AM Online Customer Journey 2014

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PUBLICATION MARCH 2014

TIME IS RUNNING OUT A customer will buy a car within seven weeks. Can you win them?

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THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

WELCOME

When a UK consumer decides it is time to change their car, it takes them seven weeks on average to complete the process. Typically, it is towards the end of this period that a consumer will visit dealerships, but fewer than two on average. When they get through the doors, they’re ready to buy.

This means the pressure is on a manufacturer brand and its dealers to be visible and engaging early on in the customer’s journey in order to stand a chance of selling them a car.

The internet allows the customer to research the brands and cars, learn their strengths and weaknesses from reviews and videos, validate their final choice with friends on social media and track down the offers that appeal most. It lets them get a guide value of their trade-in and explore options for funding the purchase, before finally contacting the dealers they may visit.

Can you afford to stand by while all this happens? Get online, engage them.

The AM editorial team am@bauermedia.co.uk

Jeremy Bennett Editor

Tim Rose Managing editor

Tom Seymour Content manager

CONTENTS 5 Consumer trends

14 Merging digital into physical

The habits of your customers are changing fast. Are you keeping up? What may have counted as an adequate online presence for a motor retailer five years ago feels antiquated now. This article explores the current trends behind customer behaviour in the digital space.

The online journey shows the customer there is plenty of choice out there. By the time they decide to visit the dealer’s showroom, they know they don’t need to accept a poor experience.

Thankfully, there are systems and processes to support the dealer in ensuring the physical experience lives up to digital expectations.

10 Enticing tools Dealers are compelled by their manufacturer partners to invest in their physical showrooms in key locations to uphold a certain image to consumers. But what are the equivalent tools that franchisees should be embracing to attract the customer who is searching in the digital space?

17 CRM Automotive industry experts share their hottest tips on how dealers can win the customer for the long term through database management, retention tools, social media engagement and focused staff.

C O N TA C T U S If you or someone you know are aged between 16 and 24 and are interested in work experience opportunities at Bauer Media go to www.gothinkbig.co.uk Editor Jeremy Bennett 01733 468261 Managing editor Tim Rose 01733 468266 Brand content manager Tom Seymour 01733 468343 Contributors Steve Johnson, Debbie Kirlew, Sarah Tooze, Richard Yarrow

Sponsored by

AM production Head of publishing Luke Neal 01733 468262 Designer Charlotte Boon 01733 468312 Production editors Andrew Ryan 01733 468310 Finbarr O’Reilly 01733 468267 Project managers Leanne Patterson 01733 468332 Kerry Unwin 01733 468327 Angela Price 01733 468338 AM advertising Commercial director Sarah Crown 01733 366466 Group advertisement manager Sheryl Graham 01733 366467

Account managers Richard Kerr 01733 366473 Sara Donald 01733 366474 AM publishing Managing director Tim Lucas 01733 468340 Office manager Vicky Meadows 01733 468319 Group managing director Rob Munro-Hall Chief executive officer Paul Keenan

Published by Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, registered address 1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2RF. Registered number 01176085.

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THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

CONSUMER TRENDS

Don’t let your customers leave you behind online As more of the car-buying process moves online, dealers must be aware of the trends in mobile websites, videos, live chat, independent reviews and real-time service booking

Need to kNow n websites must cater for growing number of mobile users n Live chat and independent reviews becoming ‘must-haves’ n dealers must personalise customers’ digital experience

By Steve Johnson he digital tools now available to address automotive customers’ needs are powerful, effective and transforming processes across vehicle sales and servicing. From video to live chat, mobile devices and review facilities, these tools are not only meeting customers’ needs and expectations, but are making a sizeable and measurable difference to dealership successes.

Firstly, some basics – consistent, high-performance online delivery of information to PCs, tablets and smartphones is a pre-requisite for engaging your customers or they will, literally, be turned off.

Lauren Cooke, of digital specialists BlueSky Interactive, said: “Responsive design has been the biggest change – there’s

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72% of tablet users buy something via tablets each week

68% of users conduct research about potential purchases on their smartphone

really no need to maintain separate PC and mobile websites.

Responsive websites raise conversion levels and are better for SEO purposes.”

The motor trade understands that mobile use is on the rise.

GForces commercial director tim Smith reported that 50% of mobile phone users use it as their primary means of accessing the internet, 72% of tablet users make a purchase online via tablets every week and 68% of users conduct research about potential purchases on their smartphone.

