Automotive Dealer Solutions · Dealer Notes
Who Can Release the Car? A Delivery Checklist for Dealerships
A November 5 Cox Automotive discussion on vehicle release gives dealers a practical way to hand off an out-of-town sale and keep the customer informed.
Set the handoff before the truck arrives
In a November 5 episode of The Auto Market Brief, Cox Automotive’s Erin Keating talks with Lainey Sibble and Jeremy Louisos about verifying the carrier before releasing a vehicle. The discussion is about logistics. It also gives sales managers something to fix at the counter: a customer can have a clear purchase agreement and still be left guessing about delivery.
For an out-of-town sale, assign one employee to own the delivery handoff. That person records the vehicle, the approved carrier, the scheduled pickup window and the manager who can approve a change. Have the release desk check that record before handing over keys. If the pickup details differ, pause and confirm through a contact already on file.
Tell the customer what happens next
Before delivery day, send the customer a short update that says who will contact them and when they can expect to hear again. If pickup hasn’t been confirmed, say so. A clear update gives the customer a useful answer without turning an estimate into a promise.
Once the vehicle leaves, record who released it, when it left and who owes the next update. At the end of the week, look at three recent deliveries. Could someone outside the sale tell what was agreed, what changed and when the customer heard about it? Fix the field or handoff that was missing before changing the whole process.
Put your delivery handoff on one page
Good Carma can help your team write the release checklist and build the customer updates into your sales process.
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