I was getting ready to write a blog about "Mobile-First," because I had a hunch that mobile phones are everywhere. Well, I cannot claim it is a hunch any longer because when you look around everybody has a mobile phone and more specifically a smartphone. So, I started doing some research and the data blew me away. Between the ages of 19 and 49, 94% of this population in the USA have smartphones.

Yes, that number is 94%! (1)

Well if that is the case, wouldn't rational logic dictate that we start by making sure every digital interaction is mobile friendly? It makes sense as mobile communications lead all other forms of communication. I ask you honestly, as dealer principals, owners, general managers, and service directors, how many of you have gone to your website and tried to perform the functions that you need to perform as a consumer to buy a car or schedule service for your car, or get a tow truck for your car? I think you would be very surprised. And not in a good sort of way!

Everybody goes to their smartphone from time to time and looks at their website to see how it behaves or to answer a question. But one of the big interaction points most people forget, that is initiated from the mobile phone, is texting. Text communications have become prevalent. So, it's not good enough to just have websites that are mobile responsive, they also need to be communications friendly.

Yes, mobile websites have to be communications friendly including all forms of mobile communications and texting communications!  Mobile-first web design is vital.

By that I mean you should be able to text or call from any page on the website, and the text/call has to be intelligently routed depending on which page you are on. The text (because you know the phone number of the mobile phone) should be routed to the right person, depending on whether or not that individual has some sort of an issue open. If a person calls it should be routed to the right person that is currently handling their case. Although, based on our experience, if you made texting truly easy and intelligent on your mobile website, your call volume would drop significantly!

I propose a very simple measure. If you do this exercise honestly and get 80% or higher you are on the right path. Even if there is scope for improvement you would have a mobile-first friendly site that users would like to use. 

Additionally, you can add dimensions like “Easy to Find,” and “Clarity of page,” but for now I think this is a good starting point. 

Each measure is given 1 point and the ability to call is given a 50% weightage, as consumers do not really like to call because they are too busy to be “put on hold.”

 If you are below 80%, please call in your webmaster and get to work!

 For some of you who may not know what a “responsive” web page is, please look at the images below as an example. One shows how it appears on a desktop, the other on a mobile device. The same mobile webpage when viewed on a desktop shows up in landscape mode and fills a large monitor. However, it will also sense a mobile device and reformat itself to portrait mode and stack the text and images on top of each other for easy readability:

Desktop

Mobile

1 https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/

When looking at the future of the auto industry, specifically retail, it’s easy to get caught up in the “shiny objects” and focus on all the cool technology such as autonomous cars, ride-sharing, virtual reality sales, and all of the “disruptors” that are entering the space.

This can serve as a bit of a distraction and, as a result, many tend to stop thinking about the single most important thing in all of this: The Customer. Yes, some would argue that so-called disruptors are focusing on the customer – and these new technologies are certainly attempting to identify customer pain points.

But let’s stop for a minute and think about the commonality that exists in every disruptor -- they work hard to provide convenience, better customer interaction and engagement.

The future of the retail auto industry lies in the transformation of the customer experience in both sales and service. When interacting with your dealership, customers simply want the process to be easy, take less time and be more convenient for them, not for you.

Dealerships who learn this and adapt quickly will find that customers interact with them more often – and you certainly can’t sell or service a vehicle without interaction. It is vital to enable transactions through a channel of your customer’s choice. And those channels change dynamically depending on the reason for the interaction. For example, when scheduling service many customers just want to call in and make their appointment and get an email confirmation. When getting their vehicle serviced they would like text updates about vehicle status and want to receive their recommendation via email, so they can quickly review and approve. If it is a big repair, they probably want to call and talk to someone to get clarification.

There will always be tire-kickers, those who like to negotiate for hours at a dealership and even those who want a 100% online car-buying process. Each of those customers simply wants to interact in different ways and have it be their choice … not one you force on them.

When a customer wants to interact with you through a specific channel but you don’t offer it, what happens then? They will deal with you this one time, but will probably pick some other store that is “friendlier” the next time.

Due to the speed of technology development, our industry is in a transformative state. However, there will always be a need for interaction at some level. So don’t get lost in all the “shiny objects” as really it all boils down to is one thing: Customer interactions that promote convenience.