What factors are contributing to the sudden 30% increase in customer support tickets for Cox Automotive's Dealer.com websites in the last week?

Introduction

The sudden 30% increase in customer support tickets for Cox Automotive's Dealer.com websites in the last week is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This spike in support requests not only impacts customer satisfaction but also strains our support resources and potentially signals underlying problems with our product. To address this effectively, I'll employ a systematic approach to identify, validate, and resolve the root cause while considering both short-term fixes and long-term strategic implications.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking there might have been a recent product update. Has there been any significant change or feature release on Dealer.com websites in the past two weeks?

Why it matters: Recent changes often correlate with support ticket increases. Expected answer: Yes, a new inventory management feature was released. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on this new feature in our analysis.

• Considering the scale of the increase, I'm wondering about the nature of these tickets. Can you provide a breakdown of the top 3-5 categories these new support tickets fall into?

Why it matters: This helps identify if the issue is concentrated in specific areas. Expected answer: Majority related to website loading speed and inventory display issues. Impact on approach: We'd prioritize investigating these specific areas of the product.

• Given the suddenness of the increase, I'm curious about any external factors. Have there been any significant industry events or competitor actions in the past week that might influence our customers' behavior?

Why it matters: External factors can sometimes drive support ticket increases. Expected answer: No major industry events, but a competitor launched a new pricing model. Impact on approach: We'd consider if our pricing or value proposition needs adjustment.

• Thinking about our user base, I'm wondering if this increase is uniform across all customer segments. Can you tell me if the ticket increase is consistent across different dealership sizes or types?

Why it matters: Helps determine if the issue is universal or segment-specific. Expected answer: The increase is more pronounced among larger dealerships. Impact on approach: We'd focus on features or use cases specific to larger dealerships.