I’ve written many articles about the different types of loyalty and how each can affect your business’ growth and revenue. However, I’ve never written an overview of how all these components fit together in a holistic manner. Hopefully, this blog article will help put the pieces together so that you better understand these concepts more globally.

Internal Service Quality:

It all begins with your internal service quality. Components of this include:

• Workplace design – A well-designed dealership will maximize space to create a more efficient environment for employees and customers.
• Job design – This doesn’t just include job descriptions but practicality. Ensure that the right employees are responsible for things that they have the knowledge and experience to handle effectively. And that all positions complement each other and generate the most efficient work-flow possible.
• Employee selection and training – By having a hiring process that enables the best selection of employees with the highest chances of success in a given position, you can create a team of people that are effective. Experience and knowledge must be considered along with a candidate’s ability to work well with others. Ongoing training also assists in maximizing employee efficiency and productivity.
• Recognition – By recognizing employees, you reinforce positive behavior and provide other employees with examples to follow. This also assists employees in better understanding your expectations of them, and it lets them know that they will be recognized for good work.

Paying attention and implementing programs and processes for these areas, can help increase employee satisfaction. Employees that are satisfied with their jobs tend to be more productive. This can then create a need for fewer employees, thus lowering your fixed expenses for staffing, reducing employee turnover and increasing employee retention.

External Service Value:

External service value should include a results-oriented service concept focused on providing an excellent customer experience through efficiency and communication. Customer recognition programs, such as loyalty programs, reinforce to the customer that you value their business.

If employees do their jobs in the most efficient manner possible, while the company rewards that hard work by providing a great work place, a positive environment is created. In this type of environment, employees care about customer service and experience which translates to higher customer satisfaction.

Higher customer satisfaction then leads to an increase in customer loyalty and customers become brand evangelists. Loyal customers are essential to any growth strategy.  They generate revenue from repeat business in service and sales. They also lead to increased retention and generate customer acquisition through referrals. All of this, of course, leads to revenue growth and profitability for the dealer.

My goal has always been to help dealerships see value in each of these areas and assist them in improving through education. Every one of these components is equally important.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Usually this saying is in reference to a team. What I’ve outlined is no exception other than it is also applicable to your processes. A weak link in process can be just as damaging as a weak link in your team. Take a moment and do an honest assessment of these areas of your dealership. The pieces for the puzzle are all right in front of you. It’s up to you to complete it.

I’ve written many articles about the different types of loyalty and how each can affect your business’ growth and revenue. However, I’ve never written an overview of how all these components fit together in a holistic manner. Hopefully, this blog article will help put the pieces together so that you better understand these concepts more globally.

Internal Service Quality:

It all begins with your internal service quality. Components of this include:

• Workplace design – A well-designed dealership will maximize space to create a more efficient environment for employees and customers.
• Job design – This doesn’t just include job descriptions but practicality. Ensure that the right employees are responsible for things that they have the knowledge and experience to handle effectively. And that all positions complement each other and generate the most efficient work-flow possible.
• Employee selection and training – By having a hiring process that enables the best selection of employees with the highest chances of success in a given position, you can create a team of people that are effective. Experience and knowledge must be considered along with a candidate’s ability to work well with others. Ongoing training also assists in maximizing employee efficiency and productivity.
• Recognition – By recognizing employees, you reinforce positive behavior and provide other employees with examples to follow. This also assists employees in better understanding your expectations of them, and it lets them know that they will be recognized for good work.

Paying attention and implementing programs and processes for these areas, can help increase employee satisfaction. Employees that are satisfied with their jobs tend to be more productive. This can then create a need for fewer employees, thus lowering your fixed expenses for staffing, reducing employee turnover and increasing employee retention.

External Service Value:

External service value should include a results-oriented service concept focused on providing an excellent customer experience through efficiency and communication. Customer recognition programs, such as loyalty programs, reinforce to the customer that you value their business.

If employees do their jobs in the most efficient manner possible, while the company rewards that hard work by providing a great work place, a positive environment is created. In this type of environment, employees care about customer service and experience which translates to higher customer satisfaction.

Higher customer satisfaction then leads to an increase in customer loyalty and customers become brand evangelists. Loyal customers are essential to any growth strategy.  They generate revenue from repeat business in service and sales. They also lead to increased retention and generate customer acquisition through referrals. All of this, of course, leads to revenue growth and profitability for the dealer.

