AM Online
  1. Home
  2. Tags

Aftersales

  • Aftersales 27 Mar

    Car dealerships, garages and automotive suppliers are working hard to support the most vulnerable in society and the nation’s key workers, during the Coronavirus lockdown.

  • MoT test station logo
    Aftersales 25 Mar

    ​Cars, motorcycles and vans will all be subject to a temporary six-month MoT exemption in an effort to maintain essential travel during the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

  • Chorley Group logo
    Aftersales 25 Mar

    ​Chorley Group will discount all service and repair work on NHS workers’ cars by 50% as a thank you for the work they are doing to protect the public’s health from the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

  • NFDA director, Sue Robinson
    Aftersales 24 Mar

    The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) has called for a three-month MOT moratorium during the Government-imposed lock-down of non-essential retail businesses.

  • Progress managing director Terence Byrne
    Car Dealer News 18 Mar

    ​Progress Suzuki managing director Terence Byrne has launched free 'clean air' air conditioning services for customers over 70 in a bid to show his business cares during the coronavirus outbreak.

  • Dominic Tribe, director and automotive sector specialist at management consultancy, Vendigital
    Opinion 18 Mar

    With the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic impacting global supply chains, concerns are growing that some automotive OEMs could be forced to switch components or find alternative sources of supply.

  • Mark Hutchins, Fix Auto UK’s head of franchise development
    People News 18 Mar

    Fix Auto UK has appointed Mark Hutchins as the new head of its commercial team.

  • Vauxhall tyres online
    Manufacturer 10 Mar

    Vauxhall dealers are welcoming customers from all car brands to their workshops as the brand launches a new online tyre buying service.

  • James Stuart, Bristol Street Motors
    People News 6 Mar

    James Stuart, an apprentice at Bristol Street Motors Ford Wigan, has been named as 2nd Year Apprentice of the Year by Ford.

  • Supplier News 6 Mar

    Car dealers are reducing the length of courtesy car loans using telematics and AX Innovation’s real-time loan car management system.

  • ASE chairman Mike Jones
    Market Insight 5 Mar

    The key number plate change month of March will be pivotal in car retailers’ efforts to achieve profitability in 2020, according to sector analyst ASE.

  • MoT test station logo
    Aftersales 3 Mar

    Car retailers could better exploit a “concerning” trend which has seen over 11 million motorists driving illegally with a lapsed MOT certificate by highlighting the potential risks and penalties.

  • Parham Saebi, customer service solutions director at Arvato CRM Solutions UK
    Opinion 3 Mar

