The famous Albert Mehrabian developed a communication model in which he demonstrated that only 7% of what we communicate consists of the literal content of the message. The use of one’s voice, such as tone, intonation, and volume, makes up 38% of the message and as much as 55% of communication consists of non-verbal factors such as body language.

I’m sure you can think of a phrase that could mean totally different things should the emphasis be placed differently. That’s why great salespeople excel when the customer is in front of them. They know to mimic customer behavior and use these non-verbal communicators to their advantage and to emphasize and sell. And it works.

Today we live in a new society filled with digital communications – emails, chat, and text, to name a few. The problem is that the more non-verbal communication you utilize, the less effective the communication becomes. Yet we continue to try to communicate with our customers via solutions that, while they may be convenient, are less effective and can lead to misunderstandings.

A big trend currently favored in the automotive industry is texting. While it is very effective for short messages that need quick answers, salespeople who rely on texting to sell cars will find it difficult, or almost impossible, to accomplish what could be done with the customer in front of them or on the phone. And this includes service advisors delivering service recommendations. Yes, I am a huge supporter of texting to improve communications with customers under some circumstances – it is a great way to get hold of the customer and send them a link to the recommendations so you are not playing constant phone tag. But if it is a repair that needs explaining, I can guarantee that the customer is going to have questions and will want to discuss it on the phone.

So let us examine a quick interaction for a service repair, one attempted solely with text and another with a combination of text and voice calls.

Advisor - Text: “Our technician has found some issues with your car, I am sending you an estimate below:
1. Battery failed battery test - Replace Battery - $299.50
2. Remove air cleaner and coil packs replace spark plugs - $214.25
That would be $513.75 in addition to your A service which would be a total of $889.92”

 Customer - Text: “Whoa, hold on there?  Why so much?  What is a coil pack? My car was working when I got there, why a new battery?

VERSUS

Advisor - Text: “Our technician has found some issues with your car, when might I call you?

Customer Calls: The Service Advisor talks to the customer and explains that they put the car through multiple tests and the battery test had failed and if the battery was not replaced, then the car might stall on the freeway or may not start in the parking lot, also explains why the spark plugs need replacement etc. Lets the customer know that he will summarize this and send it back to the customer along with the discount that they agreed on.

 Advisor Text: I am sending you the prices as we agreed:
1. Battery failed battery test - Replace Battery - $299.50
2. Remove air cleaner and coil packs replace spark plugs - $214.25
That would be $513.75 in addition to your A service which would be a total of $889.92.  Your discount is $89.92 and we will be doing this for $800 even”

Customer Text: Sure go ahead

While the interaction above is representative of an example that I found in our communications database, the numbers have been altered to protect any proprietary information.  The combination of multiple channels of communications is extremely effective, especially when you have to justify an expense that the customer was not expecting.  

I am a huge advocate of texting and other modern methods of communication to help better service the customer and keep them in the loop on such things as the progress of their vehicle during service, changing appointment times, etc. However, it is not the be all and end all of communication.

Tech giant Apple recognized this problem when it rolled out audio text capabilities. Emojis have become modern versions of hieroglyphics in an attempt to add expressiveness, emphasis, and interpretation to text messages. But they aren’t perfect and an emoji certainly wouldn’t stand up in court as issuing consent, understanding or agreement.

When considering how best to communicate, it is important to factor in which channel is most appropriate and will be the most effective. Every channel of communication has certain advantages but some are simply more effective and reliable than others depending upon the reason for communicating. The magic phrase in my mind is:

When might I call you?

Take a look at how you are communicating with your customers and be sure to choose the right channel for the right circumstance. This increases the probability that your customers will interact with you with full comprehension and without misinterpretation. And that means happy and loyal customers, improved CSI and increased Gross Profits.

Not too long ago your service department could rely on seeing customers fairly frequently, but as vehicles have increased in quality, so have the OEM’s suggested service intervals – some are now as much as 15,000 miles between oil changes.

