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Growing a hardware company is difficult, especially in this age of social media and internet marketing. To start with, there are few resources on how to grow an automobile company with customer experience (CX).  For years vehicle manufacturers have concentrated on improving the quality and performance of motor cars, to the degree where these components have become a prerequisite and in no way a competitive difference. The center of focus was always “selling a car”, but this may not be the case for long. In this age where Uber and Bolt are becoming commonplace, buying a new car is no longer a priority. Hence, automobile dealership companies must work the extra mile to ensure that their business is not badly affected. In this article, I offer solutions on how automobile dealerships can grow using CX.
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  • The Digital Experience

Nowadays, when consumers consider buying a new vehicle, a great number of them conduct most of their research online and have almost entirely made their purchase decision based on these facts before even entering a dealership. Since this is the case, automobile dealerships must up their game by creating personalized websites. The online experience should be an exciting, well informative, tell-all one. According to a study by Voice of the Customer, online queries should be followed up by a feedback survey, so that processes and user experience can be refined. The study showed that 80 percent of customers will not buy when the online experience is poor.

  • Showroom Experience Is Key

Your showroom goes a long way in determining if a prospective customer might become a paying customer. Your showroom is the space where customers can touch and feel the vehicles. Chances are that they might not buy it because they do not like the brand, but the dealership’s treatment could be responsible. Therefore, the showroom is not just where cars are displayed, but where a great deal of customer service plays out. Modern customers want a low-pressure, personalized omnichannel experience that puts them in control of the process. They receive convenient, personal services from other industries like retail, banking, and insurance; and they bring those expectations to the showroom. 

  • Talking To Salespeople

Rather than taking the hard sell approach, salespersons should focus on creating the brand experience for the consumer whilst in the dealership. Naturally, clients often distrust salesmen because they feel that they are more focused on making sales rather than their interests. Therefore dealership salespeople must focus on creating a brand experience and show that they are truly interested in their clients and they want the best for them.
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Training sales employees to connect with consumers in an empathetic and professional expression that emphasizes the customer experience will go a long way in enhancing the all-around customer journey and is also inclined to boost sales in the long run.

  • The Test Drive

Creating a wonderful test driving experience where the clients feel like the car is already his is another opportunity for dealerships to create an amazing customer experience. How can dealerships do this? For example, you can ask your client to hop in so that you can drive him to buy his favorite beverage while you play his favorite music song. This will allow the client to enjoy firsthand what his potential automobile feels and sounds.

  • Negotiation And Purchase

Making customers comfortable as they would when buying other products is very important to give a splendid customer experience that can lead to repeat sales or referrals. However, many dealerships often make buying a car much of a big deal, especially with the paperwork. Often, many car dealerships make negotiations take too much time. Therefore, making customers as comfortable as possible is very important. Encouraging customers to complete paperwork online in advance is one solution, but the responsibility to create a seamless sale shouldn’t be on them. 

  • Vehicle Delivery

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How you deliver vehicles to buyers matters a lot. For the buyer, it is like giving birth to a new baby or getting married, hence being creative in your delivery has a way of leaving a lasting impression in minds of clients. Imagine buying a new car, and it is decorated with ribbons and balloons. Or the car is super-neat, and you are given alongside your new car a 5kg gallon of engine oil. I bet you would smile. Or maybe, the dealership gives you a bottle of the car wash as a “thank you” hamper. Furthermore, during the period of the initial honeymoon phase, go on leveraging omnichannel ways of welcoming the customer to the new car, the dealer, and the brand; to get the customer engaged and adopt after-sales services, to drive lifetime value.

  • Service And The Ongoing Relationship

Even after a good closure, automobile dealers must develop a post-sale relationship with customers. Dealerships must develop an ongoing commitment to a long-term relationship that is customer-centric. Developing various channels for sustainable dealership-client relationships must be done creatively. Linking clients with several social media platforms where they enjoy automobile-related content is very crucial as you can have the opportunity of taking clients through your story and informing them about the latest discounts, and new releases. Personalization is a tremendous driver of customer experience (and indeed the ability to upsell). Once dealerships start storing, analyzing, and using customer data differently, not only will they gain a competitive advantage, but they will delight customers at every stage of the journey. Featured Image Source: Business Insider
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This article was first published on 27th April 2022

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

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