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.
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turning customer, his or her info should be accessible with a single click. Many stores are moving to tablet computers, putting information directly at the tips of the services managers' fngers and making it easy to input customer and vehicle information directly into the system. Customers don't always know what's going to happen next. Let them know when you will be in contact with an estimate and work out which form of communication — text, phone or e-mail — is best for them. 4. PICK-UP When the customer returns to pick up his or her vehicle, you have an excellent, one-time opportunity to demonstrate the value he or she received. Te oil was changed and all your systems and fuids were checked. Te brakes were f xed and the ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JGROUP 3. VISUAL AIDS In the service department, closing deals requires constant communication. Illustrate problems by texting photos of the afected part (e.g., their scarred brake disc) and photos of what a healthy part should look like. If your service manager and techs aren't comfortable with that, invest in a tool like ClearMechanic to make it easier. Next, create pre-written, ready-to-text descriptions of repairs and maintenance measures. Explain why it's so important to replace worn belts or change the transmission fuid. Help the customer understand you're trying to help them avoid more expensive problems in the future, not just line your own pockets today. Tese tools and techniques build trust and confdence in the customer, resulting in higher average ROs and improved service retention. Visual aids can be an effective sales tool for your service department. Texting a photo of a healthy radiator along with a photo of the customer's leaking unit will help close the deal and make a lasting impression. tires were rotated. Value is ofen defned as benefts divided by price. Your dealership may not be the lowest priced option, but it does deliver the most benefts for that price. When customers view dealerships as a poor value, it is generally because the benefts delivered were not recognized. Helping customers understand what they received for their money is as important for the next sale as the pre-work communications were to selling the RO at hand. 5. AFTER THE REPAIR It is common for dealerships and manufacturers to have an ofce worker or third-party service call customers to measure their satisfaction with the work. What is less common is having a service technician or service man- ager call to be sure everything is working as it should. Tat's even less common at Midas, Goodyear and Pep Boys. Tis can be a huge diferentiator for your store. But it will only work if the person making the call genuinely wants to hear about any problems the customer may still be experiencing. Once in a while, this may result in rework the customer otherwise would not have come in for. Yes, that's an added cost for you in the short run. But it's a nice investment in customer loyalty that can pay of for years to come. 6. INVITATIONS Smart dealers who are invested in service mine their CRM system for more opportunities. Some use coupons and other direct marketing tactics. But very few mine their data for opportunities to invite customers in. Why not give it a try? Identify the owners who bought a vehicle you generally get high service penetration for, live in an area where you generally get higher service penetration and are not coming to you for service. Tese are the people worth picking up the phone for. Give them a personal invitation to meet with you and talk about how your store can help them receive a more enjoyable and less costly ownership experience. Of course, this conversation should happen during the vehicle delivery process. If that didn't work, then it's time to get personal again. Now go evaluate your touchpoints and improve your process. Ten watch the profts fow. SEP TEMBER 2013 • AUTODE ALE R MONTHLY.COM 9