Uber has always made it easy for people to get on-demand rides. When we introduced Uber for Business, our mission was to give organizations a more efficient way to manage their business travel and improve their employees’ experience. 

Today, we’re excited to expand the Uber for Business platform beyond business travel, to include a world-class customer transportation solution, Uber Central.  With Uber Central, organizations of all shapes and sizes — from small nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies — can now easily provide on-demand, door-to-door transportation for their customers, clients, and guests. 

Uber Central offers organizations:

• A way to provide a better customer experience. With Central, businesses can give customers or clients a premium door-to-door experience by requesting a ride on their behalf. Customers don’t need to have an Uber account, or even a smartphone, to take a ride with Central. 

• An innovative transportation solution for their business. Businesses can replace inefficient, expensive shuttles and car services by leveraging the latest technology. 

• Simplified reporting and management. With the Uber for Business platform, organizations using Central get access to the digital billing, reporting, and management tools they need to efficiently manage their transportation operations. 

Based on the initial responses from a few the businesses that helped us pilot Uber Central, we’re excited about its potential to transform the customer experience.

A Los Angeles hotel sets itself apart

Los Angeles is home to some of the most luxurious hotels in the world. To set itself apart, Hotel Angeleno delivers end-to-end, premium experiences for its travelers. To make travel seamless for guests — whether they’re heading to the airport or exploring the town — the hotel uses Central to organize Uber rides for their guests. The single-view dashboard is especially helpful to the Hotel Angeleno guest services team who often juggle multiple requests to serve hotel guests. The hotel has even created customized key cards, so their guests know that Uber is right at their fingertips.

“As an independent hotelier, Hotel Angeleno strives to provide unique service offerings, and Uber Central is a game changer for us. Guest satisfaction has increased significantly, as Uber is far more convenient and affordable than the alternatives. Plus having a digital record of our trips in one place really helps us streamline our customer service operations. It's a win-win."  Dean Yamashita,  Director of Sales & Marketing, Hotel Angeleno 

A roadside assistance service elevates customer care 

One of the largest roadside assistance providers in the US, Agero is bringing peace-of-mind to customers during stressful roadside events. With access to Uber Central, Agero’s clients — which include leading auto manufacturers, auto insurers, and vehicle servicing companies — can now offer rides to their customers if their vehicles are inoperable. Agero identifies the customer’s most convenient pickup location, requests a ride from the Uber Central dashboard, and sends help in an instant.

"Customer satisfaction is our number one priority at Agero, and Uber Central helps us focus on the customer’s needs during an otherwise stressful experience. Our business protects over 80 million drivers in the US each year, and Uber Central provides a scalable way for us to deliver reliable rides when our customers need them most.” Cathy Orrico, Senior Vice President, Client Services & Sales, Agero

A nonprofit gives seniors more independence 

Common Courtesy is a nonprofit focused on expanding mobility to all who desire it, especially seniors and those with limitations that affect their ability to drive. Many of these individuals don’t own a smartphone and would otherwise be unable to easily get a ride. Common Courtesy uses Uber Central to help people schedule one-off and recurring rides with Uber.

"My wife and I created Common Courtesy because we believe mobility is a basic human right. Uber Central helps us provide independence and freedom to our community in a way never possible before. We no longer need dozens of cell phones to manage multiple rides at once, and with the business-ready version of Uber Central we expect the process to be even easier. What we do wouldn't be possible without Uber. Period." Bob Carr, Founder, Common Courtesy

Get started with Uber Central today

We talked to Patrick Abad, Managing Partner at the Williams Automotive Group, during Presidents Club. Hear what he has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the industry progress.

Check out what Mark Rask, the Digital Marketing Manager from Allen Turner Chevrolet has to say about what's ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

Hear from dealership owner Rick Evans what he thinks is ahead for automotive, what dealers should be doing to prepare, and how Presidents Club is helping the auto industry progress.

How Do You Prosper in a Plateau Environment? Adopt Digital Retailing Now

With digital retailing, dealers can turn inventory up to five days[1] faster while making consumers happier.

NEW YORK, April 11, 2017 – At the 2017 Automotive Forum in New York City, Cox Automotive COO Mark O’Neil issued a call to action:  “Adopt digital retailing now or get left behind.”

In his speech, “Connected Retail:  Deals in the Digital Age,” O’Neil provided a game plan for dealers wanting to prosper in the current plateau environment. Though he predicts that completing deals 100 percent online is approximately a year away, O’Neil highlighted the advantages of early adoption. O’Neil outlined several existing digital retailing tools that dealers can implement now as they move toward click to buy. One of the biggest objections to digital retailing from dealers is putting F&I information online, but Cox Automotive research[2] shows that 83 percent of consumers are interested in learning about F&I products before entering the dealership.

The following digital retailing tools can speed up the sales process while providing consumers the option of performing tasks online at their own pace and from anywhere:

• Negotiating the deal including a real payment;
• Securing financing approval;
• Researching F&I products and choosing them online; and
• Receiving a real offer for their trade-in.

“Click to buy is definitely where we want and need to go in automotive,” said O’Neil. “Success in retail can only be achieved by giving consumers options that enable the buying experience that they want. The beauty of digital retailing is that it is a win-win. Consumers are happier3, and early studies show that digital retailing tools can help dealers turn inventory up to five days faster1 as compared to traditional sales.”

