Advertisement feature from Keyloop
We know that consumers have a multitude of possibilities when it comes to buying their next vehicle; great car brands to choose from, multiple options to fund their purchase and a host of choices when it comes to aftercare.
When customers trust the people they are dealing with, they are more likely to invest. Not just in their new vehicle, but in the whole relationship, which is going to last a few years – hopefully longer. From a dealer point of view, that means identifying every touchpoint across the ownership lifecycle and delivering the best experience possible at each one. When customers have faith that you’ll look after them, they are likely to return again and again.
Traditionally retailers have strived to set their aftersales absorption levels at 100% (though often between 70%-100%). However, most recent figures (from REALTime Communications, reported in AM May 2023) show a significant drop in these levels to 55.5%. This, combined with the increased uptake in EVs which have far fewer parts to service, is a clarion call for dealerships to double down on aftersales and ensure that the exceptional experiences delivered presales are even better post.
There is a magic word we use at Keyloop when we talk about our Experience-First blueprint: seamless. A customer should feel at the centre of their aftersales experience and their journey should be effortless and joined-up. Which is why we’ve taken a deep dive across all the many aftersales touchpoints, ensuring they are transformed to foster relationships and build longer term consumer loyalty.
The Experience-First approach works across the aftersales function. Today our platform, with its active data-core, enables a 360° view of the consumer. This allows us to serve personalised communications which flow across channels, whichever and whenever a consumer chooses to use them. This starts from the moment they make their booking, which can now be completely automated, to personalised prompt messages, video updates during a service, paperless payments and documentation and remote collection.
Technology and digitalisation enable pretty much whatever a consumer wants. And the data shows it is what they want. 69% of customers are more likely to book with a company that has an online booking system (BookingLine); 53% of consumers consider a better service experience to be more influential than the purchase experience (McKinsey) and 60% of customers prefer digital documentation (Frost & Sullivan). And that is just the tip of the statistical iceberg. The trick is to ensure that consumers feel as looked after when they interact entirely digitally or entirely face-to-face or, as is most often the case, a blend of the two.
In today’s highly competitive world, where experience drives loyalty as much as price, retailers must adapt their CX to the desires of the modern consumer. No-touch can be as exceptional as high-touch, and as consistently delivered. Retailers who master this will stand apart from the pack.
To talk to Keyloop about your aftersales function, please contact us at responses@communication.keyloop.com.
To find out more about our Experience-First platform, read our Revolutionising Automotive Retail Through Technology Whitepaper.
By Graham Stokes, Vice President Sales UKI & APAC, Keyloop