KPIs aren’t the only representation of your dealership’s performance—your customers are a crucial source of insight as well. Collecting and analyzing customer feedback are necessary to identify strengths and weaknesses, adjust sales or service processes, and enhance the customer experience while growing your profitability.

Knowing how and where to gather this information may appear difficult as your customers leverage multiple communication channels with varying levels of interest in your customer satisfaction surveys or online review requests. Asking your customers the right questions via the best channels can help you gain more valuable customer feedback, increase customer loyalty, and finetune your strategies for better business.

How Customer Feedback Transforms Interactions into Insights

Provide a Customer Experience They’ll Talk About

Customers rarely complete a survey or post a review for a “meh” experience. Be sure your staff are trained to provide every customer—whether they’re purchasing a new vehicle or picking up parts—with an unforgettable shopping experience. Ensure your designated greeters are equipped with mobile tools to quickly check in customers or pull up pertinent details, and take time to engage in genuine conversations with customers. These simple steps can help boost your customer satisfaction index while driving repeat visits.

Inspire Actionable Customer Feedback with These Tactics

1. Make It Easy and Convenient

• Post-Interaction Surveys: Send out short, targeted surveys via email or text message right after a key interaction, like a purchase, service appointment, or test-drive. Keep it mobile-friendly for easy completion on-the-go.
• In-Dealership Options: Offer quick surveys on tablets at service desks or kiosks on the showroom floor. These can be short, multiple-choice questions for fast feedback.
• QR Codes: Display QR codes throughout the dealership, like near the exit or in service waiting areas. Scanning the code can link to a quick survey on their phones.

2. Incentivize Participation

• Offer Small Rewards: Consider a discount on future services or a raffle entry for completed surveys.
• Express Gratitude: Thank customers for their time and feedback, demonstrating that their voice matters.
• Grow Public Recognition: Feature positive testimonials on your website or social media, giving credit to the customer.

3. Go Beyond Surveys

• Encourage Online Reviews: Directly ask satisfied customers to leave a review on Google, your website, or other platforms. Make it easy by providing direct links or using automated email requests.
• Host Focus Groups: Gather a small group of customers for a moderated discussion about their experiences. This allows for in-depth feedback and understanding of underlying issues.
• Generate Social Media Engagement: Monitor brand mentions and respond to both positive and negative feedback on social media platforms.

4. Train Your Staff to Ask

• Empower Employees: Equip salespeople and service personnel with conversation prompts to naturally ask for feedback during interactions.
• Actively Listen: Train staff to actively listen to customer concerns, fostering a culture where feedback is valued and acted upon.
• Follow Up: Train staff to follow up on negative feedback to address issues and demonstrate responsiveness.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Starters

Considering your entire experience from browsing to purchase (or service), what surprised you the most, positively or negatively?

This open-ended question goes beyond basic satisfaction and digs into specific aspects that stood out. It helps identify unexpected strengths or weaknesses in the customer journey.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy was it for you to accomplish your goal today (buying a car, having service completed)? If it wasn’t a 10, what specific step could we have improved to make it easier?

This combines a satisfaction score with a specific action point. It helps your dealership pinpoint areas where streamlining processes can improve customer experience.

Thinking about other dealerships you’ve visited, what made our service or sales process stand out, if anything?

This question encourages comparative feedback. By understanding what sets your store apart from competitors, you can refine your unique selling propositions.

If you could give one piece of advice to help us improve the car buying (or service) experience at our dealership, what would it be?

This open-ended question allows for honest and actionable feedback. It avoids leading questions and encourages customers to share their biggest concerns or desires.

Connect with Your Customers in Valuable Ways

Your customers have firsthand knowledge of your standard of customer service, so gaining their perspective can help you identify potential areas for development that you might have missed. Plus, customer input can present opportunities for improvement. As the judges of what constitutes a satisfactory customer experience to win their continued loyalty, your customers are sources of valuable data that can help increase your success.

Best addressing customer concerns requires the best digital customer service technology, a solution that encourages customer interactions, provides the necessary communication channels, and supplies you with an expert team to handle customer inquiries. With Affinitiv Call Center, our professional agents will help ensure you never miss a call with automatic call routing, customizable call campaigns (including customer satisfaction surveys), and in-depth reporting. Paired with Affinitiv Essentials, you’ll be able to send post-interaction follow-up messages to keep customers engaged.

Contact us today and discover how our leading solutions can help you collect useful automotive customer feedback to enhance experiences and brand loyalty.