xxx - Consumers were apparently sensitive to a recent dip in factory incentives. Although still higher than a year-ago April, incentives fell to an average of $3,591 per vehicle from an average of $3,769 per vehicle in March. One-third of potential car…
Description: Okay, I must admit that as my husband's better half -- with slightly more time on my hands--I bear the brunt of the responsibility for getting our vehicles serviced. I also have to admit that this responsibility initially filled me with mortal dread. Unfortunately, I felt that, because I'm a woman, I was likely to get lower quality service, and pay more for the privilege. The reason I'm sharing this with you is that I know how important your service operations are to the health and profitability of your dealership--and I want to illustrate the long-term opportunities presented by wary customers like me. Since I live in Southern California, a number of servicing options are readily available to me. Yet I've remained loyal to the local auto mall where I purchased my car because of the exemplary efforts the staff there have made to put customers like me at ease. Clean desks, clearly posted pricing, convenient drop off and loaner policies, and prompt phone follow-ups have won me over; and now my service dollars get spent where I bought my car… And, I'll probably end up purchasing my next vehicle from this dealership because of the comfort level they've established with me. I guess you could say I'm living proof of the conventional wisdom that brand loyalty isn't manufacturer-driven -- that it's actually built day-to-day at the local dealership level. A major factor in my conversion from a service-phobe to a faithful, every-3000-mile customer has been my service center's loyalty marketing, which -- as corny as it sounds -- makes me feel special. Even as I, ever the vigilant consumer, explored the dozens of service bays around Orange County, California, my local dealer never gave up on me. They kept sending me those convenient reminder letters until I eventually accepted the offer. If your dealership is not quite on solid ground with a service reminder program, Autobytel can help. RPM (Retention Performance Marketing) is our highly successful service reminder program that combines personal web pages, e-mail and print reminders, and customizable coupons into a super-charged marketing program that can help you reel in more customers, while reigning in costs. The bottom line: RPM can improve your local outreach and your service profits -- and with a few niceties and conveniences here and there to provide a great service experience, your dealership can soon be winning more and more of the hearts, trust (and wallets) of once-skittish customers like me! For more information about RPM, please visit , or send us an email at rpm@autobytel.com. Service Loyalty Remains the Exception, Not the Rule Experts agree that the key to successful vehicle maintenance is consistency -- using the same service center and dealing with the same service representative for every service appointment. Maintenance, in other words, is a process, not a one-time event; and experts recommend that consumers develop a relationship with service experts who know their vehicle's history, inside and out. According to a recent Autobytel survey, however, this remains more an ideal than a reality. In fact, the majority of respondents (58%) said they either take their vehicles to different service bays for different repairs, or deal with different service representatives at the same service center visit-to-visit. Seventy-two percent, meanwhile, indicated that they have some services performed later than scheduled, or that they simply don't bring their cars in for all of the scheduled services. For dealers, this means that there remains a tremendous opportunity to build customer loyalty -- and, in so doing, they can create a win-win situation for both their service centers, and their service clients.
Similar news:
13 more services come under tax net - New Delhi, July 8. (PTI): People across the board will have to pay more for air travel, telecom services, organising parties or even travel agents with the proposed inclusion of more services under the tax net even as the Finance Minister hiked the ...
At Your Service - Patrick Grady wants his software to be your travel agent, Maître D', best pal and mailroom. He also wants it to make him rich and turn the high-tech world on its ear. "I'm going to build a reservation system for all services--it is a $50 billion
45 ( -6 -13.33% )