The simple answer to this question is:  It depends on how much you value your Customers.

Over the last 20 years the automotive sales process has changed dramatically due to advanced technologies and the internet.  In the past, maintaining contact with Customers relied primarily upon direct mail, phone, or radio/television promotions and marketing.  From the sales perspective the responsibility usually fell on the Salesperson staying in touch with their Customers.  We all know how that works in most cases.

Managing Customer retention is one of the most important functions of every aspect of marketing your Dealership.  Satisfied Customers will usually return or refer other potential Customers if they are kept in contact and given occasional incentives from the Dealership.   With today’s Internet and social media technology giving us such easy access to Customers, CRM Software is one of the best investments your dealership can make.  It is both efficient and very cost effective. 

Why the Internet and social media?  Because people like to use it.  Considering that 85% of Americans over the age of eighteen use the Internet, not utilizing its tremendous resources for Contact Management and Customer Support is an oversight you cannot afford. Through Social Media, follow-up can now be handled in an easy, fun and creative way.  People like to stay in touch this way and you can easily monitor the response to your efforts by the Likes, Dislikes or Comments that you receive.

Having the ability to connect with your Customers via phone text or social media also eliminates the uncertainty of wondering if they received or answered a phone message.  The response time can be instantaneous giving you a much more efficient and reliable contact process.

With the ease of access and speed of transmission that Internet technology offers today, there is really no reason why any Dealership or BDC department should not take full advantage of what CRM Software has to offer for your Customer Retention Management.