There has been no shortage of change or uncertainty in the last several weeks. But with uncertainty comes opportunity – an opportunity to show your dealership’s customers that you are there to meet their unique needs, whether they are in your showroom or on their couch.
The way your customers shop looks different in today’s world of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, but customers still want a car-shopping experience that is relevant, personalized and seamless. They want to be able to communicate with your dealership the way they communicate with everyone else. Even if they have a little more time on their hands, they still want to be able to find the info they are looking for quickly and easily. Your customers are still unique people with unique needs and preferences.
The opportunity to get ahead of the competition by delivering the personalized, efficient car-shopping experience customers expect is bigger than ever before. It won’t be easy, but the dealerships that lean into new operating models will be the ones leading the pack – in the next few months and beyond.
To help you minimize business disruption and maximize opportunity, the VinSolutions team will be sharing best practices on how to optimize your operations for the current remote shopping environment over the next several weeks. Here are some key action items to keep in mind as you begin to shift into a new operating model:
- Update your website with current operating hours for both sales and service, as well as any updated contact information.
- Use your CRM to communicate with customers about any changes you’re making to your dealership operations.
- Encourage customers to work deals remotely with digital retailing and integrated dealership tools.
- Share more detailed videos and photos of vehicles with customers through your CRM.
- Take your sales team mobile with mobile apps for your CRM and other dealership software.
- Make the most of increased online vehicle shopping by using the browsing data to identify ready-to-buy shoppers.
For more tips on optimizing for the remote shopping environment, visit our resources library and the Cox Automotive updates hub.
Cox Automotive Assistance Program
For the months of April and May 2020, Cox Automotive Retail Solutions will provide a 50% discount on our Retail Solutions Dealer Subscription Product fees that include VinSolutions.
