Take Control of Your Dealership’s Communication

If you want to capture the attention of shoppers in today’s market, communication should be one of the sharpest tools in your toolbox. Remember the days of desk phones and tangled cords? The me-to-you approach of salespeople who told customers all about the cars on the lot?  The newspaper ads that detailed the “special invitations” to save?  Say good-bye to all of that, because dealership communication has come a long way since then.

The Evolution of Communication

If your dealership isn’t looking for a way to update and streamline its communication, it should be.  Businesses and consumers are now connected digitally—nearly 24/7—and there’s no information that can’t be shared, Tweeted, commented on, or reviewed by online consumers.  For your business, that means constantly being at the top of your game and taking your communication to the level today’s shoppers expect from the brands they trust.

Consumers are in a hurry.  That’s no surprise.  And in order to get them to slow down and pay attention to what you’re saying, your communication must be efficient, relevant, and impactful.  Sure, there are many ways you could entice more customers to choose you, but great communication aligns well with every other perk your dealership has to offer.  It won’t matter if you offer great prices or outstanding service if you’re unable to effectively convey that to your consumers.  And your customers won’t return for repeat business if you’re unable to efficiently connect your teams and facilitate great communication between employees.  Communication is the glue that holds everything together.

There’s a Better Way

Making changes can be tough, especially if what you’re changing falls into the not-broken-don’t-fix-it category or even the we’ve-always-done-it-this-way category.  But here’s the thing:

Even if your dealership communication doesn’t seem broken, there’s still a better, more efficient way to make sure you’re connecting your entire team and ensuring you provide an experience that gives your customers everything they need.

With communication as a key focus, you’ll ensure your staff is engaged in day-to-day dealership operations, and you’ll keep essential information and tasks from falling through the cracks.  In addition, you’ll be empowering your team to reach more customers and offer better dealership experiences.  Consider the following and you’ll see why great communication plays such a key role in the success of your dealership:

• The marketplace is crowded, and it’s tougher than ever to capture customer attention.
• Shoppers are in a hurry, and if forced to wait unnecessarily, they’ll move on.
• Your dealership is busy, and missed communication opportunities mean wasted time and unhappy customers.
• Your employees are juggling hundreds of tasks per day, making it easy to forget things or put them off until later.
• Many departments and teams work together for each customer, and sometimes simply tracking down the right person is difficult.

The list could go on and on, but the message remains the same.  Maintaining streamlined and efficient dealership communication is tough!

Moving Forward

A recent Accenture survey found 89% of customers admit frustration when they have to repeat issues to different representatives.  To take this one step further, 87% believe businesses should place more focus on providing a consistent customer experience.  In the dealership setting, common communication problems often have your teams running in different directions, working to solve issues for the same customer.  What if you had a streamlined, collaborative platform that could keep everyone on the same page and give up-to-the-minute updates regarding in-process jobs?  Imagine the time and frustration you’d save—and imagine the satisfied customers you’d have when you completed jobs on shorter timelines!

Modern dealerships are looking to technology to help them bridge gaps in their existing communication.  Powerful platforms like AutoAlert’s Pando are changing the landscape of communication by addressing issues that specifically face dealerships in their day-to-day operations.  By tackling workflow, productivity, and employee communication all in one platform—and all with the goal of providing a seamless, exceptional customer experience—dealerships can get on with the business of selling cars.

Throughout the month of July, we’re zeroing in on communication and helping dealerships pinpoint ways they can proactively share relevant information with both shoppers and employees.  Your customers want to trust you and build relationships with you, and when you place a high value on communication and innovate in ways that benefit them throughout their buying journeys, you’ll be offering the consumer experience they need to make you their dealership of choice.