A lot of attention is given to providing the customer with an experience they want – deservedly so. It’s an extremely important component for servicing today’s car owners in the way they best connect. Friendly greeting, a comfortable and well-stocked customer lounge, thorough and transparent communication, and high-quality repairs are all expectations that must be met.

Before the customer even comes into your service department for the first time after buying a vehicle from your dealership, there’s a detail they need to know. Just like a wedding is just the beginning of a marriage relationship, the sale is only the start of the relationship with the dealership.

Sadly, this is still a point that gets missed regularly. The sales-to-service hand-off doesn’t happen, or it’s short and sweet. The customer doesn’t know just how much value the dealership puts on their ongoing service relationship. The result? That customer doesn’t feel any sense of loyalty to book their service appointments with the dealership.

The statistic is hard to come by, but somewhere between 20 and 35 percent of new car buyers never set foot in the service department after the sale – not even for their first oil change. The bad news doesn’t end there either. By the end of the warranty period, 70 percent of customers have defected to another service provider, whether it’s a closer dealership or an independent store.

They don’t know they are your customer.

Lay Claim to the Customer

I know it comes across as crazy and possessive. However you view it, car buyers need to be educated that your dealership is there to support them as much or more after the sale. This is a point where businesses stumble all the time, not just car dealers.

You need to make assumptions in all your communication with the car buyer that they’ll be back for service, that they’ll send you their referrals, and that they’ll be buying their next vehicle from you. It all starts with that period of three to six years in the service department between car-buying experiences.

Start the Service Communications Soon After the Sale

Long before the car buyer is due for their first oil change, get connected with them. Honestly, as time-consuming as it might be, a verbal conversation is best – a phone call. It needs to come from either a person in authority in the service department or the person they’ll be connecting with during the visit, and that’s either the service manager, assistant manager, or the service advisor. I’d recommend the assistant service manager personally.

Simply ask them how their ownership experience has been thus far and let them know how to get in touch for the first service visit. Book the first appointment if it’s possible. And if you have a pick-up service, this is the time to make that known.

Stay Connected Between Services

70 percent of dealership service customers will drop away by the time the factory warranty ends. But if they feel connected between service visits, that number is bound to drop significantly. It’s as easy as email campaigns crafted to sound personal. Extend invitations to car care clinics. Drop little service nuggets and detailing how-to’s. Just make sure they understand the value of these emails or they’ll go straight to the junk folder.

A service department that makes an effort to connect between services demonstrates that they aren’t just there to take the customer’s money but to provide service and value.

Care About Their Surveys

Half of unhappy customers won’t respond to a CSI survey if they aren’t happy – they’d rather quietly go elsewhere. You’ll never know about them either. But unhappy survey respondents can be saved. Of the 50 percent that will tell you things did not go well, 70 percent are willing to try your store again if you resolve the issue.

A dealership that lays claim to the customer takes responsibility for fixing the issues, whether real or perceived.

It’s crucial for repeat sales and referrals, not to mention the service income that it generates. Keep the lines of communication open with your customers by letting them know you care for them because they are YOUR customer. It makes it much more likely they’ll stick with you.