In my last blog, I shared some tips about how dealerships can help protect customers and staff in their service departments during this challenging time. In addition to having the precautions in place, it is important to know how to correctly communicate…

Service retention rates in dealerships have been steadily declining over the last three years, according to Affinitiv’s recent Automotive Loyalty Trends study, which analyzed data from more than 1,000 auto dealerships.

In domestic brand dealerships, service retention rates have dropped from 61.2% to 60.2%. At import brand dealerships,…

Repeat buyers account for an increasing share of new vehicle sales and now represent 31% of all new vehicles purchased at a dealership, compared to 29% a few years ago. This trend is good news for dealers due to the lower cost of retaining vs. acquiring customers.

Unfortunately, this trend is expected to decline due to a lack of improvement in…

Grapevine, Texas, January 7, 2019 -- DealerBuilt, an enterprise Dealer Management System (DMS) for automobile…

Technology companies often focus on their products and leave service levels far behind. They rely on shiny objects and whiz-bang features to sell products. Companies that lead with technology often forget that the result of a customer interaction isn’t the technology – it’s how the customer feels using the technology. At fusionZONE, we strive to be…

“Our lives move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.” – Craig Groeschel, Senior Pastor of Life Church & Bestselling Author

We all have our own beliefs, some of which tend to be universal. Such as the above statement from Craig Groeschel, which, in my opinion, is simply too powerful…

In search of service revenue, dealerships turn to randomly scheduling service appointments regardless of shop capacity. Or they take everyone that drives up. This can easily overwhelm the service department. It leaves customers frustrated and causes a LOSS in service revenue from both new/drive-up customers and customers with appointments.

How…

Grapevine, Texas, December 10, 2019 -- DealerBuilt, an enterprise Dealer Management System (DMS) for automobile…

"Back to the Future" is a fantastic film franchise. I'm just going to put my bias for it right out there from the get-go. I’m not sure about you, but I am particularly fond of 1980s science fiction movies. The 1985 classic was visionary, and the sequel where they go 30 years into the future is shockingly accurate with its technology predictions. It predicted…

Recall completion percentages have been increasing, but despite increased communication attempts, that increase is hitting a plateau.

A recent trend reveals that many vehicle owners are very interested in mobile services. Currently, the percentage of independent repair shops that offer mobile services dramatically outweighs franchised dealers.…

Consumers have grown tired of the countless vanilla marketing messages many companies keep sending (and yes, that includes OEMs and dealers.) However, the marketing tactic that is enjoying success is relevant marketing directly aimed at a specific individual. Relevance is the key to winning today’s consumers. But, it’s not only about relevance, it also…

That feeling of dread – the letter arrives at the dealership with a return address from an attorney you don’t recognize, addressed to "Owner" or "General Manager." Inside is a demand letter indicating that your website or mobile application is inaccessible as required under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). You need to contact them right away to…

A recent Affinitiv survey of 1,000 automotive consumers reveals that dealerships are falling short when it comes to delivering personalized, online shopping experiences to customers. In the same study, we analyzed a sample of 100 dealer websites to better understand the current level of personalization that dealers are offering.

Why the focus…

“Hey Alexa, order me more shampoo. Also, can you get me a trade number on customer Smith, make sure that our inventory is up to date online, improve my service drive experience, skyrocket our profitability, and find out why John didn't show up today? Thanks, Alexa!”

Anyone else tired of hearing that Amazon, Apple, and Google should be the gold…

When we think of using customer data, it’s often in the context of marketing. I’ve written previously on how…

Over the years, Google has firmly established itself as the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to search ads. After all, it is, without a doubt, the most used search engine. And, because of that, enjoys the monetary benefits from many ads.

In the automotive industry, to gain valuable traffic from in-market consumers, dealers compete with…

"There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties; or you alter yourself to meet them," ~Writer, Phyllis Bottome.

For those of you that know me, or if you have followed my blogs for a while, you probably know that customer service is a passion of mine. I genuinely…

A recent article from consulting giant Deloitte has added new importance to the role of retailer websites in the average consumer’s vehicle purchase journey. According to the results of its…

Customer experience and standing out from the competition by excelling at customer satisfaction is still very much a good business practice today. Time is valuable for today's busy consumers, and many dislike the vehicle service experience at dealerships because of long wait times.

Loaner cars and shuttles help, but they can end up making it…

For such a small word, the word ‘data’ packs a pretty big punch. Some marketers get overwhelmed when they hear it because they believe it’s complicated. Others give it a bad rap without really understanding the benefits.

Yet it’s difficult to deny the advantages of data-driven marketing:

• 2 out of 3 leading marketers admit…