To put this into perspective, in the past, if a customer drove 15,000 miles annually they would visit the dealership on average five times per year. The dealership had five opportunities to recommend additional services and build relationships with the customer. You no longer can count on having as many opportunities to wow customers or pick up additional service business.

So, what do many dealers do? Increase messaging and inundate customers with phone calls, emails, texts and direct mail.

There seems to be a futile focus on trying to bring the customer back after he or she has left the dealership. What this means is that the dealer feels obligated to bombard the consumer with messages via email, direct mail, and phone calls...all of which seem to guarantee just one thing ...that the customer is going to ignore you!

With diminished opportunities, consider reviewing your messaging and be more careful and strategic about the messages you send. While getting the initial visit may have been easy, keeping the customer is becoming more and more difficult as they become used to increased vehicle reliability along with greater competition from other independent service centers in the marketplace, enticing them away with offers of lower prices and greater convenience.

While increased vehicle reliability may decrease opportunities, the wise dealer can capitalize on this by being ready to service their customers when they demand it. And, if you provide ways for the customer to interact with your dealership by their preferred method – be it text, phone, chat or email -- you can still achieve loyalty and increased customer retention.

Customers must know that your dealership is available to them when they need it and will assist them with their vehicle needs at their convenience – not the dealership’s. Keep that in mind the next time you feel like telling a customer you can’t service their car when they want it serviced.

Between endless meetings, work-related tasks and familial responsibilities it probably seems as if you’re continuously pulled in different directions. Our society has devolved into a place where we often fail to stop and notice important things, simply because we’re so busy satisfying the needs and wants from those we love, or to those whom we have to answer.

A perfect illustration of how distracted our society has become is a wonderful story about internationally acclaimed virtuoso Joshua Bell, one the nation’s greatest violinists, commanding  fees upwards of $1,000 per minute performing to sold out crowds. He also loves to play anonymously in the D.C. Metro during rush hour. What is amazing is that during 43 minutes of playing, only one person recognized him and he made just $32.17 in tips.

Today, people are so busy wrapped up in their own lives that many don’t want any intrusion – even if that intrusion is one of beauty and song – and they simply don’t listen. This is exactly why consumers get so annoyed when telemarketers or your salespeople call in the middle of dinner.

We cannot make more time. We can only do the best with what we have. Because of that, people get annoyed when salespeople intrude on that time. So how do the Amazons, Apples, and Googles of the world continue to thrive and win the hearts and minds of their customers? It’s all about providing interactions the way the customer needs and desires.

Would it surprise you if I told you that Amazon Prime members now outnumber non-Amazon Prime members? Yes, a majority of customers are willing to pay a company $99 per year to do business with them. Why? It’s all about convenience.

Consumer behavior now dictates which companies thrive, which merely survive and which disappear. Consumers have – and will always have – the leverage to make these decisions.

And that leverage lies directly in their perception of your company; if you provide an excellent customer experience and make it convenient to do business with you and save them time…

… Or do you intrude upon it? It’s your choice. How do you interact with your customers and wish to be perceived?

Partnership enhances customer interaction with auto dealer service customers, boosting sales and retention

 LONG BEACH, Calif., and ATLANTA, GA -- November 22, 2016 -- myKaarma, the cloud based conversational commerce software that’s revolutionizing the auto service industry and MDL autoMation (MDL – formerly MyDealerLot), a leader in RFID and License Plate Recognition (LPR) technology, today announced a partnership and integration to help streamline and improve the auto service customer’s experience. The integration pairs myKaarma’s internal and customer-facing messaging with MDL’s automated arrival technology to help auto dealers further improve communication and interaction with service customers.

“MDL continues to partner with leading companies that provide high-value technologies to auto dealer sales and service operations. Our integration with myKaarma uses our award-winning Service Drive Concierge™ platform to message a variety of events (customer arrival, vehicle wash, loaner returns) using RFID or License Plate Recognition Technology directly to myKaarma to enhance the service customer’s experience to increase sales and retention,” said George Cresto, MDL Founder and CEO.

