Dealership Customer Service in a Post-Covid World

admin | Customer Service | automotive bdc, customer service

As we enter the post-Covid world, we must consider the numerous business-related changes from the Covid era that have a good chance of sticking around. In addition to more remote and digital work, there are a few key changes in the automotive industry that we anticipate will have a substantial impact on how dealerships operate and interact with customers.

In this article, we will discuss two of the most important changes to how dealerships will have to interact with customers in the post-Covid era. We will then discuss how you can receive help with your customer service by partnering with a third-party BDC.

More Pre-Sales and Pre-Service Interaction

During Covid, customers learned how to get most of the information they need about buying or servicing a vehicle either online or over the phone. And after interacting with dealerships in this manner for more than a year and enjoying the convenience of rarely (if ever) having to step foot into the dealership, we can expect customers to continue to want to virtually interact with your business whenever possible.

This means that as a dealership, you must prioritize the virtual and over-the-phone customer experience far more than you did before Covid. This means investing more time and money in website design, virtual agent training, and other phone and Internet-related services. It also means that being able to quickly answer more calls as they come in is more important than ever.

Manage Shorter Customer Attention Spans

Because Covid drove your customers’ lives online, your customers are now exposed to thousands more messages each day. After all, the more one lives online, the more one sees and hears messages on social media and the Web in general.

This increase in message exposure is usually correlated with a decrease in patience, as the human brain can only spend so long absorbing a message when it is exposed to thousands more each day. Unfortunately, this also means that as a dealership, you have less time and space to capture the attention of your customers.

Partner with a Third-Party BDC to Adjust to a Post-Covid World

While as a dealership, you must adjust to these changes in ways that work for you, we recommend partnering with a third-party automotive BDC to give your customers the experience they seek. In fact, partnering with an automotive BDC will help improve pre-sales and pre-service interactions with customers, while also helping to create messaging and marketing campaigns adjusted to capture your customers’ shorter attention spans. Here’s how:

• Answering More Calls: Third-party BDCs are set up to handle an extraordinary call volume and answer nearly all incoming calls for dealerships as soon as the phone rings. Trained agents then help set up appointments, answer customers’ questions, and ensure they get everything they need. Answering the phone on time and in a professional manner leads to a great customer experience and helps improve the pre-sales and pre-service customer experience. It also ensures customers get what they need right away, instead of having to wait on hold or be denied the opportunity to speak with someone (remember the short attention spans discussed earlier).

• Creating Strategic Marketing Campaigns: Third-party BDCs specialize in creating targeted marketing campaigns that immediately grab the attention of customers. These campaigns are crucial in a post-Covid world that involves less in-person interaction and more message exposure.

• Mastering Customer Interaction: Third-party BDCs have the ability to communicate with all customers in a timely and effective manner. They use email, text, messaging, phone, and other methods of communication to reach customers in ways that work for them. Agents are then trained to communicate effectively and drive customers to your dealership.

Enhance Your Dealership’s Customer Service by Partnering with Customer Traac

If you would like to improve your dealership’s customer service by outsourcing your BDC, or if you would like to speak with an expert in the field to learn more, please reach out to us to see how we can help. At Customer Traac, we work with you to understand your specific goals and needs, so we can provide a personalized service that optimizes your dealership’s marketing and communication efforts. We offer a full range of automotive marketing services, including a full-charge contact center, appointment scheduling, outbound calling campaigns, and a full-service automotive BDC. Our agents go through extensive training to make sure they provide the best customer service and help your business grow.

We partner with dealerships across the United States. Please call us at 763-553-2989 or fill out our contact form to learn more.