While lead times for new car deliveries remain long with some manufacturers, on the whole they’re slowly improving - which is welcome news for sales teams. Customers are also gradually coming to terms with the delays that the industry is facing, and are increasingly more accommodating and understanding of the fact that they may have to wait a while after placing their order.

Nonetheless, it’s still important to have good processes, communication and customer management in place to keep customers in the loop, and ensure they remain excited about getting their hands on their new vehicle. This also helps customers view a dealership positively, as they feel more valued and reassured that they’re in good hands.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at the little things that you can do to build confidence in customers purchasing new vehicles. In particular, we’ll explore the role of efficient process management in strengthening connections and maximising opportunities for aftersales.

Building confidence

Working within the industry, you’ll be well aware of the delays in new car deliveries and the reasons why. But while the issues have had some mainstream media coverage, many customers still won’t fully understand the situation. This is why it’s critical to convey that information to customers, and help them understand that the situation is beyond the control of the dealership: a short explanatory video, made in CitNOW Sales, is an easy way to do this through a seamless integration with Dealerweb Showroom.

As the wait goes on, customers will naturally seek as much information as they can get, even if it’s just to put their mind at ease. The best dealerships will proactively contact customers to deliver relevant information on a regular basis, to minimise the risk of frustration. Dealerweb Showroom is ideal for these duties, as reminders can be set up for sending communication at the right time, and customer engagement can be tracked so that the same messages aren’t repeated. It can also be used to arrange finance quotes, start part exchange conversations, arrange test drives, and other means of maintaining engagement.

Further benefits include enabling smooth customer journeys across online and offline channels, with effective contact management between the two, and time-saving assistance with financial compliance.

Focusing on relationships

Connected to the previous point, a platform like Dealerweb Showroom that allows sales staff to make regular contact with customers can also help them put their valuable time to better use. The time saved through more efficient customer contact can be used to develop closer relationships over a long period of time. The same benefit can be gained through fast, efficient internal processes that reduce the administrative burden on the sales team.

With more time available, sales staff can personalise their touchpoints with customers, and can record and distribute videos that connect with customers at an individual level. For example, walkaround videos of demo vehicles can highlight specific features of the car (such as how to use the in-car entertainment system) to inform and entertain customers throughout their waiting time. Integration between CitNOW Sales and Dealerweb Showroom makes it easy for these videos to be created and sent out.

Supporting aftersales

Getting the first two areas right will have a positive knock-on impact on aftersales once a vehicle gets delivered.

While new vehicles are less likely to need repair work, they will need maintenance and health checks along the way (plus there is always the possibility of accident damage that requires attention). If a customer has a better perception of a dealership and the experience that they’ve gained throughout the sales process, then they will be more likely to return for any work they might need in the future.

This is where making the effort to satisfy customers even in tricky situations like delivery delays can really pay off in the long run. Combined with integrations within the Dealerweb platform, allowing sales teams to sell and quote service plans, and the tricky task of generating aftersales revenue can be made much easier.

For retailers to make the most of aftersales, they should encourage a proactive approach to the workshop. One way to do this would be to undertake and log valuations whilst customer vehicles are in the workshop, creating relevant trade-in and sales prospecting opportunities based on real data.

In summary

The issue of long wait times could be with us for some time yet, and while customer awareness of the issue is gradually increasing, managing their expectations will remain a long-term priority.

Open, regular, informative communication is the best way to achieve this, using a combination of sales management tools and personalised video to engage and entertain throughout. And by inspiring more confidence and reassurance among customers, you’ll be in a much stronger position to build strong, lasting relationships with them for years to come.

Explore how Dealerweb can help you delight your customers while simultaneously improving the efficiency of your sales team here.