As a Retail Dealership Executive in the Automotive Industry I’m am constantly measuring my “Experiences and Perception” of whatever service I’m provided. I try and compare these experiences and the way I perceive them to what I expect in my dealerships. It’s a lost art in my opinion!
As Owners, GM’s, GSM’s, New, Used, Service and Parts Directors we preach CSI on a daily basis. We want to make sure we get the perfect score. I ask, do we actually know what we are asking for? Why are we so focused on the “number” or “score”? Have we trained our staff on how to provide a “truly exceptional dealership experience”? Where does it start? When does it end? These are questions that must be answered definitively. I think if we focus on and dig into the “where” and the “when” our score and number will take care of itself!
“Where Does it Start?”
A “truly exceptional” dealership experience has a starting point. Does it begin at the phone call, does it begin at the “meet and greet”, or is it when we have provided the service and we need the review or survey? I talk to customers all the time and the latter is the “perception” of many clients. It is perceived that providing good customer service is a “reactive” process rather than a “proactive” one. We often wait until after mistakes are made in service or customers have spent a ton of time waiting on delivery after the sale. I can go on and on and on on this topic. But why not start providing a “truly exceptional” dealership when the customer initiates contact with the dealership?
The Website:
Do you have a user friendly website? Is your website easy to navigate through? Is the information easy to understand? In the world of automotive internet presence the need for user friendly websites is becoming more important than 10 years ago. Industry experts such as Nathan Resnick CEO of Sourcify feels that “the days of businesses using their websites to share information and promote their products are long gone.” He goes on to say that “Now, businesses use websites to provide an ultimate customer experience and increase traffic conversion in the process." So I am in agreement with the experts that one way to start the Truly Exceptional dealership experience is to have a user friendly website!
The Phone Call:
Dealers spend tons of money and effort to drive internet traffic to dial the number listed and call. Until 2010 it never really dawned on me just how much brain damage it was. I do recall as a young Sales Manager having my GM Willy Sullivan tell me that one of the most important metrics I can measure is the phone traffic. Although he didn’t go into detail as to the dollars spent, I knew it was important. It wasn’t until I became a General Manager and worked along side Lindsey Stuart VP of Marketing and Advertising that it hit home. So, I made sure I got the necessary training for my staff and the words so that when the call came in several things were accomplished. - The Sales Consultant began the process of providing a Truly Exceptional dealership experience by being polite, knowledgeable, and confident in their delivery.
- The potential customer could feel that the Sales Consultant was different through their voice.
- The customer was excited about proceeding to the next step which was setting an appointment.
- The bar was set, that at my dealership their experience was a priority and how they viewed our dealership was important to our success.
Face to Face Interaction:
We get so focused on taking the customer down the road to the sale. I’m actually guilty of this myself. I was the Sales robot who wouldn’t listen to the customer and just focused on steps 1-12! Now that I sit here and think about it, it’s actually funny and I don’t know how I made the sale happen. The short answer is the industry has evolved tremendous and customers are way smarter and savvy. They can find information at the sound of their voice! “Hey Siri what compact car was the safest rated car in its class?” Or “Hey Siri what mid size SUV has the best fuel economy?” My favorite is “hey Siri what 4.5 star Google rated car dealership is closest to me?” In my opinion the face to face is so important in that it’s your one shot. It’s your chance to separate yourself from the “other guy” down the street who wouldn’t know CSI if it slapped him in the face!
So the “Customer Experience” begins when the customer sees your face and gets to experience YOU! Often times I tell my sales consultants that customers won’t buy for 3 reasons...Me, Money, Machine. “Me” is by far the most important of these reasons! If you give them your best ME and allow ME to provide you with a truly exceptional experience the other two will take care of themselves.
When Does it End?
When does the customer experience end....NEVER! I started my career in the automotive industry over 20 years ago. I still have customers who expect me to provide them with a truly exceptional dealership experience from way back then. These are people I sold cars to multiple times. Notice I said “expect me to”. Yes they expect a good experience out of me and that’s why it so important to understand it never ends.
Most dealership staff drops the ball the minute the customer pulls off the lot. Whether in service, buying parts, or after the purchase of a new or pre-owned vehicle. The experience ends! Why? Because most folks don’t understand the concept of long term sustainable relationships, and how to achieve them. I can assure you that if you have mindset of never-ending customer service you will definitely excel. Think about it.... If you treat then right, they will come back!! IT NEVER ENDS!
By Marcus Williams
