As the year comes to a close, many auto dealers are advertising special holiday prices to help move their remaining inventory and make room for new models. Dealerships have several ways to manage the increased sales activity, including car key management systems that enable easy and fast access to keys while also helping to prevent unauthorized key access or misplaced keys.

Keys that are controlled by a car dealer key cabinet are attached to a locking device with an integrated chip so that they can be tracked. Keys can only be accessed or returned by pre-authorized individuals using a PIN code or other identification methods (i.e. access cards, biometrics). Each time a key is taken from or returned to the auto dealer key cabinet, the activity is automatically recorded. In addition to providing safe storage for multiple keys, key control systems can thwart industry-specific criminals who attempt to replace keys with a counterfeit after test driving a demo car, the purpose being to return later and steal the car. In other cases, the key bank system will alert management if an employee has kept a key out when it should be returned, enabling them to prevent the employee from inadvertently taking a key home at the end of the day instead of returning it to the auto dealer key cabinet.

Key control systems also provide other operational efficiencies. For instance, keys put into the system can be moved around the facility as the car is moved. If the vehicle goes into the service bay for maintenance, the key is placed in the service bay’s key control system cabinet. Then, when the car comes back to the used car lot, the key is returned to the system in that location. At all times, the system records the whereabouts and access history of each key.

Key banks can offer further value to the dealership because the systems can also provide management with sales and inventory data. Vehicle history reports can be generated to help analyze sales force performance on demos, fast/slow movers and even track the source of mystery mileage.

Car key management systems are a powerful and effective way of addressing the need to store and access multiple keys during the holidays or at any time of the year.