A Cox Automotive survey from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak reported that 29% of fixed operations customers planned to delay scheduling service appointments. And, according to the data, at least that many did.

We saw more than a 55% drop in the weekly number of closed repair orders from March 1 through April 8, 2020. Not surprisingly, other organizations are also reporting drastic drops in dealership sales.

The good news is, this downturn won’t last forever. In fact, we believe the data is already starting to look up.

There will be one difference, though. The rebound in appointments likely won’t happen as dramatically as the drop. People’s concern for their safety and others’ will mean they will return to “life as normal” with caution.

But this hesitancy gives us time to prepare.

We’ll get to what you can do to make sure your customers’ return is met with top-notch service later in this article. But first, here’s why we think service departments have an advantage over after-market competitors.

A Dealership’s Secret Weapon: Trust

Right now, people are holding each other and the businesses they support to a higher standard. Even after limits lift, people won’t really be willing to venture out until they feel safe.

This creates a distinct advantage for fixed operations. Why? Dealership service departments are seen as trusted service providers for people’s vehicles.

Because of this, dealership service departments have an opportunity to extend trust to include personal safety. Not only does this ease the minds of their customers, but it also gets them in the door feeling confident they’re in good hands.

Nurturing a feeling of safety is also a positive step toward creating long-term, loyal customer relationships — the main goal of any service department.

Below are some ways you can lean on your existing relationships to build the trust of your customers. We look at two opportunities to help service departments continue to meet customers’ expectations and adapt to changes post-pandemic.

1. Focus on customer convenience

The biggest question people are asking right now is: When are we getting back to normal? But, all the evidence and opinions suggest that we’re not going to.

Instead, it seems there’s going to be a new normal.

Some dealer responses to directed health measures — like wearing masks and gloves, using steering wheel covers, repeatedly disinfecting, and putting up partitions — will likely be shorter-lived. Others will drastically influence what a customer perceives as essential.  

Because of this, we encourage you to review all the changes you’ve made to your daily operations and identify which ones you and your customers could benefit from if they were permanent.

We predict many amenities, like the ones listed below, will soon become staples on your service menu — if they haven’t already:

- Mobile servicing
- Pickup and delivery
- Electronic payments and signatures
- Recorded multipoint inspections
- Customer-preferred communication methods

These kinds of approaches make servicing their vehicle convenient for customers. So, adding them to your service department can bring big advantages.

For example, these conveniences can also help your customers get past well-known scheduling hurdles (such as your location).

We’ve already seen shifts like these change the way dealerships operate. For example, in cases where dealerships use kiosks to facilitate the transactional part of a service visit, the job of a service advisor has become much, much more important.

The kiosks haven’t replaced service advisors. Instead, they have allowed them to focus on their most valuable skills. With the basics covered, service advisors can better facilitate relationships and directly manage concerns – all of which help your customers build trust in your dealership.

YOUR COMEBACK MOVE:
Now is your opportunity to try and work out the kinks in your new approaches. Not only will your customers feel like you haven’t missed a beat, doing the work now will allow you to continue to differentiate your dealership from your competition in the future.

2. Amp up your customer communications

Post-coronavirus, people will be connecting in a variety of new ways. Managing your relationships with your customers will be the key to keeping your dealership top of mind and coming back strong.

In our new reality, communicating effectively with customers when they aren’t physically in front of you will be expected. So, investing in a communications approach that helps you better correspond with your customers will be more important than ever before.

We recommend building a strategy that helps you reach your customers in their preferred channel. Maintaining a robust communication approach — that meets your customers where they are — will help you make them feel comfortable coming to you for service.

Here are a few things to think about:

Jumpstarting dropped communications
If your relationships have been on pause for a while, restart them by reaching out. Encourage those who have delayed maintenance during the pandemic to schedule an appointment. Your invitation to return will be critical to getting past-due customers back in the door.

Highlighting what has changed
Tell all of your customers about your dealership’s changes. Explain what you’re doing to protect them. Let them know they have options for ensuring their safety and that maintaining their confidence in your business is top priority. 

Sharing what makes you different
To stand out from the crowd, you’ll need to do more than let your customers know you are prepared to keep them safe. Go beyond baseline messages of safety and give them additional reasons to return to your dealership. What makes you the best choice? Use your strongest value-added drivers in the messages you send.

YOUR COMEBACK MOVE:
When connecting and reconnecting with customers, don’t limit your outreach. Send an email, drop a text, mail a postcard — but don’t stop there. Consider all of your options for personalizing your customers’ experience. There may be some you’ve never tried before.

How we’re helping

At DriveSure, we’ve always been focused on helping dealerships add value in ways that get customers to return for service consistently and often. Dealerships that offer DriveSure benefits will continue to have a unique advantage in getting customers to come back for service.

Our benefits are exactly the kind of reassurance your customers will be looking for coming out of these uncertain times. In fact, we know just how important peace of mind is for drivers, that we extended coverage for anyone whose benefits expired in March and April.

We also know how important connecting with your customers will be in getting back to business. That’s why we’re working with current customers to ensure they can hit the ground running with effective direct mail campaigns and other outreach strategies when they’re ready.

For dealerships not currently offering DriveSure, we’ve made it easier (and more affordable) than ever to add new unique value to their service centers and get in touch with all the customers who are now overdue for service.

Our industry has been through rough spots before, but we’re confident that the dealerships who focus on customer value and effective communications will come out of this stronger than they’ve ever been. 

Focus on safety and communicate your value

At the end of the day, risk of exposure to COVID-19 still has people postponing or skipping maintenance and repair services. We don’t know exactly what recovery from the decline will look like, but what we do know is that when you care for people, the rest will follow.