You know how valuable repeat customers are for your fixed ops success, but do you understand the reasons why your service customers continue to choose your store over an independent auto repair shop? According to our most recent consumer survey, the factors at play in service customer retention offer your dealership a unique advantage over your competition. Read on to find out how to market the attributes that appeal most to customers and capture more business for your service department.
Why Service Customers Choose Dealers Over Auto Repair Shops
Just as many sales customers stated as their reasoning for returning to their dealership for vehicle service after purchase, the expertise of the dealership is the biggest benefit to service customers as well. More than half of surveyed consumers chose to complete maintenance service at a dealership because they trust only factory-trained technicians with their vehicle care. The second and third top reasons revealed that service customers value the amenities that a dealership offers over those at local repair shops, as well as the impactful positive referrals from others.
While pricing is a deciding factor for many potential customers, it’s clear that OEM knowledge, top-tier amenities, and a portfolio of positive referrals and reviews make a difference when choosing a vehicle service center to visit.
Marketing the Premium Advantages of Dealership Service
1. Promote Your Trained Techs and Genuine Parts
Some of your biggest service customer retention roadblocks involve costs and confidence—many feel they can receive comparable service elsewhere at a more affordable price, or that the dealer will pressure them into services they don’t need. That’s why it’s crucial that your store’s service marketing materials focus on educating customers about why your factory-trained technicians, specialized equipment, and genuine parts make a difference in their vehicle service. This also helps to establish trust in your team, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty (while creating future brand promoters, too).
2. Amp Up Your Amenities
No one wants to wait for their car service in a dingy seating area with a scarce drink machine, unsure about the progress of their service appointment. With the right amenities and digital technology, you can outshine repair shops and competing dealerships while elevating your customer experience. Some of the ways to create a memorable service appointment include:
- Always-available online service appointment scheduling and management
- Text message updates for customers to view their vehicle’s service progress
- Vehicle pickup and delivery options for busy professionals, parents, and others
- Seasonal maintenance service discounts, rewards programs, and exclusive events
3. Encourage Customers to Leave a Review
In addition to establishing a positive brand reputation that attracts prospective service customers, online reviews and referrals offer your dealership several benefits. Customer feedback, whether positive, neutral, or negative, provides insights into your current customer experience that you can use to adjust and improve your fixed ops processes. Responding to this feedback also demonstrates that you care about your customers, helping build trusting and transparent customer relationships.
As you gain reviews and ratings, this will help increase your visibility in online search results because of how heavily Google considers a business’s review rating and volume when ranking local search results. With more positive reviews and ratings, your dealership’s ranking will improve—along with your chances of potential customers finding you online.
Fuel Your Fixed Ops Success with the Proper Support
We know what automotive dealerships need to drive revenue while keeping vendor costs low. Our comprehensive retention marketing solution, Affinitiv Essentials, helps you do just that: send post-appointment follow-up, customer feedback surveys, “dare to compare” campaigns, and holiday service specials via automated and on-demand multi-channel communications to drive repeat service visits. Our expert team is available to assist you with customized campaigns, recommended lists, dynamic coupons, and more.
Contact us today for your live demo or to get started on your marketing plan.
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