Auto dealers strongly believe that high retention and attraction of customers can translate to high profit. Satisfied customers ensure that the business will thrive better in the future. There are several ways on how an auto dealer can keep customers.
Primarily, auto dealers know that satisfying existing customers is less costly and a lot easier to convert them to repeat customers. So, if you are reading a lot regarding auto dealership then you know that a simple customer retention that goes up by 2 percent in a year helps in cost reduction by 10 percent. It is also a common fact that 50 percent of total revenues of all auto dealers came from 15 percent of their loyal customers.
Yet, the sad truth is that, customers tend to leave your company when they are not satisfied and when their needs are ignored. There are several reasons for this event and each reason needs to be addressed by the service advisors. Luckily, there are also several ways how this event can be fixed. But first, it is important to know why your customers are leaving so you’ll know exactly how to deal with them. The following are the top reasons why customers leave your company.
1. Your customer feels that they are being ignored.
When your customers feel that the attention they require is ignored, tendency is that they will leave your company and look for a service advisor who has all the time to answer their queries and even give more than they deserve. Usually, customers wanted their questions and concerns to get immediate response, this way they feel their value with the company.
2. Your customer dies.
Of course, regardless how long the customer had been loyal to your company, when they die, the possible profit that you may obtain from them dies as well. So it is also advised that you build a strong connection with family members of the customer who could also be a potential customer.
3. Customer leaves your segment.
There are times when the customer no longer has a need for your product and they simply leave your segment. This happens when you have nothing new to offer and their interest is not sustained. Thus continued innovation is required to keep them as your market.
4. Dissatisfaction of your customer.
Dissatisfied customers look for new service advisors. So it is important to be sensitive with their needs and how they wanted to be served. It is even recommended to go beyond the normal service protocol and provide them the best service that will make them attached with your company.
5. Competitors won the trust of your customer.
This is already a common scenario especially in industries with stiff competition. For you not get left behind by your customer, it is advised that you know what are the needs of your customer as well as what they might need in the future for you to be able to foresee how you can satisfy them.
How to Counter the Problem?
The reasons stated pose threats to your company and serve as potential risks in losing to the competition and in keeping your position in the industry. Yet, there are also a number of ways on how you can address the problem. The following list includes ways on how to address problems regarding customers that are leaving your company.
1. Monitor the Service Quality for Customers.
In a study, poor customer service results to around 80 percent of customer loss. What’s more damaging to this alarming customer loss is the fact that these customers tell other people about your brand and influence them not to patronize your company. So it is advised that all service advisors should have a standard in customer service and how customer concerns should be addressed. Moreso, conducting a regular evaluation on the performance of your service advisors also helps a lot in identifying areas of strength and weaknesses in customer handling.
2. Set a Loyalty Program.
This will help your customer know that they are valued inside your organization. You can create programs that rewards loyal customer like appreciation awards or referral rewards. You can also offer discounts on their next purchase. The idea is simply to let them feel that they are appreciated and valued in your company.
3. Build Feedback Loops.
Knowing how your customer feels about your organization can help you decide what course of action to implement so that you can retain them in your company.
Generally, service advisors needs to be on the lookout on possible changes in the preference of their customers since this may result to a shift in company or service provider. When you know how your customer behaves, you will be better able to devise strategies that will optimize your retention programs. This is a continued process that must be constantly studied and tailored to the customer needs, that is to keep your retention rate high as much as possible.
