CDK Global introduced a monthly “Ease of Purchase Scorecard” to help car dealerships improve customers’ experience.

The scorecard sums up results of monthly polls of more than 1,000 U.S. customers about vehicle availability, the ease of finding desired vehicles, and consumer expectations about how long it takes to buy a car.

September's poll found that:

• More than half of poll respondents visited retailers to order their cars or picked them from among models in transit, as opposed to finding a car in stock.

• Price negotiation and trade-ins are getting smoother at dealerships, 58% of respondents indicating they found it easy to reach a final price and 53% getting trade-in value for their old cars.

• A growing number of respondents felt the car-buying process, from shopping to closing the purchase, is taking too long, up from 25% in August to 45% in September.

• Shopping at the dealership or starting the shopping online, 67% of respondents said finding their models of choice is getting easier.

CDK says the scorecard can help dealers finetune their processes to make the buying experience more inviting for customers.

“What are the friction points of the purchase journey? How can they streamline it for the customer?” said CDK External Communications Manager Lisa Finney.

READ MORE: Despite Inventory Shortage, High Prices, Overall Car Buyer Satisfaction Remains Near Record Levels