As soon as a customer pulls into the service drive MDL transmits the VIN to the myKaarma system and a message is immediately sent to the assigned service advisor, notifying them that a customer has arrived. If desired, a message can also be texted to the customer welcoming them to the dealership. myKaarma can also send a message to the customer when their vehicle is completed in the car wash. Additionally, a message can be sent to the service department when a customer returns with their loaner. This improves communication and interaction with service customers as well as the overall speed and efficiency of the service transaction, resulting in happier customers.

“Responsiveness, helpfulness and engagement are more important than ever in retaining today’s customers. If it is not a fast, pleasant and easy experience for service customers when interacting with your dealership, the customer will go elsewhere,” said Ujj Nath, CEO of myKaarma. “We designed our platform to be the cleanest channel that connects customers with the dealer. Our integration with MDL further improves how dealers can interact with and maintain good communication with their customers, ensuring improved CSI and higher profits, Nath added.

For more information, or to schedule a product demonstration, visit www.mdlautomation.com or www.mykaarma.com

 # # # # #

About MDL autoMation: (MDL)

Formerly known as MyDealerLot, MDL is the country's leader in providing process improvement through Instant Guest Recognition & Messaging using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technologies and now LPR technologies. MDL systems are installed in leading U.S. dealerships enabling a 'Ritz Carlton' level of service, increased customer retention, improved CSI, and sales opportunities. MDL's Bluetooth beacon solution Bloodhound™ and RFID Zonal Tracking enable complete asset tracking of both Service and Inventory vehicles. MDL's web-based Dispatch Master effectively manages the movement operation of guest or inventory vehicles. See www.mdlautomation.com for more information.

MDL Media Contact:

Jennifer Breza
jbreza@mdlautomation.com
888-635-7343

About myKaarma:

myKaarma is a conversational commerce software company for automotive dealerships that focuses on enhancing the retail service department experience. myKaarma's platform gives dealers the ability to offer their customers 21st Century technology  through digital conversations and smart payment systems. myKaarma was named as an official communications and payments partner for Mercedes-Benz USA.

myKaarma Media Contact:
Thomas Ross 
tom.ross@mykaarma.com

562.349.1356 

An Insight into Human-Centric Design

One click ordering. Buy it now. Same day delivery. Dash buttons where all you have to do is press a button and the item is shipped. You can even place orders through Amazon’s Alexa with a voice command.

Businesses like Amazon have grown into hugely popular industry giants because they understand what customers want and when they want it. And, for the most part, they want it NOW!

Design For Change

Our society has transitioned to a self-service customer service model. Before that, customer service was handled in a human-only model, with bank tellers, cashiers, travel agents, and other similar service positions. Now, we can do all of our banking online: pay our bills, arrange for travel, and even go grocery shopping, completing the entire transaction with no need for human assistance. The reason these self-service opportunities exist is two-fold.  Firstly, it’s convenient for the customer and cost efficient for the business. Secondly, if a customer can accomplish all they need without an employee, that’s potentially one less employee on the payroll.

However, occasionally the customer cannot accomplish all they need without some assistance. Despite the desire for instant gratification and self-service convenience, occasionally most customers will encounter a roadblock which cannot be handled with digital technology. They will need the help of an actual human being.

When those occasions arise, this transfer needs to be seamless for the customer, as they will probably be short on patience and get quickly fed up. I’m sure many of you have been there – forced to endure endless phone trees, explaining the problem to several different representatives before finally getting someone who can actually help solve the problem.

Today’s consumers want help immediately and efficiently, with zero inconvenience. Anything short of that will potentially cause the customer to defect to another retailer who can quickly and conveniently help them. Who can blame them? Inconvenience is irritating.

Humans Have Adapted

As technology has evolved, consumers have learned that they don’t need a live person to help them, most of the time. Technology has also trained consumers to have little patience with a poor customer experience, such as excessive hold times, imperfect communication skills, and any lack of helpfulness. Today’s customers feel that the world is at their fingertips and they no longer have to do business with any specific company.

