“Extrapolate data from (the DMS) to have a more meaningful relationship with your customers,” said Packham.

This is just as valuable with existing customers, who could rightly feel unloved if the staff on the showroom floor aren’t aware they’ve been buying cars from the same business for the past decade.

Showroom hosts or Apple-style ‘product geniuses’ to remove the pressure people feel when they walk into a showroom are also growing trends. Tablet computers displaying short, explanatory videos are also becoming more common.

Smith said good dealership technology can help build advocacy, but shouldn’t be relied upon.

“Digital is just one more weapon at your disposal to create positive feelings. Make sure you’re getting the basics right – quality of product, service and follow-up, consistency of communication and a willingness to listen to problems and get them resolved.”

Andrew Ballard, strategy director at data company Experian Automotive said there was potential for building trust by listening to customers more effectively.

“There’s still an ‘I’ve got the car, you want the car, let’s dance around,’ assumption with many dealers.” He said talking to customers about where they were getting finance from, or what they were going to do with their current car, could make them feel more engaged with the process and turn them into advocates.

 

How car finance can help build customer trust

When it comes to sealing the deal, customers have certain expectations, believes Paul Brotherton, head of business strategy, improvement and support at Black Horse Finance.

“They’re looking for transparency, professionalism, control, competitiveness and choice. That way they will have a great experience and become an advocate.”

He said rapid access to finance was important in keeping the customer engaged, and the public was responding to the increasing trend for ‘credit indicator’ tools on dealer websites.

“In the showroom when applying for finance, speed and efficiency are key, because people are at the end of the journey and want to conclude things quickly. More and more dealers are looking to do ‘deal and drive’ on the same day because that’s what consumers want.”

When a customer has spent time researching cars and making their choice, to then be thwarted by an inability to get affordable point-of-sale finance will lead to frustration.

At sub-prime and near-prime lender Moneyway, managing director John Simpson said it is important dealers can be equipped with systems from the likes of iVendi and Codeweavers that provide an accurate prediction of where a customer’s finance proposal is most likely to be accepted.

“It’s quite a shameful experience for a consumer to be proposed to a finance company and be declined and have to go to another one,” he said.

“If a credit proposal is declined, it can have a very significant damaging effect on the relationship between a dealer and a consumer. If a customer is declined you may never see that customer again, but if you’re using technology to predict where the best credit outcome for that customer is from a panel of lenders that’s a good customer experience.”

There is one point overriding every step on the pathway to advocacy. A customer is only going to talk about a business in a positive way if they’ve had a positive experience.