“Customer experience” has recently become a well-known buzzword. Some feel that customer experience is one of the most important things a dealership should focus on to ensure future success—especially when customers become loyal after they’ve had excellent service experiences. And it pays off: loyal customers visit 4x as often and spend 2.5 more than non-loyal. So what is customer experience, and how does it differ from customer service?

Customer experience includes all the interactions a customer has with your dealership, starting the moment a customer becomes aware of your brand. This may happen while they’re driving by your dealership, looking at a digital ad, or reading a postcard they received in the mail. That’s why consistent Essentials™ marketing communications delivered at the right time in the customer lifecycle are crucial to building a lasting relationship with your customers.

When the customer makes first contact, it’s important to provide great customer service, but the communications experience is often overlooked. Whether by text, email or phone, the method used should be based on the customer’s preference. With Essentials, you have a variety of channels available to you, so it’s easy to engage your customers in a way that works for them. Plus, Essentials tracks every customer interaction so you can effortlessly ensure no messages are mixed or missed.

With only 35% of consumers feeling a strong passion toward their vehicle brand, loyalty toward your dealership can be hard to come by. Is the customer happy with their new vehicle one month later? Did you reach out to them to find out? The same questions apply to vehicle service—and if you’re not staying in touch with your customers, you may be missing an opportunity to improve the customer experience. One of the easiest ways to do this is with Essentials trigger communications that launch automatically to follow up with every sales and service customer. The responses to these communications give you valuable insight that can help you address concerns immediately and further build trust.

The focus of the customer experience should be on exceeding expectations at every touchpoint. With targeted communications on a variety of channels, consistent follow-up, and transparent tracking all along the way, Essentials gives you the tools to create a customer experience that’s sure to build lasting relationships and a better business. For more information, please reach out to your Performance Manager.