My goal has always been to help dealerships see value in each of these areas and assist them in improving through education. Every one of these components is equally important.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that you are only as strong as your weakest link. Usually this saying is in reference to a team. What I’ve outlined is no exception other than it is also applicable to your processes. A weak link in process can be just as damaging as a weak link in your team. Take a moment and do an honest assessment of these areas of your dealership. The pieces for the puzzle are all right in front of you. It’s up to you to complete it.

I came across an excellent blog article recently that discussed the different forms of loyalty that exist in the car business. In this article, the author described three levels of customer loyalty: Brand loyalty, dealership loyalty and salesperson loyalty. He described these three different types of loyalty as follows:

Brand loyalty: The focus here is on customer loyalty to a specific vehicle brand. Manufacturers’ entire marketing efforts are designed to retain current owners and convince owners of competing brands to switch. They use many different ways to build this loyalty including quality comparisons, performance, safety, comfort and practicality. This is important for brand market share but also just as important in assisting franchises by driving customer interest and traffic.

Dealership loyalty: Loyalty to a dealership is built through providing an excellent customer experience, treating customer right and being consistent in efforts to recognize and reward frequent and repeat customers.

Salesperson loyalty: Salespeople that stay at a specific dealership for any length of time have the ability to develop relationships with customers that can last a lifetime. They can even get to the point where they no longer have to assist new customers as their referral and repeat business keeps them busy with a constant, steady flow of business.

These are all valid and excellent points. The author of the aforementioned blog placed these different types of loyalty in order as sort of a funnel from the top down. I believe that it’s important for dealerships to recognize the importance of all of these areas but to also realize that, from a business point of view, there is a definite hierarchy that management must recognize in order to create a loyalty strategy that maximizes success.

This is the order I believe accomplishes this best.

Dealership loyalty: By far the most important type of loyalty to a dealership must be loyalty to that dealership. This is the only type of loyalty that a dealership can directly influence. Dealerships must build a base of loyal customers, and then service those loyal customers in order to survive. The less customer retention a dealership has, the more focused on customer acquisition they must be. A solid and growing base of loyal customers will assist dealerships in growth and make customer acquisition less important. If your dealership has a 30 percent defection rate, it will always need to replace that 30 percent with new customers, just to maintain the status quo. Decreasing defection through customer retention allows a dealership to grow. Dealerships will only accomplish this through providing an excellent customer experience in all departments. They can also reinforce and reward repeat customers through rewards programs and recognition.

Salesperson loyalty: Dealerships can assist in this effort by building employee loyalty. Providing a great work environment, with basics such as training to help increase the salesperson’s abilities, along with a company philosophy that reinforces positive attitudes and behavior, can decrease your employee turnover and increase longevity of employment. This allows relationships to be built and serves to reinforce to the dealership’s customer that your dealership is a great place to do business with. Ultimately, however, dealerships cannot control an employee. Turnover does happen, and the last thing any dealership wants is to lose customers because they are more loyal to a salesperson than to the dealership. Too often salespeople take their customers with them which is why dealerships need to focus on retaining their staff.

Brand loyalty: Manufacturers focus almost entirely on brand loyalty and conquest. A dealership’s sales revenue is dependent on both new and used car sales. Most dealerships carry multiple brands in their used car inventory and would be more than happy to sell a customer a pre-owned vehicle of a competing brand. Not only is brand loyalty affected in this manner but a recent study by ADP showed that 63 percent of online shoppers began their research with the intent of purchasing a specific brand. Only 20 percent of those shoppers actually ended up purchasing that brand. While a dealership can certainly reinforce brand loyalty through new car sales and leasing retention, this is where they have the least influence.

The bottom line is that every dealership must focus on loyalty at all levels, but just as in all facets of business, focus must be prioritized to maximize efficiency. Place the order of importance on items where you have the most influence at the top, to those that you have the least at the bottom.  By doing so, a dealership can maximize its efforts in creating a loyal customer base that will sustain the dealer and assist in its growth. 

I came across an excellent blog article recently that discussed the different forms of loyalty that exist in the car business. In this article, the author described three levels of customer loyalty: Brand loyalty, dealership loyalty and salesperson loyalty. He described these three different types of loyalty as follows:

Brand loyalty: The focus here is on customer loyalty to a specific vehicle brand. Manufacturers’ entire marketing efforts are designed to retain current owners and convince owners of competing brands to switch. They use many different ways to build this loyalty including quality comparisons, performance, safety, comfort and practicality. This is important for brand market share but also just as important in assisting franchises by driving customer interest and traffic.

