Over the past few years, customers in the automotive industry have made it obvious that they want a better dealership experience when it comes to their vehicles. They want a process that is quick, convenient, and simple.

It is happening due to the rise of digital experiences. Auto dealership owners and management must pay close attention to customer input and make adjustments to the dealership experience if they want to succeed in the competition.

Auto dealers need to reconsider the purchasing process and adapt to what modern customers demand from seamless digital interactions. And as customers compare brands, the customer experience is becoming a more important consideration for auto dealerships.

According to reports, “54% of customers would buy from a dealership that offers their preferred experience, even if it didn’t have the lowest price”.

Three creative ideas you can follow to improve the auto dealership customer experience

1. Create a Quick Lane in the Service Department

The number of times customers wait for routine maintenance tasks like oil, lubricant, and filter changes is one of the top concerns that auto dealerships frequently hear.

Customers frequently find themselves waiting well over an hour, and sometimes even longer, for an appointment that was supposed to last about a half-hour.

This has prompted many owners to create a quick lane in their service department for routine maintenance tasks that shouldn’t take longer than 20 or 30 minutes in order to enhance the auto dealership experience.

Vehicles that enter this lane should get the attention of specific professionals, and if the appointment takes longer than anticipated, the next oil change should be free.

These kinds of assurances are well-liked by customers and can improve the auto dealership experience because it provides them a clear idea of how much time they can expect to spend at the dealership as well as holding the dealership responsible for honoring their promises.

2. Connect with customers while they are at home

Customers are most likely to conduct their research on the internet before visiting a dealership. Additionally, they expect to have access to all available information regarding the vehicle they intend to buy.

Once they decide which dealership to visit, it is equally important to have a robust and engaging online presence.

Customers want to book appointments online, view papers and expect to get answers to their questions right away. And if you fall short of their expectations, it’s highly possible that your customers will find another dealership that can fulfill these expectations.

Connecting with online customers in order to provide more excellent auto dealership experiences is no longer a choice, but rather a must for survival in the industry.

3. Take action on customer feedback

Developing the practice of collecting customer feedback after each sale and service is the best way to improve the auto dealership customer experience. You can go a long way just by this practice.

Customers that have a good experience with you are more likely to leave a positive review, which is beneficial for the brand advocacy and loyalty.

Regarding unhappy customers, you can try to make things right and by contacting them or encouraging them to take action to fix the issue.

By listening to your customers and acting on their feedback, you can improve the auto dealership experience that can put yourself ahead of the competition. You can collect feedback at different stages throughout their journey. You can take their feedback about the quality of service provided, help provided by the staff, overall environment of the dealership and many other instances. The feedback gathered can help the dealership to identify areas which need the improvement and areas which are doing well.

If you are looking to measure and optimize auto dealership experiences to improve your customer experience, then Dropthought can certainly help!

Dropthought is a user-friendly, omnichannel, and real-time customer experience management platform. We empower companies in different verticals to create delightful experiences for customers across their journey. Get detailed analysis and insights from data to exactly know what your customers think and what actions you need to take to delight them.

With a dedicated customer success team, we would ensure that you are optimizing your Customer Experience programs and strategies to create great experiences!

Learn more by simply clicking here.