Master the Art of Customer Engagement and Retention with 5 Expert Tips By Digital Air Strike

Engaged and satisfied customers are likelier to return to a dealership for future vehicle purchases, maintenance, and service needs. These happy customers also provide positive and constructive feedback to help the dealership. Repeat customers are also more likely to develop a strong sense of brand loyalty and share their feedback with friends and family. According to Digital Air Strike’s recent Mystery Shop Study of 1,850 dealerships, 93% of vehicle buyers said recent online reviews with responses helped them select a dealership.???

Here are five expert tips to keep your customers engaged and keep coming back to their favorite dealership:??

1. Leverage data mining to improve your customer experience.?

Quality content throughout the customer lifecycle adds revenue, builds trust and loyalty, and increases lifetime value. Using the data in your CRM and DMS can help you discover which customers have purchased vehicles but haven’t serviced with your dealership, which customers have expiring leases and warranties, and which service customers may be interested in a new car due to their equity position. Using the existing data in your dealership systems is critical to engaging your customers to suggest ways they can continue coming to your dealership.???

2. Elevate review generation by implementing customer surveys.?

The best way to find out what customers think about your dealership is to ask them. After your happy customer purchases a new vehicle or gets serviced, send them a review request by text or email. Make it easy for them to fill out a review and give you five-star scores on your review sites. The more reviews and five-star recommendations your dealerships have, the more likely you’ll earn more customers. Fifty-eight percent of sales customers and 71% of service customers said the dealership did not ask them to write an online review about their experience, even though 81 percent of consumers who bought a car and 88 percent who received a service reported positive reviews, according to DAS’ 9th annual Automotive Customer Experience Trends Study .?????

3. Streamline your lead management process and unlock potential in old leads. ?

Your lead management process should include automated lead response and follow-up technology to ensure every consumer is contacted quickly and professionally. Delivering personalized offers to prospects within minutes of requesting information is essential to keeping them engaged with your dealership. The response should showcase pricing and payment options, the customer’s vehicle of interest, and other options available at your dealership or across your group. Using AI to follow up on cold leads helps re-engage customers who may have forgotten about your dealership or are now in the market for that new or pre-owned vehicle. According to DAS’ Mystery Shop study, 62% of dealer responses were autoresponders with no specific vehicle information or pricing despite questions about those areas. Also, 78% of lead responses didn’t include alternative vehicles, yet most consumers purchase an alternate vehicle or buy after the inquired vehicle is sold.????

4. Safeguard your success by monitoring your online reputation. ?

Optimize your Google Business Profile and make sure your social media is current. Your dealership’s Google Business Profile is your digital billboard. This is the first thing consumers see when Googling your business. Ensure your Google Business Profile and other social media accounts are checked weekly to verify that all information is up to date, questions are being answered, and reviews are being responded to promptly, both positive and negative. Your online presence and reputation are everything to consumers who research online. According to DAS ‘ trends study, the top reasons consumers didn’t contact a dealership include no special offers, insufficient dealership photos, and no easy way to reach a dealership. This can all be mitigated with up-to-date social media.?????

5. Amplify your influence with enhanced social media engagement.?

Posting the right content on each social media platform is essential to keep your consumers engaged. Work with your social media marketing expert to post regularly to every social media site your customers use. Post about your community efforts, discuss your specials and available vehicles, and feature your employees and happy customers through photos and videos. When you post engaging content, your dealership is top-of-mind to your customers, and you are likelier to reach newer customers. According to DAS’ trends study, 93% of vehicle buyers and 87% of service customers said online review sites helped their dealership selection process. Also, 41% of consumers say a video from a dealer would help their vehicle selection and make them want to purchase from a dealership that made a personal connection, according to DAS’ mystery shop study.?????

In the highly competitive automotive landscape, exceptional customer engagement and retention strategies differentiate one dealership over another. These tools are essential for dealers to build solid and long-lasting customer relationships, drive revenue growth, and establish a competitive edge among competitors.??

Sign up for a 10-minute demo from Digital Air Strike to learn the best consumer engagement solutions to implement for each of these expert tips.?