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Dealer service departments are resilient. Despite major industry challenges, dealer service center market share is up 1% since 2018 and dealership service departments continue to be most used service provider, according to the 2021 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study. But there is a lot of room for growth and improvement, and a lot of potential revenue ($214 billion) still up for grabs.  

Tracy Fred, Tracy Fred, VP Operations — Dealer Sales and Service Solutions, sat down with CBT News to discuss the 2021 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study and how dealerships can have a consumer-first focus to increase revenue. Specifically, she discussed how dealerships can:  

• Better leverage digital tools to meet and exceed modern consumer expectations 
• Overcome barriers that prevent consumers from returning to dealer service departments 
• Offset operational challenges by creating convenient consumer experiences 
• Strengthen consumer relationships by offering and promoting digital tools and services 

By improving the consumer experience, dealer service departments can overcome industry challenges and common consumer frustrations to increase revenue and attract new customers. To learn more about how your dealership can have a consumer-first mindset, download the complete 2021 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study. 

You’ve witnessed the first phase of digital transformation. With more personalization and more options, there are more ways than ever before to meet the needs of today’s consumers. Deliver a great experience—no matter which purchase path your buyers choose—with a comprehensive suite of digital tools.

Download this ebook for the new rules of engagement when interacting with customers during the car-buying process. You’ll learn the best practices and technology tips for engaging customers and closing more deals in today’s digital-first retail environment.

Why wait for your customers to tell you the make and model they’re interested in buying, or even whether they’re ready to buy?  

On the new road to the sale, successful dealerships aren’t waiting around for customers to make the first move. They’re proactively reaching out to customers with personalized messaging and offers, thanks to cutting-edge technology that lets them identify shoppers’ interests and intent. 

Make the First Move 

By using both your CRM and automotive intelligence technology, you can gain valuable insights into online shoppers’ interests and intent based on their browsing behavior. With these insights, your sales team can make the first move in the dealer-buyer relationship to give your dealership a competitive advantage.  

If you feel like your dealership is being too forward, don’t. Today’s top dealers are implementing these technologies and sales strategies to improve the car buying experience for their customers. In fact, 38% of dealer loyal customers purchase their vehicle after initial contact from the dealership, according to recent Cox Automotive research.  

Predict the Purchase  

According to the 2020 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey, two out of every three U.S. car buyers shop at Cox Automotive sites, including Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com websites. That is a lot of consumer data! And it all flows into VinSolutions tools, which in turn deliver insights to dealers that identify which customers are most likely to buy. VinSolutions Connect Automotive Intelligence also predicts the exact make and model each customer will purchase, ensuring you have all the information you need at the exact moment the customer needs a car dealer.  

With this information in hand, your sales team can reach out to customers with confidence. In fact, when consumers are classified as “ready to buy” by Connect Automotive Intelligence, they are 15 times more likely to buy, compared to consumers with inconclusive Buying Signals. * 

Being a forward-thinking dealer isn’t being presumptuous about shoppers. It uses data-driven technology to give your customers what they want and move the sale forward.  

*Source: VinSolutions Connect Automotive Intelligence Data predictions for 30 days prior to purchase in Aug 2020–Feb 2021. 

At Mile High Acura, in Denver, Colorado, turning customer data into new opportunities has yielded great success. With the help of VinSolutions Connect CRM and Connect Automotive Intelligence, the dealership is able to better manage tasks, analyze customer data, and capitalize on every sales opportunity with the help of a few key features: 

• Customizable CRM processes 
• Intuitive reporting tools 

• Personalized customer insights 
• Integrations with other dealership solutions 
• Ongoing support from a VinSolutions Performance Manager 

Download the case study to learn more about how Connect CRM with Connect Automotive Intelligence has helped Mile High Acura thrive. 

Best practices for engaging customers in a new sales environment.  

Instead of following the same scripted, step-by-step car sales process that’s been around for decades, today’s shoppers are forging their own unique path to the sale. But with nearly as many paths to purchase as there are shoppers, how does your sales team engage customers and close deals?  

This guide, Sealing the Deal: The New Rules of Engagement, will show you best practices and technology tips to help you stay in step with today’s shoppers. You’ll learn how to: 

• Build and maintain brand awareness 
• Identify customer interests and buying intent 
• Make personalized offers 

• Leverage data to retain customers  

Download our ebook and learn the new rules of customer engagement.  

For dealerships, long-term success is all about finding sustainable competitive advantages. Sometimes those advantages come in the form of a unique business model, a favorable physical location, or an all-star salesperson. Other times, a technology tool or auto dealership software can provide a competitive advantage.  

But in order to work, that technology must have clear, sizable advantages of its own over the available alternatives. Tim Dahle Auto Group and its director of marketing, Mark Winters, have implemented VinSolutions Connect CRM and are leveraging its clear product differences to create competitive advantages of their own.  

Flexibility and Adaptability 

Tim Dahle Auto Group’s commitment to Connect CRM was born out of experience. As part of a larger technology consolidation initiative, the company moved several of its stores off of VinSolutions. But many internal users expressed frustration with the new platform. In particular, employees were frustrated with the new platform’s lack of customization and flexibility. Basic, important processes were difficult or impossible to complete, including creating and changing CRM processes, setting up email and text campaigns, and managing workflows.  

And so, the group re-implemented Connect CRM. Now back with VinSolutions, the dealership has complete control over the experience customers have after their initial contact. The dealer group can now administer its own workflows, create and change CRM processes, and set up text and email campaigns. The flexibility has provided important benefits to dealership employees and to the auto group’s many customers, who now enjoy a better customer experience.  

A CRM with Advantages 

Like all companies, Tim Dahle Auto Group will continue to look for competitive advantages wherever they can be found. For now, the group is happy to have found an auto dealer CRM that helps win deals through its differentiation.  

Download the full case study to learn more about how Tim Dahle Auto Group is driving success with Connect CRM with Connect Automotive Intelligence using its innovative, productivity-boosting features, including:  

• Platform and process flexibility 
• Customizable CRM workflows  

• Cox Automotive data network and consumer insights  
• Ongoing support from an experienced Performance Manager

With extensive experience working with numerous CRMs, Mark Winters, Director of Marketing for Tim Dahle Auto Group, understands the advantages that VinSolutions Connect CRM has over other providers. More importantly, though, he also understands the competitive advantage that VinSolutions gives his dealership within the market.  

Specifically, Mark points to key technological differences and a superior approach to customer service as the reasons for VinSolutions’ superiority, including:  

• Platform and process flexibility 

• Adaptable CRM workflows 
• Data-driven insights 
• Regular support from Performance Management 

Download the case study to learn more about how Connect CRM with Connect Automotive Intelligence has helped Tim Dahle Auto Group thrive.  

Corwin Automotive Group, a 12-store group headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, has been a user of VinSolutions Connect CRM for years. The group has continued to rely on Connect CRM for its sales success because of several key features: 

• CRM process customization 
• Personalized, intuitive reporting dashboards 
• Dedicated Performance Management consultation 
• Intuitive user interface 

Download the case study to learn more about Corwin Auto Group’s success and why one member of the team says, “Connect CRM creates the urgency needed to sell more cars and be more profitable.”