“We see a 30% increase in visits once a client’s site has gone responsive,” he said. trustFord (previously Ford Retail Group) backs up these numbers. Marketing and ecommerce director Celia Pronto said: “We have seen an uplift in our online activity. Customers booking a service are increasingly using mobile devices, while those looking to buy a vehicle are using laptops, tablets and mobile.

“Telephone also remains an important enquiry channel and customers want a click-to-call facility. We truly believe that this omni-channel offering is the future of automotive retailing.”

Whatever the device or time of enquiry, speed of response is

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THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY becoming a key differentiator. If the customer, typically browsing in the evenings or weekends, doesn’t get a quick response, there’s every chance their interest will be lost. trader Media Group’s Nick king said: “A recent survey said that 68% of respondents wanted a response to an enquiry within four hours, preferably one hour. Our experience is that on average, 50% take more than 24 hours to return a call or respond to an email. And that’s plainly not good enough.”

Live chat – the must-have tool for dealers Live chat is becoming a must-have tool for dealers, particularly to address the customer’s growing desire for ‘instant’ attention. Cambria Automobiles and Ridgeway both use external resources to support their live chat programmes.

Cambria Automobiles marketing director Ian Godbold said: “We are currently receiving 200-plus live chats daily, with a high level of activity between 7pm and 10pm. Quite simply, customers do not want to wait for an email response and we receive numerous testimonials that they were amazed someone was available out of hours.”

Ridgeway Group’s experience is equally compelling. From late 2010 until the end of 2013, it held nearly 34,000 conversations, which resulted in more than 9,000 leads.

Philip deacon, group marketing manager, said its live chat facility was “now a seven-day-a-week, 80-hour facility. We learned about the value of live chat from the start, adapting our style as we became more experienced, and how to convert a chat to a sales lead. All conversations are analysed to see where improvements can be made.”

Independent review sites such as Reevoo offer consumers transparency about their buying choices

CONSUMER TRENDS

34,000 the number of live chat conversations Ridgeway held between late 2010 and the end of 2013

9,000 the number of leads that resulted from these conversations

40% the approximate response rate among motor industry users of the Reevoo review site

the rise of the independent review There’s consensus, too, in the value and growing popularity of online customer reviews. Consumers want transparency about their buying choices, whether manufacturer or dealerorientated and they increasingly look for what others are saying.

There’s nothing wrong with dealers or manufacturers inviting their own customer feedback and publishing the results, but real credibility can come only from using an independent, fully moderated service, such as Reevoo or JudgeService.

Reevoo chief marketing officer Peter Simpson said there was real progress in this area and the motor industry was taking to online reviews well. ”We are getting excellent results and every one is a qualified contact. At around 40% response (retail sector 15%), we are confident that this represents a valid, reliable cross-section and not just the extremes of very satisfied/unsatisfied.

“Kia [which won this year’s AM Award for Best Manufacturer Digital Initiative] is leading the way, not only in tracking every bit of data that we generate, but in how it parades the results. By incorporating the scores in advertising, showrooms and as part of the sales process, it is reaping tangible success.

“Our work with Vauxhall, Mazda, Volvo and Hyundai suggests that we are heading towards the point where independent reviews will be a must-have facility before too long.”

The benefits of customer reviews also extend to dealership initiatives. As one of the 20 or so retailers to sign up with Reevoo, Jardine Motors uses its customer data as part of its management information dashboard presentations.

Simpson said the data and feedback provides manufacturers and dealers with the opportunity to use social media channels to promote successes and respond to any negative situations.

Blue Sky Interactive’s experience supports these developments, with dealers saying that 50% of visitors to the websites they manage are clicking to see JudgeService review content.

Video - making your websites ‘sticky’ Video offers customers a better representation of their new or used vehicle choice. The benefit to dealers comes from SEO benefits and videos’ ability to keep visitors on websites for longer.

According to a recent study published by Google, the use of online video sites for car shopping rose 28% from 2012 to 2013 and is expected to rise throughout 2014.

The clear evidence is that today’s digital consumer is looking for short, information-rich content. They are reading less text and watching more video. Google’s study said 61% of vehicle shoppers research using online video, with one in four watching more than an hour of content before their vehicle purchase.

Andrew Howells, founder of CitNow, said: “Video increases trust and transparency with consumers and makes it easier for them to say ‘yes’. Based on current trends, coupled with the endless benefits, dealerships can no longer afford to ignore online video in their marketing, sales and customer service departments.”

Wessex Garages’ YouTube page, which has a wide range of content, had about 93,000 views in 2013 (up from 2,100 in 2012).

