Your service department involves several distinct phases and processes, each with its own defined roles and separate software systems. But your customers don’t really care where one role ends and another begins. They just want a smooth, seamless service process. Watch the video to see how your dealership can benefit from the industry’s only end-to-end service experience platform, period.
Want to find a better way to connect with your customers?
Texting is the #1 channel for customer service preferred by customers in the United States. A technology solution that enables texting creates opportunities for better customer communication across your business.
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Fill out the form to download your copy of the infographic and start improving your business’ customer communications.
If there is one thing that customers, salespeople and dealership management all have in common, it is that everyone wants a fast, efficient and hassle-free car buying process. No one benefits from inconvenience or inefficiency. But for a dealership to run like a well-oiled, car-selling machine, salespeople need to have the right tools for the job. And in today’s digital retail world, that means a mobile app that gives dealership staff the functionality of a desktop computer with all the conveniences of life on the go.
With robust features and an intuitive user experience, VinSolutions Connect Mobile app brings the Connect CRM experience into the mobile application and puts sales activities directly into the hands of salespeople. Here are three ways your sales team can make the most of Connect Mobile.
1. Monitor Lead Buckets
With Connect Mobile, sales managers can use the app to set up multiple lead buckets, separating those interested in new versus used cars, for example. Having access to lead management through a convenient mobile app helps incentivize salespeople to monitor lead buckets more frequently. And it gives them the tools to react quickly to interested buyers, which is a good thing for both customers and sales.
2. Add New Co-Buyers
Connect Mobile makes it easy to add a co-buyer right from the app. A salesperson can simply scan a customer’s driver’s license with their mobile device to add a co-buyer. Or, if both customers already exist in Connect CRM, a salesperson can simply link their accounts. It is a painless process that can be done from anywhere on the lot. And it’s another reason why Connect Mobile enhances workflow and gives dealership staff more options than ever before.
3. Get More Texting Options
Texting is an important part of car sales. Connect Mobile gives your sales team the texting features they need to keep in touch with customers and provide them with a better buying experience. Instead of manually searching for customer conversation histories, salespeople receive push notifications on their phones so they can access and reply to conversations directly from the lock screen. They can also view and complete text message tasks from a task list, and upload videos and photos directly from their phones.
With more than half of car buyers preferring dealership experience over low price, VinSolutions Connect Mobile app is giving dealers the tools to streamline car buying for salespeople and customers alike. Download the app today to see how Connect Mobile’s features and improved user experience can benefit your dealership.
Are you ready to give your customers an all-access pass to your service lane? Watch the video to see how Service Tracker, available as an add-on to Inspect, can improve service lane efficiency and reduce the number of phone calls to your service advisors.
Ready to see how it works?
How do your customers view your dealership? Do they consider you a trusted advisor, ready and willing to help with any automotive question, concern or need? Or, do your customers think of you as a retailer, facilitating a transaction and nothing more?
Today, consumers are shying away from businesses that take a self-centered approach to customer service. Instead, they seek out companies that are willing to create more consultative relationships with their customers.
In this whitepaper, which includes new research from the VinSolutions Technology and Transformation of Retail Study, you’ll learn how new artificial intelligence and automation technology can help you build those consultative relationships and boost your dealership’s bottom line.
Consumers are constantly bombarded by mass marketing, and many are frustrated by being inundated with messages that don’t apply to them. Personalized digital marketing and sales, however, provide an opportunity to set yourself apart with customers by treating them like the unique people they are.
Customers are tired of one-size-fits-all retail experiences, including car buying. According to the Cox Automotive Future of Digital Retail Study, 90 percent of consumers prefer a unique, personalized car buying journey. Additionally, customers’ expectations of the buying process have changed significantly. Nearly two-thirds of car buyers want to complete more of the purchase steps online than the last time they bought a car, according to the 2020 Cox Automotive COVID-19 Consumer & Dealer Impact Study.
If you’re ready to give your customers the kind of car buying experience they want (and increase profits for your dealership), here are three steps to personalize your automotive digital marketing and sales efforts.
When it comes to collecting customer data, automotive CRM systems really matter. With robust customer data stored in your dealership CRM, as well as other software platforms, you can start the process of segmenting your customers based on individual interests. From there, you can tailor a sales approach that is more likely to capture each individual customer’s attention. This approach to marketing helps prevent miscommunication between dealership and customer. And when your customers receive information (sales-related or not) that is relevant to them, it increases their trust in your dealership.
If you’re part of a dealer group, it is also important that you’re able to view customer data across stores. Wouldn’t it be good to know if the customer you’re speaking with just came from a sister dealership? This cross-rooftop data sharing enables you to identify possible brand defections and maximize profits with better visibility into a customer’s negotiations with other stores.
Again, this all hinges on the type of data you have. Real segmentation that leads to real personalized messaging comes from moving beyond basic demographics. For example, paying attention to your customers’ online browsing history and recording it in your CRM, like the VinLens integration between Connect CRM and Dealer.com does, can help you segment audiences based on key behaviors.
