An automotive dealership feels like a big business, looks like a big business, and gross sales prove that it is a big business. But the way it is run, the way systems and processes are set in place, these processes can be changed without the approvals of many layers like a big business. This makes the auto business in the context of this article, a small business.
Let’s look at small businesses; when you shop, go out to dinner, or whatever it is that you do. When you do go to a small business it should feel like a more personalized, comfortable, and individual experience. Therefore, if they are good, they will have great loyalty and retention rates. As a small business, if they find they need an adjustment in their processes they can make them without too much time, effort, and trouble.
The issues we have in improving our processes is that about 90% of all customers that had a poor experience will not let you know about it right away and the 10% that do most managers say, “well I’ll talk with that employee to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Well, business as usual, nothing really changed. The next piece of the puzzle is that the 90% that didn’t tell you will let the details of that visit fly on the OEM’s survey and depending on the size of your dealership it may take a month or two to recover from that one bad survey.
If you are not proactive you will probably find out when it is too late.
Here are some statistics…
· 6% of customers answer emails asking them if they had a good experience. Many emails end up in the customer’s SPAM folder and the customer never knew that you cared enough to ask.
· 6% of customers pick up a phone call from a customer experience survey call. In 1997, that number was 36%, but times have changed and so must our processes. Less than half of customers listen to messages from those numbers they do not recognize.
· SMS (text message)
Average text is opened in 3 minutes by 97% of customers.
The average quick survey is answered in 5 minutes.
The response rate to a quick 1-10 survey is 73%.
Percent that gives positive or negative feedback in verbatim is 53%
78% of customers say that they would like to communicate to a business by text because most of the time when you call a business to complain you need to reach a specific person and many times you have to hold or they are not available. Texting is a quick and convenient way to convey an issue!
When texting the customer, management has an accurate account of the conversation and not someone's recollection of the conversation or customer experience.
At AutoCSI, we have been improving the customer experience for the auto industry for over 25 years. Our SMS product is a proven method to get your customer's comments quickly so that act upon them and let that customer know you care. This will improve long-term retention and profits.
We all know that budgets are tight and in today’s business, every dollar in the expense column must provide an income stream. Our quick SMS text survey will do just that by hitting your OEM’s marks as well as the all-important long-term retention of your customer base.
For as little as $199 per month, we can move the needle and boost your net.
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