Why is a dealership key tracking system so important? It’s a question on the minds of many automotive dealership owners and general managers. Many may even wonder exactly how necessary it really is. Of course, there’s the obvious function of storing keys, but a manual key board could do that as well, right? So what makes dealership key tracking systems so vital today?

Despite the expense of buying or leasing a dealership key tracking system, it is actually the most cost-effective way to handle key control according to Security Today. The truth is, dealership key management costs money. Think about it like this: you can either pay a reasonable monthly sum to have a reliable dealership key tracking system, or you can risk paying significantly more in key replacement costs, wasted time, and lost sales. The purpose of automotive key management systems is to prevent lost and even stolen keys, and make no mistake, missing keys cost you money. If a customer comes in with interest in a specific vehicle, and that key is missing, several things happen. First, your team looks unprofessional as they leave the customer waiting while searching for the missing key or perhaps even try to convince the customer to look at another vehicle. Second, the customer’s experience becomes negative, which any veteran sales person can tell you will affect their willingness to buy. Finally, the customer’s frustration may often cause them to leave, and although they may say they’ll return, the truth is it’s unlikely. If they visit another dealership with a similar vehicle, and the sales person at that location has no trouble locating the key, they’re most likely going to buy.

Have you ever heard the old English proverb “the North Kingdom fell for the want of a horseshoe nail?” This is much the same situation. A lost key in itself may seem like a small matter, but for the want of a key sales can easily be lost. And even after that you still have the cost of replacing keys and the paid time spent searching to consider.

Beyond saving money, a dealership key tracking system is also the most reliable way to improve inventory security. Whether your automotive key management system only allows requested keys to be removed or simply keeps track of who signed in to take each key, an automotive key management system ensures key access, storage, and tracking are all properly handled. It also helps to reinforce access control policies, as these tamper-proof systems allow only authorized employees with valid PINs to access keys, and automatically record who removed which keys. This means that all employees will be more careful to adhere to policies, since they know that they are held directly responsible for the keys they remove, and that if a key should ever be missed, your management team will know exactly who to ask rather than wasting time in a search. If the worst should ever happen, and a vehicle is stolen from your inventory, having a dealership key tracking system means you will know exactly who last removed the key. All in all, having authorized key holders whose access is recorded provides much more key and inventory security than a manual key board.

So, in short, the answer to the question is: yes, a dealership key tracking system is really necessary. Even if a manual key board is in a secure location, keys can be misplaced, and without a record of who last had them, a long search or even a replacement key may be needed. Knowing who last removed any particular key can save your dealership not only a lot of trouble, but also time and money. If you’re considering a new key tracking system, contact Security Key Automotive for more information.