A Case Analysis on Walker Auto Sales and Service
By: Jessel Anoc
I. Facts
Walker Auto Sales and Services was Started by Walter Sullivan in 1983. The
current site of operations is located at a busy urban highway intersection. Extensive
renovation of the 30 yr. old building was done. Walter Sullivan is well known in the
community. The company has both front-end (sales department) and back-end
(service department) operations. Sales department is composed of: a sales manager,
seven salespeople, an office manager, and a secretary.
The company is a full dealership for a major domestic automobile brand.
Walker Auto Sales and Service provide three main services: new car sales, used car
sales, and repair and maintenance services. Because of its competitive nature of the
market, the company had been made survey, focus groups, and analysis to measure
the company’s service and to provide high level of customer satisfaction.
II. Definition of the Problem/ Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer the following questions:
1. The structures of the organization to its different duties.
2. The different things to be done in the organization
III. Objectives
To know the after sales service perception of customers
To ascertain the satisfaction level and its influences
To measure the impact of the above analysis on future sales
To study whether customer satisfied with their service
IV. Alternative Courses of Action
Here are the lists of courses of action the WASS can take to solve its problem:
The organization chart for Walker Auto Sales and Services is shown in Figure 7.9.
In this organizational structure, all functions are managed independently.
However, the value-creation processes of an automobile dealership, the sale
and delivery of new and used cars and car servicing, would be cross-
functional. This tends to insulate too many of the workers from the customers
and limits and quality of the customer service. It also tends to create the silo
effect with one group of workers not working cooperatively with one another.
In this case, management should divide the different duties to the right
personnel. Each worker should present together as one to prevent chaos as
well as to do work according to their assigned task in order.
Action plans that Darren might consider developing must tailor the systems to
the needs of various types of customers. He must ensure that he develops
appropriate infrastructure, practices and tools to support his vision. These
might include:
a. Customer relationship management
b. Leadership and strategic planning
c. Human resources management
d. Process management
e. Information and knowledge management
For example, car buyers have different needs from those who are coming in for shop service
to their cars. For car buyers to be able to obtain a wide range of vehicles and options to
evaluate, have access to available salespeople, enjoy a prompt greeting, and feel comfortable
and un-pressured in reaching a buying decision, Darren must plan on exercising leadership
and strategic planning to develop the required infrastructure. Because customers expect
salespeople to be courteous, to be knowledgeable about the cars, to respect their time, and to
honor verbal promises, courteous salespeople must be hired and trained to support customer
relationship management, develop good processes, and work to improve systems through
information and knowledge management. For repair and maintenance service, customers
want to have the work explained appropriately, to be fully informed of any additional
necessary work, and to have all work reviewed on completion. They want good time
estimates and communications with the service department. Thus repair service people must
not only be technically being good to their duties but somehow to completely cater the good
behaviour to customer and to the whole organization.
V. Recommendation
The Walker Auto and Sale Service encounter challenges that may reflect to the
business. In order to solve this problem, it is recommended that WASS Company
should:
Pursue a business that places a high level of competence
Restructure the organization so that it is flexible, innovative and appropriate
The needs to become the dealership of choice in its market
Reshape the organization to be as one family so that unity could be the reason
to company’s excellences.
