Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
Issue link: http://autodealermonthly.epubxp.com/i/158958
By Paul Potratz A DV E R TISING & M A RK E TING MARKETING MAINTENANCE The magazine's marketing guru lays out a plan for improving your service department's six customer touchpoints. If followed, the strategy can turn the department into a marketing machine. It's ofcial: "Selling service" is no lon longer an abstract concept. Your ser service department can be a true pro proft center for you and a reliable res resource for your customers. Te mo more customers you can keep, the be better; but you have to have a plan. Tere are six key touchpoints related to service, each of which represents an opportunity to enhance service retention. ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/KALI9 1. FIRST CONTACT Whether the customer visits your website, contacts your store or both, you must provide them with the correct and complete information when they want it. Sticking to the facts and getting them right helps close the sale and enhance loyalty for the next sale. Do you have information on your site about your preparationfor-winter program and what that involves? What exactly is included with an oil change? Let's say their radiator leaks. Do they know your techs can inspect it? Do they realize the diference in cost between replacing the entire unit and just replacing the core? Many people are willing to pay the dealership more if they are sure you know their vehicle better than the local mechanic and will do a better job. Te customer may never meet your service technicians. Te impression they get regarding your store's knowledge and ability ofen originates from the people answering the phone. Quiz your service department. Ask if they can quickly quote the price of an oil change for diesels and other engines Paul Potratz is COO of Potratz Advertising and an industry speaker in digital, mobile, behavioral and social media marketing. He shares his expertise weekly through online workshops and hosts the weekly video series, "Think Tank Tuesday," which reaches more than 42,000 automotive professionals. PPotratz@AutoDealerMonthly.com 8 AUTO DE ALE R MONTHLY • SE P TEMBE R 2013 not serviced at the standard price. Someday, a customer will ask the same question. Te right answer, delivered promptly, will help bring them in for the f rst appointment and hopefully many more. 2. CHECK-IN Years ago, J.D. Power and Associates discovered the checkin process was critical to hotel guest satisfaction. At restaurants, the time it takes between the host or hostess seating the customer and the f rst acknowledgement of his or her arrival by the waiter or waitress is extremely important to guest satisfaction. Te same is true with auto service, only more so. Most of the people who visit your service department are not there because they enjoy it. Many arrive with fear and anxiety about what it will cost to f x their vehicle, how long it will take and whether or not they will be treated fairly and honestly. Greeting customers quickly and warmly is vital. A smile goes a long way. If you can't get to the customer right away, make eye contact and let them know you recognize they are waiting for you. Te time it takes to get checked in is also important. If the customer made an appointment, his or her information should already be entered and waiting. If it is a re-