How to Create a Unique Experience for Your Automotive Customers

As vehicle inventory shortages continue to linger and consumer buying behaviors shift, it’s more important than ever for dealers to focus on delivering a positive customer experience. Vehicle selection and pricing played major roles in past purchasing decisions, but as the cost of new and used vehicles is reaching record highs, automotive customers increasingly value a positive dealership experience. 

Dealers must find ways to build trust with customers and build value. While some things, like high prices and inventory, are out of a dealership’s control, the customer experience is something that can set a business apart from its competitors. Here are some of the best ways your dealership can create a unique experience for its customers that will also improve overall business results. 

1. Commit to Customer Engagement

Each of your dealership’s departments should develop a mindset that customer engagement comes first. Whether an employee deals with a customer directly or not, their actions impact the customer experience regardless. Customer engagement can be improved through better marketing, communication, service, and more.

2. Focus on Transparency

Buying a car is a major investment, and customers don’t want to feel as if dealerships are taking advantage of them. You can build trust with your customers and deliver a winning experience by being as transparent as possible throughout their shopping experience. Most customers walk onto a sales lot with a ton of knowledge about vehicle prices, so these don’t need to be a secret. 

3. Create Efficiencies

Every step of the shopping and buying process should be as simple as possible for your customers. If your website is challenging to navigate, your loan application is 20 pages long, or your negotiation process takes hours, this will be a turn-off for many buyers. 

4. Employ Knowledgeable Staff

Auto dealership customers will understandably have a lot of questions and concerns. It’s vital that your dealership employ sales and support personnel who are knowledgeable about the products and processes and commit to customer service. 

5. Focus on Individual Customer Needs

Customers like to feel as if they are special, and they are! A car dealership needs to customize its sales approach so that it caters to each person as an individual. This helps build trust and rapport and puts your business in the best position to form a lasting relationship with a customer.

6. Collect and Take Feedback Seriously

Your dealership needs to get real about collecting and taking customer feedback seriously, not just giving it lip service. Customer surveys should be sent out immediately after an interaction, and your business can also ask for online reviews. However, it’s vital that your business read every review and take immediate action. This might involve thanking the customer for their feedback and quickly addressing any areas that need improvement. 

7. Leverage Technology Solutions

The internet is one of the best tools you can use to improve your customer experience. You can offer customers online resources to get answers to questions, learn more about the vehicles and the dealership, and make connections. This can be accomplished using  your website, social media pages, app, and other online platforms. 

8. Add Value Throughout the Process

Every customer that visits your dealership wants to get the most value for their money. Beyond giving them a good deal on the car, what else can you provide that adds value? Some dealerships offer free oil changes for the first year or free car washes and detailing. 

Another thing that adds value is offering various protection products that provide peace of mind and safeguard against unexpected financial obligations. Examples of value-added protection products include guaranteed auto protection (GAP), vehicle service contracts and warranties, and vehicle maintenance plans. 

9. Use Shopper Insights

Personal shopper insights are vital to creating an individualized experience. Without collecting and using data, your customers will all be treated the same and be fed generic information, which won’t lead to more sales. When you analyze the online activity of your vehicle shoppers, you get a more complete view of each shopper and their individual wants and needs. 

10. Show Your Appreciation

You need to go out of your way to show customers that you truly value their business. From emailing special discounts to hosting on-site thank-you events, there are many different ways you can thank your customers and maintain a connection with them. When it comes time to purchase another vehicle or make a recommendation to a friend, they’ll think of you first. 

While your dealership’s bottom line might be measured in its number of closed sales, what goes into making your business a success is a series of finer points. You’ll close more sales and get more repeat business if customers believe they are getting the most value for their money and are treated as individuals. When you focus on delivering a positive and unique customer experience, your results will speak for themselves. 

Your dealership can deliver peace of mind to customers and improve its overall results by offering valuable service and limited warranty programs to customers. The cost of these programs can be financed, making them easily affordable. When a covered service is required, the customer can access the program’s benefits instead of using their savings. 

Titan Warranty Administration specializes in creating and administering customized “Why Buy Here” limited warranty and full spectrum service contract programs for vehicles. We serve the franchised auto dealer, independent auto dealer, and RV dealer markets, with partners nationwide. 

Titan’s products are completely flexible and customizable, unlike other industry products. Please call (833) 317-3720 or email hello@titanwarrantyadministration.com to learn more about how these options can create a unique and valuable service for your automotive customers.