This is how the world is evolving. Knowing that, it would be a wise move to carefully examine how easy it is for customers to do business with your dealership. Responsiveness, helpfulness, and engagement are more important than ever. Make it easy and convenient for all customers to interact with your dealership. Ensure that when they need you, you are there and can help – right then, with no delay – in whatever way the customer wishes to interact with you.

Anything less than that and you may just find your customer moving on to your competition.

How many times per day do you decline to answer your phone because you don’t know who is calling? How many pieces of mail do you throw away unopened on a daily basis? Are all the promotional mail pieces going straight into the trash can once a week?

Well, do you think your customers act any differently?

Sure, you get some bites on the line here and there and, for some, it’s worth it because perhaps you sell more cars and make more gross than the cost of the phone calls or direct mail. Or perhaps you think it is the result of a salesperson pounding the phones completing some “to-do” list that they really aren’t invested in.

As technology has advanced many people don’t leave voicemails anymore. In fact, they don’t even listen to voicemails. And the emails that happen to sneak through a spam filter into an in-box get trashed as fast as a person can click delete – mostly before it is even read. Especially when a customer didn’t request the information in the first place. And, with the sheer volume of emails, if the customer is distracted when your email arrives in the inbox your message may well be on the second screen, out of view, by the time they are ready to view it. However, dealers keep sending thousands of emails and keep leaving those voicemails … and they keep being ignored by your customers!

If emails and voicemails are no longer effective, how are you supposed to communicate with your customers?

As a society, we have been conditioned to expect spam – both via voice and email – but many, especially millennials, still pay attention to one thing – text messages. In fact, over 98% of them are read – and 90% are read within 30 seconds! If they’re relevant, they get a response. Texts are typically short, can be responded to quickly and without much interruption – they are convenient and less intrusive.

If you want to sell a vehicle or get through to a customer to recommend additional service or get their approval for your service recommendations, I guarantee that calling someone while at work or enjoying dinner will get you a voicemail. And, in most cases, that templated email will only be read by the customer’s spam filter.

Is it all about the process? Or should we be more concerned about making sure customer interaction actually occurs – that the communication is something the customer will actually respond to so a conversation can occur? I know which one is more profitable.

CRM as we know it is dead. Its sole purpose was to replace index cards and rolodexes with a more organized digital solution – one which helped salespeople more efficiently follow-up, track and manage conversations. However, in most cases, the ultimate beneficiary is the user, not the customer.

In terms of communication, today’s world is filled with noise. So many businesses compete to communicate with and attract the attention of consumers. Ultimately none of these messages are received. Why? People have stopped listening. We are all tired of those unsolicited phone calls, email solicitations and direct mail. I am sure you throw them away, just like me. If the primary functionality of a CRM is to communicate with people, and those people have stopped listening to you, then it no longer serves much purpose. Yet an average dealer will spend north of $3K per month on this futile exercise. The people have voted and businesses are blocked from their digital and physical lives! They are fed up with intrusions upon their limited time.

However, technology now provides a far superior way to communicate with people. Just like we evolved from note cards and rolodexes to CRMs, the next evolution is happening -- and the companies that pay attention are winning. Today’s consumers interact with and do business with companies that pay attention to their needs. Businesses that listen to and make it convenient for customers to do business will win. If you doubt this, simply consider how easy it is to spend money with Amazon. From “one-click” to “Dash” buttons – and now you can simply verbally tell Amazon Echo what you want -- you don’t even need to touch a computer, get up from the couch, or go anywhere. You can order a Hyundai delivered right to your front door for a test drive. You can complete the entire car buying process online and collect the vehicle from a vending machine. No humans required.

It’s no longer about relationship management, it’s about managing interactions. Try it, improve your customer interactions by simply listening to and making it easier for your customers to do business with you. You should see increased sales and market share, along with unprecedented retention. Continue to communicate the same old way that you always have and your customers will find someone who WILL listen to them.