    Maximising social media as a customer service channel, guest opinion Automotive companies were early adopters of social media, and historically were in pole position for promoting their products through these platforms. Yet research from SocialBakers reveals that they may have been slow to realise their full potential as customer service channels, with just 30% operating a dedicated social media service account. This represents a missed opportunity for the automotive industry. Working alongside other service channels, social media can form a key part of the customer experience mix, as a key tool in supporting the customer journey. In addition to helping to generating loyalty, it also has the potential to boost the bottom line – companies that do leverage their social channels see revenue per contact improve by 6.7 per cent year-on-year through up-selling, cross-selling and overall reduction in customer churn. Managing the customer journey: from awareness to advocacy Through simple steps, social media can be an effective means of nurturing consumers through the key stages of the customer journey, through from awareness, purchase, retention and brand advocacy. Here are five potential scenarios where social media can make a difference: 1. Build awareness Make it easy as possible for customers to find information about your products and brand. In the earliest stages of their journey, proactively sharing features, hints and tips is a simple way of boosting brand awareness. Social is also a space to be creative – sharing varied, multimedia content, such as videos, infographics and images, carries strong visual appeal, and is a simple way of boosting higher engagement by ensuring you stand out to potential customers. Channel-specific strategies can deliver even stronger results. Working with Instagram influencers, for example, provides an opportunity to leverage the power and reach of social media. A high-profile figure sharing a positive experience will achieve broader cut-through and a more diverse audience than the brand’s channels alone. 2. Encourage consideration through a product launch Customers regularly turn to social media to help them make a purchasing decision, checking product reviews and asking questions to brands directly about particular products. Building anticipation through a new offer or launch within a dealership, and offering incentives to engage and learn more, can help strengthen the bond with potential customers. 3. Capitalise on opportunities to up-sell Customers will often share positive experiences or their love for particular brands and models on social media. Engaging with these posts – for example through arranging an appointment with a dealership, or offering a test drive – is an easy way to boost the chances of purchase. 4. Boost retention through effective complaint management The customer journey doesn’t end with purchase – engagement and support after a sale is crucial to maintain loyalty. This is particularly true of complaints, where a negative experience risks permanent damage to a customer relationship. Speed is of the essence here – customers expect any query made via social media to be answered within 30 minutes, but SocialBakers research show the average for the automotive industry is 12 hours for Twitter, and 48 hours for Facebook. 5. Drive proactive engagement to build a community of advocates Social networks are a community – and this is an opportunity that automotive brands should capitalise on. Through sharing interesting stories and engaging with fans, it’s possible to build a network of advocates to amplify positive messaging. Maximising impact through at 360-degree view Social media is most effective when used as part of a suite of customer service tools, and plays a key role in forming a ‘360-degree view of the customer’. This enables dealerships to provide the highest quality customer experience through bespoke, personalised communications, developed through capturing data from across every customer touchpoint across every channel and interaction. Hosting social media channels as part of a centralised customer services platform, underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI), allows brands and dealerships to build a holistic profile of customers with details from buying history to vehicle preferences, and even details such as family size. AI can then be used to generate ‘next best actions’, recommendations aligned to objectives on how best to serve customers. This in turn helps to inform social media interactions, allowing them to proactively tailor the customer journey through positive and productive dialogue, and make it simple for buyers to switch from one channel to another with no drop in service quality. The automotive industry is continuously challenged to demonstrate added value in order to boost sales. Effective use of social media channels is a simple means of enhancing the customer experience through consistent, personalised customer service, nurturing the purchasing journey by boosting loyalty, and building relationships that endure for the long-term. Our approach to social media customer service and the key steps for ensuring success are detailed in our recent whitepaper, along with an in-depth case study of the work we have delivered for a French multinational automobile manufacturer. Author: Parham Saebi, customer service solutions director at Arvato CRM Solutions UK

  • Car Dealer News 27 Feb

    ​Ford retailers whose new car sales businesses have been put at risk by the manufacturer’s plan to close almost half of its 400 UK dealerships by 2025 are demanding changes to their aftersales contracts.

  • BMW UK chief executive Graeme Grieve (left) presents the Retailer of the Year award to Nigel Marsh, head of business at Sytner Sheffield, with event host Claudia Winkleman
    Car Dealer News 27 Feb

    Sytner Group’s Sheffield BMW franchise claimed the German premium car brand’s UK Retailer of the Year title at its prestigious 2020 awards ceremony.

  • Stoneacre logo
    Car Dealer News 26 Feb

    ​Stoneacre Motor Group has revealed detail of a 24.9% turnover increase in annual turnover and a 31.2% increase in pre-tax profits in annual financial results to April 31, 2019.

  • Park’s Motor Group master technician Alan Williamson (right) secured third place in Mitsubishi Motors' European Technician of the Year contest
    People News 26 Feb

    Park’s Motor Group master technician Alan Williamson will contest Mitsubishi Motors' Global Technician of the Year title in Tokyo after securing a podium finish in the European stage of the competition.

  • Jeremy Evans, managing director at Marketing Delivery
    Supplier News 17 Feb

    ​Car retailers are missing out on the chance to “turbocharge” their aftersales operations due to poor customer data, according to Marketing Delivery.

  • ASE chairman Mike Jones
    Market Insight 11 Feb

    Car dealers achieved their lowest return-on-sales (RoS) figure since 2011 in 2019 after rounding off a “tough” year with a £1,700 loss in its final month, according to ASE.

  • Paul Stacy, automotive director, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
    Opinion 7 Feb

    The internet has changed the way we act as consumers with digitally delivered convenience becoming a game-changer in how we expect products and services to be supplied.