Dealership loyalty: Loyalty to a dealership is built through providing an excellent customer experience, treating customer right and being consistent in efforts to recognize and reward frequent and repeat customers.

Salesperson loyalty: Salespeople that stay at a specific dealership for any length of time have the ability to develop relationships with customers that can last a lifetime. They can even get to the point where they no longer have to assist new customers as their referral and repeat business keeps them busy with a constant, steady flow of business.

These are all valid and excellent points. The author of the aforementioned blog placed these different types of loyalty in order as sort of a funnel from the top down. I believe that it’s important for dealerships to recognize the importance of all of these areas but to also realize that, from a business point of view, there is a definite hierarchy that management must recognize in order to create a loyalty strategy that maximizes success.

This is the order I believe accomplishes this best.

Dealership loyalty: By far the most important type of loyalty to a dealership must be loyalty to that dealership. This is the only type of loyalty that a dealership can directly influence. Dealerships must build a base of loyal customers, and then service those loyal customers in order to survive. The less customer retention a dealership has, the more focused on customer acquisition they must be. A solid and growing base of loyal customers will assist dealerships in growth and make customer acquisition less important. If your dealership has a 30 percent defection rate, it will always need to replace that 30 percent with new customers, just to maintain the status quo. Decreasing defection through customer retention allows a dealership to grow. Dealerships will only accomplish this through providing an excellent customer experience in all departments. They can also reinforce and reward repeat customers through rewards programs and recognition.

Salesperson loyalty: Dealerships can assist in this effort by building employee loyalty. Providing a great work environment, with basics such as training to help increase the salesperson’s abilities, along with a company philosophy that reinforces positive attitudes and behavior, can decrease your employee turnover and increase longevity of employment. This allows relationships to be built and serves to reinforce to the dealership’s customer that your dealership is a great place to do business with. Ultimately, however, dealerships cannot control an employee. Turnover does happen, and the last thing any dealership wants is to lose customers because they are more loyal to a salesperson than to the dealership. Too often salespeople take their customers with them which is why dealerships need to focus on retaining their staff.

Brand loyalty: Manufacturers focus almost entirely on brand loyalty and conquest. A dealership’s sales revenue is dependent on both new and used car sales. Most dealerships carry multiple brands in their used car inventory and would be more than happy to sell a customer a pre-owned vehicle of a competing brand. Not only is brand loyalty affected in this manner but a recent study by ADP showed that 63 percent of online shoppers began their research with the intent of purchasing a specific brand. Only 20 percent of those shoppers actually ended up purchasing that brand. While a dealership can certainly reinforce brand loyalty through new car sales and leasing retention, this is where they have the least influence.

The bottom line is that every dealership must focus on loyalty at all levels, but just as in all facets of business, focus must be prioritized to maximize efficiency. Place the order of importance on items where you have the most influence at the top, to those that you have the least at the bottom.  By doing so, a dealership can maximize its efforts in creating a loyal customer base that will sustain the dealer and assist in its growth. 

There are countless articles on how hard it is to create a truly loyal customer and how easy it is to lose one. Creating customer loyalty is a challenge that all businesses face. There are many techniques and strategies that can assist you along this path but, at times, we’re presented with opportunities that can accomplish this instantaneously.

Earlier this year, a young boy went shopping with his father and managed to lose one of his Lego mini-figures after his father had told him not to bring them since – surprise – he was likely to lose them. Well, turns out the boy actually did. The boy had saved all of his money to purchase a Lego set that cost upwards of $80, so he was very upset. The father then suggested that the boy write a letter to Lego to see if he could get it replaced. This was the letter:

“Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you an email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won't take him to the shop again if you can.”

– LUKA

Lego could have handled this any number of ways but this is how they chose to:

“We are very sorry to hear about you losing your Jay minifigure but it sounds like your dad might have been right about leaving it at home. It sounds like you are very sad about it too.

Normally we would ask that you pay for a new one if you lose one of your minifigures and need to have it replaced.

My bosses told me I could not send you one out for free because you lost it but, I decided that I would put a call into Sensei Wu to see if he could help me.

Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen ever again.

He told me to tell you, "Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!"

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

You will see an envelope from LEGO within the next two weeks with your new minifigures. Please take good care of them, Luka.

Remember that you promised to always leave them at home.”

– RICHARD, LEGO

These figures retail at $2.99. The thoughtfulness and creativity involved in this Lego representative’s response was above and beyond anything he was required to do. Not only did he replace the figure with a better one but he also included an additional one for the boy. All things considered, this ~$5 investment by Lego probably created a loyal customer out of this 7-year old. He will not only continue to enjoy Legos through his childhood, but more than likely introduce them to his children, and maybe even grandchildren. In addition, this act of generosity and great example of customer service went viral with numerous blog articles (including this one) being written, as well as national media coverage.

