Major changes are transforming the industry. Technological innovation, shifting consumer preferences, and other socioeconomic factors are rapidly transforming the way dealers approach customer service in the automotive industry.
Changes can be felt throughout every sector—from manufacturing and assembly to sales and service. Customers are demanding connected, intelligent cars to fit their different mobility needs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, customer experiences in the automotive industry are increasingly becoming digitalized.
Instead of shying away from these changes, successful dealers are embracing current trends and focusing on modernizing the automotive customer experience. With the right tools, dealerships can take advantage of the vast market opportunities that lie ahead.
Exceptional Customer Service Is Key
Despite recent shifts in the industry, customer service is still your key to success. A recent study found that 54% of consumers would buy from dealerships who offer outstanding customer experiences over lower prices. Conversely, 72% of customers are willing to spend more money because of high-quality customer service. It’s what sold your customers on their initial car purchase, and it’s going to be what keeps them coming back and spending more.
While modern consumers might be less inclined to talk to a dealer for hours on-end before making a purchase, that doesn’t mean your opportunities for great customer service are over. Every interaction with a potential customer, whether digitally or in-person, should be a reason to engage and delight.
What You Can Do to Stay Ahead of the Curve
In order to keep their edge and secure new business, dealers in the automotive industry are redefining their customer service strategy. Here’s a list of tips to help you get started.
Integrate Digital Tools
The digital revolution is here, and it has completely transformed the customer service experience. Consumers are looking for seamless, omnichannel retail experiences with instant customer support communication.
Updating your suite of digital tools to include mobile appointment apps, automotive data transfer, and digital vehicle diagnostic reports will help your customers quickly access information and receive the care they want.
Implementing cloud-based tools into your service offerings is a great way to instantly address customer needs and alleviate common pain points.
Emphasize Your Service Department
Research shows that consumers spend about 15 hours buying a car versus an average of 50 hours having it serviced.
Service-related experiences are extremely valuable, not only for the revenue they drive, but for maintaining customer retention. One study suggests that customers who regularly service their car at a dealership are 86 times more likely to purchase their next vehicle from the same dealership.
Building an exceptional customer experience in the service department is paramount to the success of your business.
Evaluate Current Customer Service Practices
Audit your current customer service practices to see what’s working and what could be improved.
How is customer feedback being collected? What does the employee customer service training process entail? Are these trainings being supplemented with workshops or forums? Are there customer touchpoint processes that could be digitized?
Answering questions like these will allow you to pinpoint areas of your automotive customer service experience that could be corrected or augmented with current industry best practices. Consistently improving customer service practices will allow your business to advance in the modern automotive market.
Start Your Customer Service Renovation
The automotive industry transformation is happening fast and there’s no time to waste. Start by incorporating the best customer service solutions in your business.
Elo GPS with CarRX can help your dealership leverage connected car data to drive car service traffic. CarRx is a vehicle maintenance software that collects vehicle data and communicates maintenance needs directly to the user. Our solution provides dealerships with the ability to manage lots, assess inventory, and maintain a direct connection to the driver’s vehicle and its service needs.
To learn more about Elo GPS with CarRX, connect with our team of specialists.