Keys go missing and often show up in the least obvious of places. We’ve heard stories of keys lost in the pockets of oblivious porters, keys rattling around in car window wells, keys lost under car seats, and even keys under furniture. But House of Imports, a leading Mercedes Benz dealer near Cerritos, CA, recently found a key hidden in plain sight – highlighting another way TrueSpot can locate what people, and even some key lockers, can all too easily miss.
Here’s the scenario.
A salesperson is looking for a key for a waiting customer. You know how it goes. It’s your turn up. A customer walks in and tells you they saw a specific car on your website. “Great,” you say, “I’ll grab the key, and we’ll take it out for a test drive.” The problem? The key was not reporting as checked in at the key locker.
Now what?
The good news is that the key machine said the key was checked out two days ago by another sales rep. The bad news? That sales rep says he put it in the key box yesterday and tells you to check with the porters. Now, we know what you’re thinking – here we go. Here starts the finger-pointing that leads to no key, rekey costs, frustrated customers, and another lost sale.
Not so fast.
In this case, the salesperson found a porter and explained the problem. The porter, having just recently seen the TrueSpot solution installed, called the TrueSpot installation team over for an on-the-spot test of Real-Time Location Services with Lot Management 360.
Ok, you’re killing me, so where was it, and how’d you find it?
The TrueSpot team opened the mobile app. Using the patented MODAR mode (think mobile phone radar for locating things), the proximity gauge directed the team to an otherwise prominent place – the key locker. MODAR mode determined the key was, specifically, in the top drawer in the front.
But, if it’s in the key locker, why is it lost?
Encouraged by the TrueSpot solution, the key porter took a second look and quickly located the key in a proper key slot in the locker. The issue? The metal tracking fob that would have customarily logged the key in the lockbox broke. Meaning it was in the box, where it should be, but the locker could not register the key’s presence.
TrueSpot saves the day.
From the moment the team opened the TrueSpot app to the moment the key was located, only 15 seconds had passed. The lesson? People are not enough to track assets. Lockers alone are insufficient to keep track of keys. Lockers, backed up by TrueSpot pinpoint location data, not only keep keys safe, but it makes them nearly impossible to lose.
Contact us for a free online demo of the TrueSpot Real-Time Tracking Solution and Lot Management 360.