Creating a loyal customer isn’t hard if you’re paying attention. 

There are countless articles on how hard it is to create a truly loyal customer and how easy it is to lose one. Creating customer loyalty is a challenge that all businesses face. There are many techniques and strategies that can assist you along this path but, at times, we’re presented with opportunities that can accomplish this instantaneously.

Earlier this year, a young boy went shopping with his father and managed to lose one of his Lego mini-figures after his father had told him not to bring them since – surprise – he was likely to lose them. Well, turns out the boy actually did. The boy had saved all of his money to purchase a Lego set that cost upwards of $80, so he was very upset. The father then suggested that the boy write a letter to Lego to see if he could get it replaced. This was the letter:

“Hello.

My name is Luka Apps and I am seven years old.

With all my money I got for Christmas I bought the Ninjago kit of the Ultrasonic Raider. The number is 9449. It is really good.

My Daddy just took me to Sainsburys and told me to leave the people at home but I took them and I lost Jay ZX at the shop as it fell out of my coat.

I am really upset I have lost him. Daddy said to send you an email to see if you will send me another one.

I promise I won't take him to the shop again if you can.”

– LUKA

Lego could have handled this any number of ways but this is how they chose to:

“We are very sorry to hear about you losing your Jay minifigure but it sounds like your dad might have been right about leaving it at home. It sounds like you are very sad about it too.

Normally we would ask that you pay for a new one if you lose one of your minifigures and need to have it replaced.

My bosses told me I could not send you one out for free because you lost it but, I decided that I would put a call into Sensei Wu to see if he could help me.

Luka, I told Sensei Wu that losing your Jay minifigure was purely an accident and that you would never ever ever let it happen ever again.

He told me to tell you, "Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!"

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

You will see an envelope from LEGO within the next two weeks with your new minifigures. Please take good care of them, Luka.

Remember that you promised to always leave them at home.”

– RICHARD, LEGO

These figures retail at $2.99. The thoughtfulness and creativity involved in this Lego representative’s response was above and beyond anything he was required to do. Not only did he replace the figure with a better one but he also included an additional one for the boy. All things considered, this ~$5 investment by Lego probably created a loyal customer out of this 7-year old. He will not only continue to enjoy Legos through his childhood, but more than likely introduce them to his children, and maybe even grandchildren. In addition, this act of generosity and great example of customer service went viral with numerous blog articles (including this one) being written, as well as national media coverage.

Creating a loyal customer isn’t hard if you’re paying attention. 

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain has an exciting customer service policy that empowers every employee with $2,000 to satisfy any guest without approval. This isn’t a one-time power but it’s per incident. Some business owners like the general idea but express concerns about providing employees with this much freedom. They worry that employees will either abuse the empowerment or simply use it as a first course of action rather than effectively assessing each situation to determine whether another course of action could achieve the same goal. It’s certainly disconcerting and scary to give your employees unsupervised access to your wallet.

The ability of an employee to satisfy an upset customer on the spot is essential to diffusing and potentially rescuing a customer relationship. The reason this is so powerful is that most customers don’t expect employees to be so empowered. This is also why most upset customers immediately ask for a manager, rather than explain their problems to the first employee that attempts to assist them.

An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests that businesses empower their employees within boundaries. It further suggests that if the situation calls for a solution outside of those boundaries, the business should then require that its employee involve management. This is preferable to having the employee tell the customer there is nothing more that can be done, and potentially losing the customer’s business. This approach takes into account that, “employees often lack the experience, judgment, and discipline necessary to achieve this without breaking the bank.” But it still allows them the leeway to make some decisions on the spot.

The key to the success of a program of this type is “giving them a framework within which to operate… and feedback about how they are performing within that framework.” This empowers employees to WOW customers while minimizing abuses. At the same time, it ensures that larger issues which cannot be resolved within this framework get escalated to a manager. It also helps ensure that the employee doesn’t brush the customer off without satisfying them.

