Retention Through Repair

When it comes to distinguishing your dealership in today's saturated market, post-purchase services can make all the difference. 🛠️🧰⚙️

DriveSure reports four major opportunities to maximize service retention:

🍒 AMENITIES 🍒

• There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to amenities. Offering a wide range of services is the best way to satisfy a broader customer base.
• Free coffee and wifi isn’t going to cut it anymore. Customers increasingly value services like free replacement for worn-out tires and robust pre-paid maintenance packages.
• Younger customers, in particular, show a rising preference for online booking and extended hours.

🫶 LOYALTY 🫶

• An "extremely loyal" customer may be willing to pay more, but they won't stick around for a crummy experience.
• Over 56% of all consumers say they would bounce after just one bad encounter.
• It’s all about maintaining excellent service quality. And, maybe throwing in a little dash of surprise (free car wash, anyone?).
• Ensure a consistent range of appointment availability. Even die-hard fans will leave if they can't get in.

🗣️ AWARENESS 👀

• A staggering 29% of consumers don’t know if their dealership sells tires.
• Educating customers on available tire services is important, but it also needs to be attractive enough to pull them away from specialized tire shops. Informing customers about the importance of quality tires and why buying from a trusted dealer (ahem, you) matters.
• Customers often overlook dealerships for other common services like battery replacement, tire rotation, or body work. Take advantage of the initial service appointment to educate customers about the full range of services offered, especially the ones they might not associate with a dealership.

📱 COMMUNICATION 📱

• As with most things in life, effective communication is clutch.
• Providing regular, helpful updates about the service process, new promotions, or educational content can turn a one-time customer into a regular.
• While emails and phone calls are still valid forms of communication, the shift toward texting — especially among the 55 and under crowd — is significant. Adapting to this channel can allow dealerships to meet customers where they're most comfortable.