The Greatest Service Experience... Part 4

Once the vehicle is here and the customer has left the dealership, what do you think their expectations are? In surveys, the customer tells us that they want to have communication without being the ones to begin that experience. According to a recent Cox Automotive Survey, 56% of customer prefer to receive a text about their vehicle. 56%!!! I know that I've been talking about using texting, but this information really pushes the envelope of action. Remember in the last articles, I've said, "Make sure that you're keeping track of your advisors using Texting. It should be the next KPI to measure." It truly makes sense. Also your customer is going to expect you to not only tell them what they need but to show them what they need with supporting pictures and video. The more you can support their need, the more they will buy. Many also want to be able to buy without picking up the phone. It's proven that Millennials hate using voice on the phone. They feel that it's an imposition. And they want to be able to pay online for services. Again, they don't want to give you their credit card number over the phone (did I mention Millennials hate using the phone?) and they don't want to stand in long lines or wait to pay you when they arrive. That's taking up their personal time.

With this information, we can plan how to provide the customer with the best experience possible at this point. Our sales approach has to change dramatically from Analog (picking up the phone and telling the customer what they need), to Digital (providing them information supported with features/benefits, photos, and video. And, giving them the option to buy digitally. To do the Digital you should have an electronic MPI. The technician will complete the inspection, and the MPI should create an estimate sheet complete with description of the repair / service needed, why it should be done, pictures, video, and complete pricing with an option to buy. That's the best-case scenario. For some of you, you simply don't have an electronic MPI. For those of you who don't, get with your dealer. Your customer want this. But let's say that your dealer finds no value in this, you can still do a hack to this and offer your customer a better experience. There are many service out there that will allow you to text your guests and email. Maybe your DMS does that, or maybe you have a plug-in application. In either case here, there's more work for the advisors and technicians, but if you get your team's buy-in, the results will make it worth your while. Let's face it, anything is better than your advisor calling the customer and saying, "Looks like you're gonna need brakes. I have them in stock and it's only $299.50 out the door." Your closing ratio is going to increase with features/benefits, pictures, and videos sent. Try to send them as much information as you possibly can and avoid as much telephone contact as possible. For those of you out there that say, "Our customers prefer to have a phone call, they don't have emails, and all of them have a flip-phone," it's time to get with the times. Most everyone living independently has an email address. In fact, most have 3. Ask for the best email address. Grandparents want to be able to see pictures of their grandkids and be connected. They try calling their teenage grandkids, but they don't answer the phone. They'll text back, "Hi Grandpa." So, social media has power everywhere and so does texting. Resistance is futile.

Let's get digitally connected. So once we have the estimate to the guest, hopefully they are getting back to you quickly. Research has found that customers typically respond nationally in about 12 minutes to a text estimate. For those of you looking for technicians, and want to increase your shop efficiency, how strong is it to know that some of your vehicles will not have to be put outside and brought back in for the repair? If we're quick enough, we can add productive time to the technician easily.

Respond to the purchase(s). Send a text or email or both back. "I've received your approval for _____________________ and we should have that completed for you by ____________. I will let you know the minute the vehicle is completed and ready for pick-up.

Once the vehicle is done, send the email and text with a link to the invoice or a pdf of the invoice, and a link for the customer to PAY the invoice. There are many services out there that can help you link your merchant services to this online pipeline to pay, and they are very inexpensive. Make it a great experience for your customer.

Reverse engineering. When changing and adapting your processes, be sure to ask, "What does the customer want?" This shows that you are truly customer-centric. When you begin this exploration and YOU respond, our customers are just fine with............., you might have some work to do. I can guess what customers want, but rely on research and data to tell you. If you don't want to spend money to do a focus group at your dealership (highly recommended), then take data from the larger automotive companies such as NADA, NCM, Cox Automotive, etc. Spending time on what your customers want will pay off in increased service sales, increased retention, and more vehicle sales.