In January of this year, more than 41,000 used car videos were viewed – an increase of more than 100% compared with 2013.

In the aftersales area, the Wessex Vision service, which uses CitNow technology, enables technicians to provide customers with a video appraisal of their vehicle. To date, Wessex has produced nearly 1,000 videos of vehicle health checks.

“It’s all about giving customers the reassurance they need and to help them make a decision,” said Andrew Howells.

At Ridgeway, the 360 Interiors facility gives customers a full online tour of the chosen vehicle.

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Ridgeway’s 360 Interiors facility lets consumers look inside a vehicle on their mobile device

“An interactive web page with gyroscopic support enables mobile and tablet users to navigate through the interior with amazing detail,” said Deacon.

“With more time being spent on our website they are much more likely to enter the sales process.”

SMC uses GForces NetDirector which enables dealers to transmit marketing messages in real time. Sonia Hobbs, SMC marketing director, said: ”Integrating digital displays into our showroom has transformed our customers’ experience.”

Real-time service booking The availability of real-time online service bookings is still evolving – to be really effective it has to be much more than an email followed by manual intervention.

ADP has said it will soon announce a new online service bookings application for Autoline which is encouraging given its large market share.

Vauxhall is also working in this area and is reporting monthby-month increases of customers booking work online.

Meanwhile, Nick Chudleigh, AdP marketing manager said the use of tablets in aftersales departments is increasing, resulting in improved customer engagement.

Measuring return on investment Because digital technologies have added a new layer of costs to the automotive business, keeping score is imperative to see what is working best and where improvements can be made.

With each new initiative comes metrics to assess performance and dealers and manufacturers agree that these new, high-quality data sources are leading to better-informed decision making and business planning.

Vauxhall retail network development director Chris Roberts said: “Digital technologies are providing us with very effective closed loop lead management.

“Being able to track every enquiry from our website through the sales process is giving us better conversion rates and improved CSI.”

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“We are heading towards the point where independent reviews will be a musthave facility before too long” Peter Simpson, Reevoo

where to next?

“The future is the merger of communications channels,” according to Cambria’s Ian Godbold.

“Live chat is now the norm and video live chat will increase and improve once 4G is mainstream. I believe all consumer enquiries will automatically receive a personalised video.”

Susannah Richardson, of MPL Systems, said: “The more innovative manufacturers and dealers now understand that their customers don’t necessarily prefer one sales channel or another – they simply use the one that’s right for them at a given time.

“Providing all these channels isn’t the issue; the real challenge comes in making sure that customers’ transactional details are carried with them seamlessly, from one channel to the next.”

Reassuringly, database challenges need not hold up progress in other areas. With their power to deliver trust and transparency, customer reviews will become commonplace and their benefits will be sure to grow and video could be universal before long.

Website personalisation should progress. BlueSky’s Lauren Cooke said: “Named contacts and ‘meet the team’ pages can make dealers seem more approachable and can support ‘why buy from us’ arguments. Personalisation also goes the other way; saving customers’ views and preferences – essentially remembering who they are.

“It’s worth being aware that manufacturers prefer dealers to be neutral and consistent, whereas dealers want to stand out from the crowd and demonstrate added value.”

With such huge digital upheavals over even the past five years or so, it is safe to assume we are moving towards much more of the car-buying process being completed online for those customers who choose it.

Although buying a new or used car remains a major purchase, customers seem likely to want and expect a more dynamic, comfortable and high-quality experience, both online and in the showroom.

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Take a data-savvy appro A dealership management system is vital to bring virtual customers to your real-world showroom

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uccessful dealerships are taking a more data-savvy approach to customer service. Starting in the virtual world, they get to know the customer online before they step into the showroom.

However, integrating these worlds is still a challenge.

Historically, customers would visit three or four showrooms, ask about the models and leave with a forest’s worth of brochures.

These days, well informed customers are visiting fewer than two dealerships on average before making a purchase decision.

Changing the role of the dealership The role of the dealership has changed significantly, but still plays a huge part in the customer journey. Some 89% of customers will turn to a competitor following a bad experience at the dealership.

Showrooms are places of interaction – with the sales people, the vehicles and the

snazzy new hardware. Dealers are using the latest technology in the hope the customer will get the best possible experience from the brand. So what can the dealership do to ensure the best service is given?

Realising the customer journey starts online, manufacturers and dealerships are making vehicle information increasingly accessible, virtual cars configurable and brands contactable in the hope of capturing data. Just as the customer does their preparation and research, points of contact online, such as live chat, email and car configuration tools allow dealerships to do the same.

