Ways to Maintain a Customer-Centric Service Drive

The US automotive dealership market is expected to reach USD 257.3 billion over the next 5 years and is an incredibly competitive industry. Competition is high among dealers to attract new customers, plus it’s hard to keep customers loyal if another dealership can offer better financing or vehicle options. Therefore, providing an excellent customer experience is essential to growing customer loyalty and retention.

The cost of new vehicle ownership is up 30% since 2019, according to S&P Global Mobility. In addition, the average age of vehicles on the road has reached a new record of 12.6 years in 2024.

As the age of vehicles rises, it’s likely that they will need repairs at some point. Start growing customer loyalty by delivering a customer-centric experience in the dealership service drive.

Why Focus on a Customer-Centric Service Drive?

The service drive at a dealership does much more than just fix vehicle issues. It generates new vehicle sales, supports customer loyalty, and is a great source of marketing data. Creating a customer-centric experience in the service drive is key to driving revenue, generating vehicle and F&I sales, and supporting the dealership’s goals.

Every dealership’s service drive is different, but some things should be followed across all of them for success and an improved customer experience.

Use Consistent Communication

Dealerships who communicate with customers on a regular basis have a higher chance of gaining that customer’s loyalty.

Dealership management should foster healthy communication between departments. If they can’t communicate with each other, how can they effectively take care of customers?
Use consistent, personalized messaging when communicating with customers. Customized marketing will have a much higher response rate than non-specific messaging. According to one Forbes article, 72% of consumers say they only engage with personalized messaging.
Update messaging as the vehicle’s lifecycle ages. Use timely communications and messaging about the customer’s vehicle so that your dealership doesn’t seem behind the ball.

Leverage Marketing to Engage Customer

Dealerships should use service drive data to market aftermarket products, service specials, new vehicles, and F&I products to customers while learning about their preferences.

Dealerships should use service drive customer data to understand customer habits and behaviors. Using this to influence marketing will build customer loyalty, because customers will feel that the dealership knows them.
Check for specific offers and sales opportunities that apply to a specific customer based on their sales and service data.
Use service data to see which customers have expired warranties and market VSC’s from your dealership to those customers. They will appreciate having protection the next time a large repair is needed.

Be Honest with Customers

In any business where customer loyalty is important, it’s difficult to give a customer bad news or tell them something they don’t want to hear.

If you must tell a customer about a problem with their vehicle, be prepared to offer a solution. Let customers know about their options, financing choices, and how your dealership is prepared to help them, so they are a long-term customer.
Be realistic about timelines with customers. If it takes time for a part to come in or for a repair to be completed, be upfront. It’s better to under promise and over deliver than the opposite.
Make it easy for customers to get updates about the services being performed. Whether it’s by text, email, or an app, transparency will make customers happy.

Work to Create Customer Loyalty

Creating customer loyalty doesn’t happen overnight – dealerships must consistently work to give customers a reason to keep coming back.

Engage customers regularly about sales and service specials, as well as F&I products and services that benefit the customer based on where they are in the vehicle lifecycle.
Follow-up with customers after a sale or service to find out how it went and what you can do to improve their experience next time.
Reward long time customers with special offers from sales and service so that they feel valued.

Ensuring that customers have an exceptional service drive experience is crucial for customer loyalty at dealerships. While every service drive is unique, these best practices should be implemented to ensure success and enhance the customer experience.

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FAQ’s About Automotive Product Consultants

Customer Loyalty, Data Security, Dealership, Direct Mail, Marketing, Parts and Service, Safeguards, Sales, Service Drive

With over 24 years of experience in the field, we are well-equipped to help you with more than dealership marketing. These are some of the common questions potential clients ask us.