By Tim James, Chief Operating Officer, Flick Fusion
Some dealers miss opportunities to gain acceptance of service recommendations or upsells as a result of consumers not fully understanding why the recommendations are necessary. A simple solution is to use video to better communicate with customers, which will help drive service revenue and customer retention.
Many service advisors share the “canned” description. However, if the customer is not right in front of you it can be hard for them to understand what you are explaining about and so they decline the recommendations.
With COVID-19, video communication has significantly increased as a way to engage customers while maintaining distance. Think about how norms have changed. Many employees are still working at home using video platforms like Zoom to communicate with colleagues. And, in states where the only way to sell a car is to do so remotely, video is a great tool to help build that relationship and sell the car.
Video has become a necessary item in any dealership’s arsenal for both sales and service.
Using Video to Show the Importance of Service Recommendations
When it comes to service recommendations, video can help you to easily show the customer the issue and clearly describe it to them. With either recorded or live video to explain recommendations, the customer can see what the problem is and better understand why it needs to be repaired. Also, they will feel more confident about accepting those repairs.
Recommended service acceptance rates can increase by as much as three times from an average of 20% to 40% and sometimes even as high as 60%.
“Recommended service acceptance rates can increase by as much as three times from an average of 20% to 40% and sometimes even as high as 60%.”
In addition to the uptick in service recommendation acceptance rates, you will also see increased customer loyalty, and improved CSI scores. Enhanced communication will help to prevent your customers from shopping the competition and ending up at an independent shop.
Nobody knows how long we, as a nation, will be homebound/social distancing, but communicating with your customers via video can help you to weather this storm and boost profitability—during and after the pandemic.
About the Author
Tim James Chief Operating Officer for Flick Fusion, is a dynamic online marketing strategist with more than 20 years of visionary leadership. Tim is experienced in implementing, managing, and improving online and interactive marketing strategies across multiple channels.
