Root Cause Diagnosis

For this blog, I will pose as a web analyst for Ford Motor Company. My boss has come to me with a problem. Marketing wants to know why people aren't requesting quotes from local dealers for the Mustang. To help my team narrow down the possible problems I will conduct a root cause diagnosis to identify all the influencing levers for why visitors may not be filling out the Request a Local Quote for the Mustang on Ford.com. In addition to visually examining the website, I will also access the website, http://www.ford.com/cars/mustang/, and go through the steps to obtain a quote.

One of the influencing levers I noticed on the Ford website was where the “Request Local Quote” button was located, specifically in reference to buttons with similar purposes. Towards the top of the webpage I notice the “Pricing” link and “Build and price” button. These particular buttons are a lot easier to recognize and easy to use. Additionally, each of these options allows you to customize a car and print out a price estimate to take with you to a dealer. Another feature on the website that is more pronounced is a starting price that allows consumers to enter their zip code for a price. Consumers are more likely to access a localized quote via this option because the numbering and lettering grabs your attention and the overall location.

The second influencing lever I noticed was the icon associated with the “Request a Local Quote” button, $, the symbol for money. Consumers often notice and respond to visual cues faster than reading comprehension. In this case, consumers who are just “window-shopping” might make a subconscious decision to avoid any option that would require a cost or $. 

The third influencing lever I noticed was the information required on the part of the customer, in order to receive a quote. Customers may not want to provide information like: address, phone number, first and last name, and e-mail address in order to get pricing for a vehicle they may or may not get. Customers may fear they will be subject to telemarketing calls, junk mail, and spam messages if they provide their information. Additionally, even though the button says “local quote,” the quote that is actually given is an “Internet Price.” This may lead customers leave the site and visit their local Ford Dealer for the actual “local quote.”