TUPELO - Thefts and vandalism continue to occur across dealerships in the United States. This occurrence recently happened in Northeast Mississippi at multiple dealerships. At one location, the article highlights how the thieves were able to make it into the building around 1:00 am, grab the keys, and leave with six vehicles. In addition, the thieves needed license plates, since the stolen vehicles didn’t have any. They were able to manage stealing customer plates, as well as tools, from the service drive.
It would appear most thefts we’ve reviewed occur overnight when no staff is present. What steps is your team taking to improve security and avoid theft? Here’s a couple we review with our customers:
- Are you securing one or both keys in your key management system?
- Who has access to the key machine in your dealership? GMs, GSMs, Salespeople, etc.
- How consistently are you using your reports to ensure keys are accounted for, and secure in the system, before closing the store?
- How are your dealer license plates managed? Who has access to these?
- Are your building doors locked and is your security system alarm set?
- Are your customer’s documents secured and safe?
- In service, are customer keys secured and technicians tools secured?
These are just some examples we review from a liability standpoint at a dealership. At 1Micro, we are here to help secure your keys and improve your process!