The importance of retaining customers is only going to increase as the volume of work done in service departments continues to rise. Even if a customer just has time for a brief and inexpensive service session, you should always strive to provide them with an exceptional level of service and satisfaction. In this way, they will remember their experience and come back when they have greater ROs. Why, then, would they come back if they are dissatisfied with the level of communication they receive and are required to repeatedly phone for updates on the state of their vehicle, or if they are kept in the dark about the condition of their vehicle?
In order to maintain a high rate of customer retention, you need to provide each customer with a high-quality experience. This includes providing frequent status updates, making follow-up calls, and even test-driving your service with your own vehicle to determine areas in which it could be improved.
Over nine percent of incoming calls to service departments are inquiries on the current state of vehicles. This not only gives the impression that your company provides bad customer service, but it also causes an overwhelming number of calls that are not service opportunities. Service drives are definitely busy, and you might not feel like you have the time to make a status update call merely to let the customer know that you are still on track to finish in an hour. This is because the customer may be concerned that you will be late for their appointment. Many dealers have started using texting as a means of communication in order to relieve this problem. You might try using automated texts that are powered by artificial intelligence to change your status (AI). This will make it possible to provide frequent updates to the consumer, keeping them informed while also allowing you to concentrate on high-priority activities such as taking calls from potential new customers for your service. You have the ability to send automated texts to the customer, powered by AI, assuring them that "their vehicle is in excellent hands" and that it is still on track to be finished at 3:30 PM. You can also transmit videos and photographs of their automobile following the MPI by using texting to communicate with them.
It is essential to follow up more in-depth status updates with a phone call, even though it is possible to send many status updates via text message. Call the client as soon as the images and videos have been delivered to the client and the MPI has been finished. By doing so, you are able to guide them through the items that are indicated for repair, ensuring that they are familiar with and have a good understanding of what it is that you are offering. In that case, it is likely that they will refuse those requests because of their lack of expertise.
When a customer comes in and hands over their vehicle, they are investing not only their time but also a sizeable amount of money in the process of having a problem resolved. It is up to you to ensure that they have a sense of being appreciated. Following the transmission of any substantial text update, an instant phone call is required to be placed. Pick up the phone and show your customer that you regard them as an individual in order to encourage them to return to your dealership and ask for you specifically with their next high-value ROs.
There are many successful strategies available to improve client retention and follow-up, and mastering status updates is only one of them. Conduct trials of your Service procedures using your loved ones, close friends, and even your own vehicle. Because of this, you will be able to empathize with your customers and gain a clear knowledge of which aspects of the technology and appointment process require improvement. Even if your agents are on their best behavior because they know it is your automobile, it is possible that you will still find faults in the procedure. There is a possibility that critical follow-up calls may be missed by agents, that your AI status updates may be delayed, that you may not be informed when your vehicle is ready, and there are other possibilities as well. If your agents are not providing you with high-quality service, you can be confident that they are not regularly offering consumers with top-tier service either. If this is the case, you should consider replacing them. Develop a procedure that is repeatable so that clients will know what to anticipate, and then test it so that you can identify areas in which it could be improved.
You can make sure that your customers will continue to use your Service Department by perfecting AI-powered status update texts, picking up the phone and having a conversation with them on a personal level, and testing your Service drive to find any flaws that may be affecting the customer experience.