26 May 2021

PARTNER FEATURE

Don’t let aftersales be an afterthought – these three tips could help boost profit by thousands

As showroom doors open again, some dealers will experience a flurry of activity on the salesfloor, but what about workshops? How can businesses maximise service-bay utilisation and increase customer retention in an environment where some crucial CRM data is out of date following multiple lockdowns?

Whether you are an independent solus operation or multi-franchise, multi-site group, Marketing Delivery has three easy profit-boosting tips to help boost aftersales income, and it’s all about data.

Identify more customers (accurate data)

Following the MOT extension introduced by the government during the first Lockdown, many CRM databases now hold inaccurate data. And we can’t rely on customers to know either. A survey conducted by comparison site GoCompare found that one in 10 of the drivers that received a six-month MOT extension for their car during the first lockdown were now unaware of when their MOT expires.

In an analysis of dealer data for MOTs due between June and August 2021, Marketing Delivery forecasts an average of 925 extra MOT opportunities per workshop with a profit potential of £14,000 (assuming a 30% conversion).

So how can you capture these potential missed opportunities? Our new MOT Box solution will quickly cross-check a dealer’s entire customer database for accuracy against more than 30 million MOT records held by the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and update due dates on the system.

The next step is reaching out to those potential customers in a timely and personalised way – a daunting task without some level of automation.

Contact more customers (relevant data)

Marketing Delivery’s Aftersales eCRM (electronic customer relationship management) complements the dealer’s personal interactions by automatically contacting customers via email, SMS and social media messages that are relevant to them and via the means the customer prefers. In-house research shows that 67% of customers prefer to be contacted by electronic means, so it’s vital that this is relevant or it risks an opt-out response.

There are many software tools available to support a successful aftersales operation. Those delivering the best results will integrate with multiple systems and programmes internally and externally.

Keep more customers (timely data)

Timely, automated communication undoubtedly works very effectively. A consumer survey conducted by Marketing Delivery found that over 65% of people would make a booking with a dealership or workshop that proactively contacts them via email or text when their MOT is due.

Reaching out to customers at the right time using a manual process is open to human error and missed opportunities. Marketing Delivery software can send reminders at the right time and in the customers’ preferred method, allowing aftersales staff to confirm the booking in person, with all of the time-consuming legwork already complete.

And the best part? All of these processes are automated, so your aftersales team are still free to do what they do best.

By Jeremy Evans, managing director, Marketing Delivery

Contact Jeremy here.

Tags: Marketing Delivery, partner feature