Customers don’t expect perfection. What they do expect, however, is for a business to make right a mistake. Many times, management fails to hear about issues because employees don’t escalate them. All too often, the first time management hears about an issue from an irate customer is via a bad review on Yelp or similar review site. This situation is avoidable. Whether you choose to give your employees free rein financially a la Ritz-Carlton or choose a more moderated form of empowerment as suggested by the Harvard Business Review, implementing some sort of empowerment on the employee level is a powerful way to retain customers and put out fires before they spread.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel chain has an exciting customer service policy that empowers every employee with $2,000 to satisfy any guest without approval. This isn’t a one-time power but it’s per incident. Some business owners like the general idea but express concerns about providing employees with this much freedom. They worry that employees will either abuse the empowerment or simply use it as a first course of action rather than effectively assessing each situation to determine whether another course of action could achieve the same goal. It’s certainly disconcerting and scary to give your employees unsupervised access to your wallet.

The ability of an employee to satisfy an upset customer on the spot is essential to diffusing and potentially rescuing a customer relationship. The reason this is so powerful is that most customers don’t expect employees to be so empowered. This is also why most upset customers immediately ask for a manager, rather than explain their problems to the first employee that attempts to assist them.

An article in the Harvard Business Review suggests that businesses empower their employees within boundaries. It further suggests that if the situation calls for a solution outside of those boundaries, the business should then require that its employee involve management. This is preferable to having the employee tell the customer there is nothing more that can be done, and potentially losing the customer’s business. This approach takes into account that, “employees often lack the experience, judgment, and discipline necessary to achieve this without breaking the bank.” But it still allows them the leeway to make some decisions on the spot.

The key to the success of a program of this type is “giving them a framework within which to operate… and feedback about how they are performing within that framework.” This empowers employees to WOW customers while minimizing abuses. At the same time, it ensures that larger issues which cannot be resolved within this framework get escalated to a manager. It also helps ensure that the employee doesn’t brush the customer off without satisfying them.

Customers don’t expect perfection. What they do expect, however, is for a business to make right a mistake. Many times, management fails to hear about issues because employees don’t escalate them. All too often, the first time management hears about an issue from an irate customer is via a bad review on Yelp or similar review site. This situation is avoidable. Whether you choose to give your employees free rein financially a la Ritz-Carlton or choose a more moderated form of empowerment as suggested by the Harvard Business Review, implementing some sort of empowerment on the employee level is a powerful way to retain customers and put out fires before they spread.

Articles are continuously being written in hopes of dissecting and duplicating the Apple Store experience for other businesses. I’ve even seen sessions at industry conferences that revolve around how to duplicate this in car dealerships. While I agree that it should be every dealership’s goal to achieve the level of loyalty that Apple has, an interesting thought occurred to me as I read about the legendary Apple “Five Steps of Service.” I thought about it, and car dealerships already use these steps and have since long before Apple Stores even existed. You might ask, “Why is Apple so successful at creating the customer experience that they do while car dealerships fall short?” Let’s examine why I believe dealers already have these steps in place, how they use them and where I believe they’re falling short.

Apple’s 5 Steps of Service are ensconced in the same-named acronym, A.P.P.L.E.

“Approach customer with a personalized, warm welcome.” Car dealerships have done this forever. It’s called the “Meet and Greet.” Just as Apple trains its employees to approach customers individually when they enter with a warm welcome, car dealers train their staff to welcome guests to the dealership.

“Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs.” In this step, Apple employees are trained to determine what the purpose of the customer’s visit is and assist them in finding a solution to their need or problem. Every front-line person at a car dealership already does this. If you’re a salesperson, you’re asking questions that will help you better advise a customer on which vehicle will be best suited for them. If you’re a service advisor, you’re identifying potential issues and setting up the proper inspections and/or making recommendations to the customer.

“Present a solution for the customer to take home today.” Apple isn’t necessarily talking about making a sale in this case but I’m sure it’s not far from their mind. No matter which department we’re talking about at your dealership, everyone is trained to “make the sale.” Whether that’s identifying a service need and offering a solution, or landing them on a vehicle that fits their wants and needs and asking for the sale.

“Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns.” In this step, Apple is including finding any “unexpressed” wishes or concerns. They train employees to ask questions to identify and address these unexpressed items. The same training is given to your dealership staff. Both your salespeople and service advisors are trained to listen to a customer’s objections to identify obstacles and remove them, if possible.

“End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.” Apple Store employees are trained to end each transaction by finding a way in which they can invite the customer back to the store. According to the article’s author, “How a person feels when they end a transaction significantly impacts how they perceive the brand and whether they are likely to recommend the brand to others.” Making sure that the transaction from start to finish is great is something that Apple recognizes as important. Dealerships should remember that it’s just as important for customers to leave the finance department, and ultimately your dealership, with the same excitement and happiness that conveyed when they first arrived.

