What's the safest way for car dealerships to store keys?

If you've ever heard someone shout, “Who's got the keys?”,  you're not alone.

Vehicle keys are constantly moving around a dealership, changing hands throughout the day as cars are prepared, serviced, test-driven and handed over to customers. 

It’s no real surprise then that "Who's got the keys?" is heard almost every day in some dealerships.

The safest way to store keys isn't simply locking them in a cabinet, though. It's making sure they're secure while still being easy for the right people to access. A modern car dealership key management system gives dealerships greater control over every key while making day-to-day access quicker and easier.

Using modern key storage systems

There's nothing wrong with a traditional key cabinet; until your dealership starts getting busier.

As more vehicles arrive and key movements increase, those older systems can quickly become overwhelmed. Before long, staff are running  around trying to find keys while work builds up.

Modern automotive key management systems are designed to solve exactly that problem.

Take KEYper's intelligent key cabinets. They do much more than provide a secure place to store keys. Access can be restricted to authorized employees, every transaction is automatically recorded, and managers can quickly see where a missing key was last used.

The result isn't more paperwork or extra rules. It's a simpler, more efficient way to manage vehicle keys every day.

Safety in key storage – Where do you start?

Don’t worry, you don't need to rip everything out and start again. A good first step is to simply  look at how keys move around your dealership. Who needs access? Where do delays happen? Are people regularly walking across the showroom because they're trying to find a missing key?

Once you understand your current process, it's much easier to spot opportunities to improve it.

That might mean replacing an ageing key cabinet for one dealership. For another, it could be introducing better access controls or giving managers more visibility over key movements.

It’s not about making life more complicated. The opposite in fact. Effective key storage should quietly fit into the working day without anyone really having to think about it.

Auditing your existing key storage systems

Sometimes it's the little things that tell you your current setup isn't working.

Maybe employees have their own “usual place” to leave keys. Or perhaps nobody is quite sure where a particular key has ended up. Those habits often develop because the existing system no longer supports the way the dealership operates.

An audit doesn't need to be complicated. Walk through a typical day and identify the moments where keys go missing or staff lose time searching for them.

Pay particular attention to where keys change hands and whether there are times when nobody is certain who has responsibility for a particular key. Once you've identified where time is being lost, it's much easier to see where a better system could help.

KEYper can help

Every dealership has its own way of doing things, which is why there's no single answer to key storage.

KEYper will help you look at your current setup with fresh eyes. We can identify where time is being lost, where security could be improved and whether your existing processes are still fit for purpose.

You might discover that only a few small changes are needed. Or you may decide it's time for a more modern car dealership key management system.

Either way, we'll help you find a solution that works for you and your dealership.