Reading your customer data can sometimes feel like a foreign language. Not only do you have to collect the right type of data, you have to interpret that data to deliver the right marketing messages. And once again, technology comes to the rescue. CRM artificial intelligence tools like Connect Automotive Intelligence can quickly analyze huge volumes of customer data, identify trends and flag customers that may be ready to talk. Then, you can take a more proactive sales approach to deliver both timely and relevant marketing that will catch your customers’ attention.
You can learn a lot about your customers based on the equity they have in their current vehicles, for example. But unsurprisingly, some of the most insightful buying signals come from your customers’ browsing behavior, including their budget, the makes/models they’re interested in and the frequency/timing of their browsing.
Automated technologies like website analytics and your CRM can give you insight into customer behavior — especially when the two technologies are integrated like they are with VinLens. But now that you’ve used those tools to gather and interpret data, it’s up to you to make a personalized marketing offer. Know your customers’ interests. And deliver messaging that’s warm, welcoming and lets them know you know where they’re coming from and what they want.
Naturally, you’ll use the data you’ve gathered about your customers to guide you through the process. Is a group of customers looking for similar prices, vehicle sizes and features? This information will help you customize pricing and vehicle options and make relevant product suggestions. And it helps you develop authority and rapport with your customers.
With the right technology tools, you can take a more personable and proactive approach with your marketing efforts. And when your customers see that you’re trying to give them information and offers they actually want, they’re more likely to value your suggestions and remain loyal to your dealership.
Serra Honda Grandville built a successful dealership based on the fundamentals of good old-fashioned communication (like greeting every customer at the door) and working hard to develop and maintain healthy customer relationships.
And while these fundamentals will always remain a priority, the dealership is also deeply committed to staying on the cutting edge, including efforts to improve with the help of new technologies. Serra Honda Grandville has used VinSolutions Connect CRM to boost employee performance and maintain a competitive edge. Specifically, Connect CRM has helped:
Oklahoma City Volkswagen isn’t run by a bunch of old school car guys. Its forward-thinking management team is always looking for ways to enhance the value of their investment. And when Robert Lackey was offered a position as the dealership’s service director, he immediately saw ways to apply that philosophy in the service lane. Many of his most immediate concerns were related to service lane employees and their engagement levels.
“On the surface level, you would see employees and technicians walking around in plain clothes or in shirts from other dealerships,” Robert recalls. “There was no pride in the atmosphere. And on the service drive, you’d see service advisors writing customers up that were stuck in the early 90s with literally a particle board clipboard…and a carbon-copy multipoint inspection sheet. There was zero pride, zero process from front to back.”
Based on his experience managing other service departments, Robert knew that our solutions had the power to increase employee engagement by improving processes and ensuring accountability. He got the employee buy-in necessary to fix the dealership’s obvious challenges with a little help from us.
Real-World Results
Service lane metrics have shown the wisdom in Oklahoma City Volkswagen’s investment in our end-to-end solution. The dealership has achieved:
A Full Suite for Full Satisfaction
While we offer various solutions for improving different areas of the service lane, Robert implemented the full Spectrum Suite because he knew it could help every single fixed ops employee.
As he sees it, “there is no tool in the industry—and you try to piece them all together—that does everything that Xtime Spectrum does.”
You can feel the winds of change when it comes to customer expectations in the service lane. Are you ready to face them head on and get your service department moving in the right direction?
Take this quick assessment to find out if you’ve properly prepared your service department for the changes ahead. You’ll learn whether or not you’re among the best in supporting your people with the right processes and technologies. Most importantly, you’ll discover what you can change in order to start giving customers the experience they want while producing the revenue you need.
Ready to see how it works?
Prior to Xtime, Honda of Downtown Chicago performed well, with a healthy client base and substantial revenue. But Joel isn’t satisfied with “good”—he strives to be number one. That’s why he chose our Spectrum platform to increase customer satisfaction index (CSI) scores, guest return rates, and overall profitability.
“Before Xtime it was hit or miss—you just sat there and waited for business to happen,” says Joel.
The switch brought immediate results. Within the first month, Invite Declined Services campaigns generated over $30,000 in repair order (RO) revenue in the Honda of Downtown Chicago service department.
Real-World Results
Joel believes Xtime is always working to be better since they help Honda of Downtown Chicago with continuous improvements as well through the following:
A Silent Partner on the Service Drive
Joel admits that managing a service department can bring a sense of isolation. But dealers that work with us get added support managing customer relations, analyzing data, and improving productivity.
“The biggest part of using Xtime for me is being able to see what I’m putting out and what’s coming back in and knowing that it’s working. And with the reporting and being able to see that, you feel accomplished,” Joel says. “You feel a little bit more in control.”
Would you like to feel in control, like Joel? Schedule a demo to learn how your dealership can capture declined services, improve customer experience, retain clients, and grow profits.
