Service departments are the lifeblood of any dealership. They are where revenue is made. But they can also be a source of weakness. Here are five techniques dealers can use to help increase revenue and increase customer satisfaction in your service department.
- Offer pick-up and drop-off service. This can be costly, but it works very well in many dealerships. It takes the customer’s objections and excuses off the table. It allows your dealership more opportunities to service their vehicle. It also builds service loyalty which a lot of dealerships struggle with, in addition to improving the customer’s experience.
- Call perceived to be lost service drive customers. So many dealerships have never called their previously sold customers and asked them to come to their service department. Countless more, give up trying after six months. A simple call to invite them into your service drive can make a world of difference. It’s essential to do this and update your customer records. If you have a pickup and drop-off service, this is a no-brainer. You would be surprised by how many of these customers will come back to your service drive just because you called to follow up and are willing to pick up and drop off their vehicle.
- Call and text Declined Service Customers. This is a huge missed opportunity in most service drives. If you aren’t calling and texting your Declined Service customers, your dealership is part of the 16 million dollars lost to straying customers who leave and get their service done elsewhere. That’s a huge number! We have found in most cases that customers who leave the dealership after declining their service leave for one of three reasons. First, they were not prepared for the sticker shock of getting the work done. Second, the customers didn’t know that most service departments have options to finance their repairs. Third, they want to shop around and see if they can get a better deal. In all of these cases, these things can be overcome by follow-up communication with the customer. CrossRoads Marketing’s average dealer sees an average RO of over $400 from these customers and an ROI of over 300% by following up with the Declined Service Customers.
- Call SMS no reply appointment reminders. A lot of service departments send text reminders for service. If you are not, you really should. However few dealers do not follow up after the unconfirmed text reminder. Many car dealers don’t follow up with these customers at all. What happens to the no replies or the canceled service appointments via text. In most cases, you never know. Some call back to reschedule. Most get their service done by a local repair shop closer to home or work. It’s critical to have your in-house BDC or your outsourced BDC call and reschedule these appointments. It makes a big difference in retaining your service drive customers, which can be the difference between increasing revenue or losing revenue in your dealership’s service drive.
- Send service offers via SMS text. Most dealerships send out service offers in an email blast or newsletter. That’s fine, but most people never see those service offers. There are countless reasons why customers don’t see your emails: they don’t open the email, you have an old email address, it goes into spam, and the list goes on. But with an opted-in SMS text, the chances of your message and offer being seen by the customer is 98%. This means that 98% of the people you text will see the offer. Implementing a solid SMS texting program in your service drive can exponentially increase revenue.
There are many other ways to increase sales for your service drive. Here is a list of our top five favorites that our BDC provides. If you need help implementing a BDC follow-up system in your store, give CrossRoads Marketing a call.
- Recall notifications
- Appointment confirmation
- Lost service customer calls
- First service appointment calls
- CSI Calls
We do all of this and so much more! Each service solution is made specifically for each dealership because no two dealers are the same. If you’re ready to take your service department to the next level, contact us today at 833-849-8135 EXT. 1
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