04 December 2020

PARTNER FEATURE

Research shows that failing to communicate with customers will likely see them go elsewhere

After a very busy summer for sales and aftersales, UK businesses are now once again facing the uncertainties of lockdown. And following ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdowns across Wales and England, dealers across the UK have to contend with a very real ‘postcode lottery’ with different lockdown measures for different areas.

Yet retailers are at least better prepared now than they were in March.

With the prospect of facility closures hanging over every customer-facing business, it’s never been more important for dealers to master the art of digital customer engagement.

Losing customers: the only incentive that matters

With little or no notice, retailers could suddenly find premises closed for business, while rival dealers in nearby towns and cities (or just over the border) may remain fully open.

Dealers must therefore be prepared to communicate digitally with current and prospective customers – more frequently and more effectively. Failing to do so means running the risk of losing them.

New consumer research by Marketing Delivery carried out across the UK in October 2020 suggests as much. Asked what they would do if a dealer didn’t respond quickly enough to their sales enquiry, more than half of respondents (51%) said they’d simply visit a different dealership to continue their search.

This should be all the incentive car retailers need to ace their digital contact strategy and provide timely responses to all enquiries.

The opportunities of a digital contact strategy

Retaining fickle prospective car buyers will be one of the biggest challenges that businesses face in the coming months.

Yet dealers in every UK region have already proved they can adapt during lockdown by introducing digitalised, automated processes. This meant hundreds of businesses were well prepared to respond to customer demand when showrooms reopened in July.

In the same survey, 71% of UK respondents stated that they would prefer to hear from a car dealer by mobile phone (call or text) or email after making a vehicle enquiry. 79% said the same in relation to aftersales enquiries.

Customers are more willing than ever to engage remotely with dealers. And dealers facing high enquiry volumes can manage these enquiries quickly and efficiently with tools that enable them to reply with automated, programmatic messages.

This means providing used car buyers with alerts about relevant new stock, or scheduling automated follow-up emails to prospects yet to decide on a potential purchase. For aftersales, it means sending timely reminders to existing customers that a vehicle’s MOT or service is due soon.

Lockdown could strike at any moment, and for an indeterminate length of time. But digital communication tools mean dealers don’t have to self-isolate from their customers.

By Jeremy Evans, managing director at Marketing Delivery

Tags: Marketing Delivery, partner feature