In car dealerships, keys play an absolutely critical role in security. Not only do they keep your premises secure, but they also provide access to the high-value, easily movable assets that you keep out on your lot.
Partly due to how much movement there is in these environments, with rapid rates of asset turnover, it isn’t uncommon for many dealerships to find themselves having never conducted an audit of their key management systems. Here’s how you can do a successful audit for the first time.
Start with a basic key count
You’ll want to start off by conducting a basic key count. Look at every single vehicle, including stock, courtesy cars and demo vehicles, and then locate and count all of the keys that are associated with those cars.
Include duplicates, keys for cars that have been sold, and spares in this count. You may have to do this count several times before everything actually matches as it should, and even then, it’s very possible that there will still be keys left in old jacket pockets and in the back corners of drawers.
Record where the keys were found as well, and put that data in a spreadsheet. If they weren’t where they were supposed to be, in the key locker, then that’s a big pointer that your current key management system is either ineffective itself or being used ineffectively.
Map key movement
Once you have a basic overview of the keys in your organisation, you can start to map their movement. You could take a handful of keys that are representative of your keys more generally, and then check who accesses keys at various times throughout the day.
Look at how these movements are controlled and logged by your current system. If key access and logging is done physically, with a key to a cabinet and a paper logbook, you’ll very likely find that you’re due an upgrade.
Check how your system interacts with these findings
Once you have a decent overview of the keys in your dealership, including where they’re actually stored and how they move throughout the day and week, you can assess how your key management system impacts these findings.
If you have very limited control over your keys, or insights into how they move throughout the day, then it could be worth investing in a smart key management system from somewhere like KEYper.
If you already have a smart key management locker in place, then you likely need to seriously reconsider the kind of training your employees are receiving, to ensure that they’re able to get the most out of these impressive asset management tools.
Carrying out your first key management system audit can be tricky, but you need to remember that you’re creating a bit of a blueprint for future audits as well. The sooner you do the audit, the simpler it will ultimately be. Leaving it longer will only leave more opportunities for more lost keys, and if your key management system is really defective, leave your organisation unnecessarily vulnerable to threats.
