Customers' expectations for their buying experiences are growing exponentially in every area of retail. In particular, they want faster, easier and more personalised journeys from start to finish - and the car-buying experience is no exception to this.

However, providing a comprehensive customer journey doesn’t just aid the buyer. It can also benefit the retailer through higher customer satisfaction rates, better customer retention and stronger sales in the long-term. At a time of fierce competition between dealerships for sales of both new and used vehicles, all of these benefits are vital for ongoing success.

In this blog, we’ll explore the three key ways you can improve the car buying experience you offer your customers, and how it can be so beneficial for them and for you.

Faster response times

Today’s customers don’t like to be kept waiting by a retailer when they’ve asked for information or made an enquiry. According to recent CitNOW Group research, 83% of customers expect to receive a response from a dealership the same day, and 27% within three hours.

Of course, sales teams will receive hundreds of enquiries every day, and fielding all of them sufficiently quickly can be hard, time-pressured work. This is where automation is useful in taking away the strain, simplifying the creation of fast, personalised responses with formatted email templates and click-to-call functionality. Additionally, a centralised system for collecting, managing and responding to leads can strip out time-consuming admin, and allow for better coordination of lead response.

These technologies also serve a valuable purpose in responding to leads according to the preferences of each individual customer. Three-quarters of customers expect a response through the same method they used to make the enquiry (e.g. phone, email, etc.), and 21% prefer email communications if outside of conventional working hours. A lead management system ensures that sales executives follow up each lead in the right way.

Frustration-free engagement

As well as receiving fast responses, customers also want their progress towards a purchase to be as hassle-free as possible. Common areas where customers get frustrated include having to provide personal information multiple times, having to spend long periods of time on the phone or in the showroom, or being impacted by avoidable human errors. All of these can contribute to a negative perception of a dealership, impacting long-term sales and customer retention.

A structured, tech-led approach to lead management can ensure these issues are avoided. Customer information should be captured in a centralised database, so that any employee can access data as required at any stage of the sales journey. Better integration means the timeframe of the journey can be better managed and made more efficient, and wider access to data vastly reduces the risk of human errors causing disruption.

Furthermore, integrating key sales and customer management solutions into a single platform reduces the amount of manual touchpoints within the customer journey, and cuts out duplication of data entry across multiple solutions. This can help improve the speed of sales and make the sales process pain-free for both parties.

Focused personalisation

Now more than ever, customers want a sales process that is tailored to their individual needs and desires - and if they don’t receive this from a particular retailer, they are likely to shop elsewhere. A big part of getting this personalisation right is the building of a trusted, friendly relationship between sales executive and the customer. But that isn’t the whole story: a dealership’s processes must support opportunities for personalisation throughout the customer journey, too.

There are two key things that sales teams can do to deliver on customers’ expectations around personalisation. The first is timing: ensuring customers receive the right communications and answers to their questions at the right parts of the process. Lead management systems help in this area, as sales executives can plan ahead and produce personalised, automated responses ahead of time.

The second lies in how those trusted relationships can be built beyond face-to-face contact in the showroom, especially if a customer’s initial enquiry was made digitally. Creating and sending personalised videos can make a real difference here, enabling customers to not only get answers to their specific questions. It also allows sales executives to adopt a consultative, advice-led approach that helps customers feel both informed and valued.

In summary

Ensuring that customers get a co-ordinated, personalised and seamless journey towards buying a vehicle will help them feel great about their purchase. But it’ll also help your business feel great too:

• You’ll retain more customers, both for future car sales and for after-sales
• You’ll gain new customers who have been referred by your existing satisfied customer base
• You’ll operate more efficiently, allowing you to maximise your sales in less time and for less money

Lead management technology like Dealerweb is vital to delivering on the rising expectations of today’s car buyers. To find out more on how we can support your sales processes, talk to the friendly Dealerweb team today.