After a quarter of a century, auto dealerships have finally started realizing that technology works for them, not vice versa. As 2017 has opened the door for innovation, such as virtual reality, but in order to reach this level, the entire car industry needs to pull the brake and realize the benefits of a proven technology. And the key is in text messaging.

Texting demographic research has shown that everybody texts which mean that now is the right time to use this technology to your advantage.

Customer experience at focus

Service departments are one of the most scrutinized departments at an auto dealership. Due to the fact that they actually work directly with customers, when it comes to customer satisfaction surveys and numbers, SDs somehow seem to get the short end.

Problems in communication can occur easily, for example having an unanswered call may cost your dealership and your customer a lot of money, not to mention low CSI scores. An unsatisfied customer may go and tell their friends about bad treatment they have had and this bad word can spread like a disease. However, with an instant messaging app – all can be resolved within minutes.

Your dealership can benefit from improved customer experience in numerous ways: not only will this important KPI boost UX (user experience), but also the numbers may rise and even multiply. If you find the right texting solution, from this point on, you can speed up the majority, if not all, processes at your dealership:

• No waiting for a returned call: Imagine detecting an issue, such as bald tires when a snow blizzard is forecasted, and your service worker wants to reach customers to warn them about this, but all in vain – he is at a meeting. Everyone is busy, but since more than 90% of text messages are opened within three minutes – this is exactly the time frame for solving the issue. Your staff can take a picture of the tires, send a text via a messaging app, and ask them to replace the tires, and the customer can yay or nay – all done in less than five minutes.
• Sending appointment and service reminders: Reaching out to a customer via an automated text can help your customer do regular service or be reminded about an appointment at your dealership – which can result in your customers leaving your dealership with a smile on their face and having an improved customer satisfaction survey score in the end and.

Text messaging for auto dealerships’ service departments

Advantage txt. is a real-time texting solution which enables bi-directional communication between customers and car dealerships. Due to its great features and simplicity, which make it beneficial for customers and create the highest usage for dealerships personnel, it is considered as one of the best texting apps for car dealerships in the US. Simply text “Demo” to (415) 300-2002 to schedule a demo today and make sure to visit:

Learn more about texting:

• 2017 TCPA texting rules every car dealership needs to know
• Texting can be key for dealerships (Edmunds report)
• The value of customer satisfaction
• Online SMS alerts mean more sales
• On the state of customer experience
• Auto dealer’s guide to texting
• The subtle and critical differences between customer engagement and...

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Article originally published on www.advantagetec.com on March 21, 2017.