The automotive industry is undergoing an upheaval, thanks to technological innovations. With this change, the auto industry will need to become more customer-oriented. If you own an automotive workshop, you’ll need to add value to your customers along their journey. In this article, we’ll present 3 important steps workshops can take to add value to their customers.
Provide expertise in a proactive way
Automotive workshops have a unique position to provide expertise. Car owners usually go for a repair appointment when a problem occurs with their car. Workshops can catch the momentum here and become proactive with the help of real-time car diagnostics. If a car is connected to a workshop, a wide range of car data can help the workshop to detect problems. For instance, various engine lamps and error codes or battery health. Contacting car owners in advance gives workshops the chance to build trust and give excellent customer service. In the long run, customers stick to reliable and convenient services. When car owners don’t have to worry about their cars, that is a huge benefit. Providing this expertise is one of the best ways to add value to customers as an automotive workshop. Research from Bearing Points shows that the benefits of a connected service turn customers loyal. 66% of active users of a connected car service said they will renew their subscription when it expires.
Educate and engage customers
A connected car service often comes with an end-user app, where car owners can see various information about their vehicle. This information can be very broad and useful in different situations such as parking or in need of roadside assistance. In MyConnectedCar owners can see and do things such as:
- Trip history, trip details, and driving behavior
- Maintaining and exporting a detailed trip log
- Chatting with their preferred workshop
- Receiving quotes from their workshop
- Integrating with relevant local 3rd party providers (parking, fuel, etc.)
Based on the survey car owners become more loyal and have connected car features. In fact, only one out of ten active users plan to stop using connected services completely. They believe that they are getting ‘life-changing’ features and love to know more about their cars.
Provide a personalized service
As the world becomes more digitalized, customers expect smooth and personalized service experiences. There are still a lot of untapped opportunities in the later phases of a connected car owner’s journey. Workshops have to understand the different stages and trends to use car data. Generally, car owners want a hybrid experience, a digital and personal one.
At the first service, the car owner gets information from the workshop that it’s time for the car’s first service. At this stage personalization, effective communication, and great offers can keep a lot of customers from leaving authorized workshops. For a price-sensitive customer who usually compares prices and offers this is the make or breakpoint. Here workshops can use the advantages of remote car diagnostics, such as sending personalized offers. According to Bearing Point’s survey, 70% of customers say that they value the personalization of services. Moreover, 71% of car owners like to get a detailed price offer before their service booking. Workshops should incorporate this practice into the booking process. Even with a higher price but more details about car service. Many customers who value personalized service, would gladly pay the higher price.
At the last phase of the customer journey, when the service is complete, there are still a lot of opportunities for workshops to strengthen the relationship. Based on the research, follow-up communication is appreciated by customers. BearingPoint’s survey states that 51% of the customers find it important to leave feedback for the workshop. Additionally, workshops can provide a maintenance plan for customers or book on-the-spot a check-up appointment for the future.
Conclusion
Those workshops that are intentional to add value to their customers can reach the long-term benefits of high customer retention and revenue. Whether workshops are educating customers or providing expert advice, adding extra value will always pay off. Workshops using ConnectedWorkshop can leverage all the benefits of car data.
