of these buttons."
to the passenger seat and navigated through
use their vehicles'
ered, they may not remember
the touch-screen menus to figure out why.
infotainment
everything because there's so
"My granddaughter keeps telling me to get
'Positive feedback'
systems.
much to absorb at one time."
a new phone, but I like my flip phone," MonThe group of 11 people, mostly
Bob Faust, general sales manager
tague-Wade said.
retirees, had come for Jack Demat Jack Demmer Ford, said the dealerAwazem said her granddaughter might be
mer Lincoln's monthly Sync Seminar.
ship has gotten "tons of positive feedback"
onto something, but he also removed the
The dealership in Dearborn, Mich., about 2
about the sessions.
phone's battery to reset it before trying to remiles down Michigan Avenue from Ford's
"Customer satisfaction scores are certainly
pair it with Sync. In a few seconds, the screen
world headquarters, offers the sessions to
a bit higher, and our repeat business is a very
confirmed it had recognized the phone.
help customers learn more about the infolarge part of our business," Faust said.
"That's the first time somebody tried that,"
tainment systems in their vehicles.
Jack Demmer Ford sells 3,200 new vehicles
Montague-Wade said, visibly impressed to
Officials at Jack Demmer, which also holds
and 1,100 used vehicles a year. Jack Demmer
see that it worked.
monthly seminars at its Ford store a few
Lincoln sells 1,500 new and used vehicles anBack inside the dealership, which normally
towns farther west, realized that the more
nually.
is closed on weekends, Greg Baranyai said he
technology Ford packs into the dashboards,
has come to several of the sessions to get inthe more potential there is for drivers to besight on his 2013 MKZ and his wife's 2015
come frustrated or overwhelmed - and thus
Personalized help
MKC and found them beneficial.
dissatisfied with their vehicle.
The dealerships' salespeople and designat"I pick up a couple tips here and there," said
Early versions of the Ford Sync system
ed Sync experts are happy to help anyone
Baranyai, a package handler with FedEx.
dragged down Ford's performance on
who calls or stops by with a question, but they
"Once you learn how to use the navigation,
third-party quality and customer-satisfaction
started the Saturday morning sessions about
it's not bad." a
surveys, putting dealerships in the position of
three years ago as a more formalized way to

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