The Apple Store mainly sells computers, phones and music players. Car dealerships sell cars. Everyone is just as, if not more, excited to get a new car as they are to get a new computer. If the Apple Store’s success secrets are being modeled by businesses nationally, and car dealerships have always been using similar steps, why is there such a distinction between the perceived experience of shopping at an Apple Store and that of a car dealership?

I believe that Apple has refined the art of selling the experience or what they call “enriching lives.” People don’t perceive Apple Store employees as salespeople but rather as consultants. They’re not expecting, nor do they usually receive, a hard sell. Yet few people make it out of an Apple Store without spending money. The key to transforming the customer experience at your dealership to one similar to that of an Apple Store has to do with perception. That perception can only be changed by ensuring that you have the right people working at your store who are genuinely interested in your customer’s wants and needs. The right employees are willing to listen and truly assist the customer in presenting a solution for their problem.

You already have the same steps in place to be successful that every Apple Store has. Make sure that you have the right people taking those steps. If you do, you’ll be able to transform your customer experience without changing a single process.

Articles are continuously being written in hopes of dissecting and duplicating the Apple Store experience for other businesses. I’ve even seen sessions at industry conferences that revolve around how to duplicate this in car dealerships. While I agree that it should be every dealership’s goal to achieve the level of loyalty that Apple has, an interesting thought occurred to me as I read about the legendary Apple “Five Steps of Service.” I thought about it, and car dealerships already use these steps and have since long before Apple Stores even existed. You might ask, “Why is Apple so successful at creating the customer experience that they do while car dealerships fall short?” Let’s examine why I believe dealers already have these steps in place, how they use them and where I believe they’re falling short.

Apple’s 5 Steps of Service are ensconced in the same-named acronym, A.P.P.L.E.

“Approach customer with a personalized, warm welcome.” Car dealerships have done this forever. It’s called the “Meet and Greet.” Just as Apple trains its employees to approach customers individually when they enter with a warm welcome, car dealers train their staff to welcome guests to the dealership.

“Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs.” In this step, Apple employees are trained to determine what the purpose of the customer’s visit is and assist them in finding a solution to their need or problem. Every front-line person at a car dealership already does this. If you’re a salesperson, you’re asking questions that will help you better advise a customer on which vehicle will be best suited for them. If you’re a service advisor, you’re identifying potential issues and setting up the proper inspections and/or making recommendations to the customer.

“Present a solution for the customer to take home today.” Apple isn’t necessarily talking about making a sale in this case but I’m sure it’s not far from their mind. No matter which department we’re talking about at your dealership, everyone is trained to “make the sale.” Whether that’s identifying a service need and offering a solution, or landing them on a vehicle that fits their wants and needs and asking for the sale.

“Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns.” In this step, Apple is including finding any “unexpressed” wishes or concerns. They train employees to ask questions to identify and address these unexpressed items. The same training is given to your dealership staff. Both your salespeople and service advisors are trained to listen to a customer’s objections to identify obstacles and remove them, if possible.

“End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.” Apple Store employees are trained to end each transaction by finding a way in which they can invite the customer back to the store. According to the article’s author, “How a person feels when they end a transaction significantly impacts how they perceive the brand and whether they are likely to recommend the brand to others.” Making sure that the transaction from start to finish is great is something that Apple recognizes as important. Dealerships should remember that it’s just as important for customers to leave the finance department, and ultimately your dealership, with the same excitement and happiness that conveyed when they first arrived.

The Apple Store mainly sells computers, phones and music players. Car dealerships sell cars. Everyone is just as, if not more, excited to get a new car as they are to get a new computer. If the Apple Store’s success secrets are being modeled by businesses nationally, and car dealerships have always been using similar steps, why is there such a distinction between the perceived experience of shopping at an Apple Store and that of a car dealership?

I believe that Apple has refined the art of selling the experience or what they call “enriching lives.” People don’t perceive Apple Store employees as salespeople but rather as consultants. They’re not expecting, nor do they usually receive, a hard sell. Yet few people make it out of an Apple Store without spending money. The key to transforming the customer experience at your dealership to one similar to that of an Apple Store has to do with perception. That perception can only be changed by ensuring that you have the right people working at your store who are genuinely interested in your customer’s wants and needs. The right employees are willing to listen and truly assist the customer in presenting a solution for their problem.

You already have the same steps in place to be successful that every Apple Store has. Make sure that you have the right people taking those steps. If you do, you’ll be able to transform your customer experience without changing a single process.