O’Neil explained that Cox Automotive data and industry insights show that consumers continue to be frustrated with several aspects of the car buying process. According to a recent Cox Automotive study[3], shoppers spend the majority of their in-store time at a dealership on an emotional rollercoaster that has a deep valley of negative emotions.

“If an amusement park only had one ride and it was a rollercoaster that was mostly flat, not many people would choose to go there,” said O’Neil. “In this case, consumers are spending too much time in activities that are not a fun part of the car buying process. We know that technology can make the buying process enjoyable and can improve the dealership’s effectiveness.”

He explained how various industries have created positive digital buying experiences that consumers want, including:  Amazon, Domino’s, Rocket Mortgage and Zappos. All of these retailers use technology to enable a customized, fast and transparent buying experience that removes friction from the buying process while improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

By digitizing tasks in the buying process, consumers can spend their in-store time doing activities that research1 shows create positive emotions, such as:  meeting an informed salesperson; test driving the vehicle; and taking delivery of the vehicle; and learning about its features and technology.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, vAuto®, Xtime® and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues of $18 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises’ other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

DrivingSales is thrilled to announce that Bart Wilson will be a moderator during Presidents Club. Here's a sneak peek of what Bart will be doing while at the event, and how you can learn from him!

Company’s new Express Trade solution for the iPad gives dealerships even more  control in how they price automotive trades

San Francisco, Calif. — March 28— Roadster, the leader in eCommerce solutions for car buying and leasing, today announced the rollout of a new Express Trade tool that will give dealerships more control and ease in how they price automotive trades. Improving upon current dealer trade offerings, Roadster’s new solution allows dealers who want to price their own trades, to do so online by gathering all of the information they need from the customer prior to coming into the dealership.

“With Express Trade, sales people are empowered to utilize any pricing system they want in a streamlined and incredibly user friendly interface,” said Andy Moss, CEO of Roadster. “This allows dealers to save time while also providing a price they can honor with confidence.”

In just a few steps, Express Trade guides car buyers to capture their VIN barcode with their smartphone, answer a few simple questions about their car’s history and share photos of their car.  Buyers are asked to upload photos of any dents, peeling paint, tears or scratches that are visible from three feet away. They are also asked specific questions about the ownership and condition of their vehicle, including if the check engine or other service lights are illuminated.

Once all information is collected, Express Trade notifies the car buyer that the dealership will provide an offer within three business hours of submission.  Roadster’s solution then empowers dealers to quote a trade-in price that is transparent and one that the dealership can stand by.  

“Roadster’s Express Trade solution is not only incredibly user friendly, but it fosters a new level of trust between our salespeople and car buyers,” said Sohail Tabar of Ford Serramonte.  “Through its simplified interface, car buyers now understand all of the important factors that go into pricing a trade, while dealerships are finally empowered to use their own information to price a trade. Our dealership can’t wait to engage with customers in this manner - Express Trade serves as a fair and easy solution to what has thus far been a subjective trade-in evaluation process.”

Netsertive has just released their Automotive Digital Marketing Intelligence Report for 2017. After reading through it, I found some very valuable things for dealers that you can start implementing to improve your dealership today.

The 2016 Overview

Reading the 2016 overview gave me some important insights about how the industry is changing, and what we can do to keep up with it.

• Multichannel marketing gets you the best results. Combining Facebook ads with search engine marketing leads to 5% more conversions. Similarly, running digital video ads with search engine marketing lead to 37% more conversions.
• 9 out of 10 website visitors won't convert on the first visit. This means you need to intrigue them enough, that they'll come back again for their second visit, where they're more likely to convert.
• 97% of car shoppers buy local. So you need to have a website that shows them where you are, and why you're the best option, even if you won't sell online.

Changes For 2017

Looking over all the fantastic research Netsertive did pointed me in the direction of changes dealers can make for 2017.

• A fast, flexible, and mobile-friendly web experience can hugely grow your smartphone clicks. Focusing on your mobile site can lead to high rewards.
• Many paid campaigns will drop off in the early evening, so make sure that you are working to have your campaign running past 5 PM. The study also found that the average person spends 54 minutes on social media every day. You never know when that will be, so making sure your campaign is running most of the time is valuable.
• High intent shoppers are caught with search engine marketing. This is the best way to get people who are closer to the buying stage, but needs to be used with mixed marketing efforts.
• The top 2 ad positions captures 85% of customers. That means it's insanely valuable to work on your search ranking, and be willing to bid using paid SEM to increase your placement.
• Working with mixed methods of marketing can help lower your cost per conversion and cost per click. This study shows that working with social media, as well as more traditional marketing such as TV or radio, can all work together to help your online search engine marketing.

What Can You Do Now?

So with all this interesting information, what can your dealership do today to make changes?

• Find the right investment balance of more traditional marketing strategies, and the ever invaluable social media and digital realm.
• Shoppers research nearly 24 websites during their buying process, which gives you a host of opportunities to show reviews and information about your website.
• Know your audience and where they spend their time.
• Google and Facebook are the most popular places for shoppers, invest some time and money in those mediums.
• Run search engine marketing campaigns in conjunction with other mediums.
•  

We interviewed many vendors during NADA 2017 to hear what they think is ahead for the auto industry. Check out our interview with T3 Consulting Group.

*The thoughts and opinions expressed by interviewees do not reflect the opinions of DrivingSales. These interviews are purely editorial content and are not sponsored by any party.

DrivingSales is thrilled to announce that Bart Wilson will be a moderator during Presidents Club. Here's a sneak peek of what Bart will be doing while at the event, and how you can learn from him!