Collecting customer details means a more personal service once the customer is in the showroom, where the dealership can impress with other clever devices, such as augmented reality.

Video means customers don’t need to be there in person. John Hendy, group systems director of Hendy Group, says customers

“The customer decides that they want to make contact with you … you’ve got to make it as personal as possible” David Crane, commercial director, Vertu Motors

“There’s no point in bombarding [customers] with SMS messages if they prefer speaking on the phone” John Hendy, group systems director, Hendy Group

Automating and integrating with existing systems, a good DMS allows staff to focus on customers

still like to come in and see the car itself, but the group has trialled ‘virtual tours’.

Vertu Motors has more than 7,000 cars on sale at any one time – it wouldn’t be costeffective to manage information on each manually. The features are all automated, but the customer service isn’t.

David Crane, commercial director at Vertu Motors, says: “The customer decides that they want to make contact with you, that may be via telephone, via email or via live chat. You’ve got to make it as personal as possible. We desperately try to avoid formatted email responses.”

Having the flexibility to provide a tailored level of service to the customer from the showroom is a luxury, but is easily afforded with the right systems and processes. By automating tasks that do not affect customer service, you can relieve staff of time-consuming duties and allow them to pay closer attention to the all-important customer.

Providing compelling and engaging information online for the customer is crucial. It’s not easy to maintain that system, have information verified via CAP or HPI, log customer contact data and store vehicle and servicing details. In addition, it’s important to provide the manufacturer with reports.

A solid dealership management system

To find out more about ADP’s Autoline Drive dealer management system, call us

ment feature

oach to customer service

The more seamless a dealership can make the transition from virtual to real world, the better its chance of a sale

(DMS) is essential, and integrating with existing systems ensures there is consistency across the company.

Handling the transition from virtual to real When a customer is choosing to step out of the virtual world and into the real, the more seamless the transition, the better the dealership’s chance of being that one showroom customers will visit.

How effectively the systems are integrated is crucial and, according to Hendy, that integration is still a problem: “There’s still a lack of integration. I don’t think there’s a cohesive explanation from the manufacturers in terms of what [showroom technology] is there for. They don’t train our staff in the showroom, they just dump it there. It’s not connected to our systems so the users have no benefit in engaging with it.”

Automation and integration can make the difference between having the time to find a temporary work-around for tasks that can’t be integrated or not. Not having that time can affect customer service.

Effectively managing the aftersales care The relationship doesn’t stop once the car is sold. Managing data effectively can have huge benefits on customer retention.

Analysis has shown a retained customer can be 11% more profitable than a new one.

Hyundai reported success with an improved aftercare sales and servicing programme. In the secure MyHyundai area, customers can set reminders for road tax and services. Nick Tunnell, Hyundai’s aftersales director, says engagement is high.

Vertu Motors has reported a 10% improvement in aftersales servicing. In Vertu’s case, staff proactively remind the customer when their car is due for a service.

AM Online reported recently that “almost one in five car owners who purchased their vehicle from a franchised dealer still goes to an independent garage for servicing and/or repair work.”

With 38% customer retention on used cars and 53% on new cars, Crane acknowledges there’s still a “massive opportunity” for improvement. For every 5% of increased retention, dealerships could make up to 125% more in overall profit.

Hendy says his group’s DMS is evolving, but warns against overzealous communication: “The level of communication and an understanding of how the customer wants to be contacted is important. There’s no point in bombarding them with SMS messages if they prefer speaking on the phone.”

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Crane says the key to whether the purchase decision is right is identifying which areas need improvement: “We have a phrase we use a lot in the business, which is the gap between knowing and doing – the fact that you know how to do something doesn’t mean you’re going to do it.”

It is reassuring to rely on a DMS that integrates with existing systems and automates as much as possible, so you can dedicate your staff to customer care. Both Hendy Group and Vertu Motors make full use of their solutions, which are provided by ADP. Autoline Drive is the latest DMS from ADP. It provides dealerships with a comprehensive communications platform and offers a broad spectrum of integration across CRM, marketing, showroom and aftersales tools.

Staff can take advantage of the single customer record, sharable screens and automation to deliver a full, customer-focused service. This maximises opportunities for transparency and growth and helps the dealership in bridging that challenge gap with the manufacturer to maintain pace with the change in technology.

Supporting mobile solutions, Autoline Drive is designed to make sure you offer the best virtual-to-real-world transition for your customers.

THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

ENTICING THE CUSTOMER

How to hook your customers online Dealers need to get consumers to their websites and keep them there NEED TO KNOW ■ Dealers that get Google strategy wrong ‘disadvantaged’ ■ Original content is becoming more important than links ■ 25% of shoppers will watch at least an hour of video

By Sarah Tooze en years ago, consumers made several visits to a dealership before buying a car.

Now they tend to make just one.

“The consumer journey starts online and their mind is pretty much made up before they visit the dealership,” said Tim Smith, commercial director at GForces.

Dealers need to think about how to get consumers onto their website and how to keep them there. As Jim MurrayJones, general manager of News UK Automotive, which operates Sun Motors and Sunday Times Driving, points out: “There’s always another information source one click away.”

Most consumers will come to a dealer’s website via a search engine, whether from ‘natural’ or paid-for search.

“Search is dominated by Google,” said Smith. “Dealers that

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61% of vehicle shoppers view online video and a quarter will watch an hour or more

10 March 2014 am-online.com

don’t get their Google strategy right will be at a woeful disadvantage. ”Dealers need to consider both pay per click (PPC) – essentially a sponsored link – and ‘natural’ links (SEO).

“SEO could potentially double your visitors,” said Irina Annells, marketing manager at Auto Trader. “But it depends on what you do and how much effort you put in.”

PPC works best if you need quick results. For example, if you’re launching a website or a special offer.

If you’re using PPC to promote a finance offer, make sure the numbers are included. “If you’ve got a £500 manufacturer discount and 3% APR, put that in the text in your Google Adwords campaign,” said Smith.

It’s also essential that the sponsored link points to relevant content and doesn’t require another click-through.

PPC can be used for conquest, but tread carefully.

“A Toyota dealer could decide to target Honda buyers,” said Nick King, market research director at Auto Trader. “If someone was searching for ‘Honda CR-V Brixton’, for example, you could buy those words so when the consumer searches for it they get directed to a Toyota page. But Google doesn’t like that, it’s not advisable.”

Also consider the cost, said Murray-Jones: “It may be the most expensive words that convert best.”

Natural search is based on several factors, such as how many links you have and how many sites link to you, the age of your site and your website architecture.

However, natural search is going through a big change.

It used to be robotic – the most amount of mentions – now it’s about intelligent search, according to Smith.

“Google is clamping down on link farms and excessive link building,” he said. “The real win now is a website’s content.”

Essentially, dealer websites all contain the same range of information (vehicle search and information about the dealership) so Murray-Jones advises dealers to think about how they can go beyond that.

That means having videos, user and/or expert reviews, a blog, social media channels, embedded editorial from worthy, impartial sources and localised content where relevant.

Consider how users might want to search for a car. Sun Motors allows users to search using broad criteria such as car type and fuel economy, rather than just make and model.

Make sure that you have a responsive website, which means it can be viewed on a tablet, mobile and a desktop. And bear in mind that there are different smartphone screen sizes.

“Your website is your digital forecourt,” said King. “If you have one picture of a car or an incomplete description and you don’t tell me the selling points of the car you will lose me.”

Video is becoming increasingly important. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of vehicle shoppers view online video and a quarter will watch an hour or more.

“If someone searches for a car on your website, they need to be distracted by the fact there is a video next to the photos,” said Andrew Howells, chair and founder of Citnow, a video sales system.

The video should be high quality so that it can be enlarged to full screen and no more than a minute, with three key points about the car, and a call to action, according to Howells.

F O R A L L T H E L A T E S T M O T O R R E T A I L I N D U S T R Y N E W S V I S I T: w w w . a m - o n l i n e . c o m

C A S E S T U D Y: ESSEX AUTO GROUP

“Your website is your digital forecourt. If you have one picture of a car, or an incomplete description, you will lose me” Nick King, Auto Trader Consumers should be prompted to request a ‘personal presentation’ (a five-minute video introducing the salesperson and the dealership and giving more detail about the car) by filling in an online form.

Dealers can also email a personal presentation when an appointment has been made to help ensure that the customer turns up.

“We know that 50% of people who turn up for an appointment will purchase a car,” said Howells. “Selling one extra vehicle a month will cover the cost of your investment.”

GForces’ customer Nicholas Mee and Company produced a £1,000 video of a mini Aston Martin DB Convertible Junior, which has had more than 200,000 hits on YouTube and millions of views worldwide.

Customer testimonials, along with customer reviews from independent sites, should feature on your website.

Page views will more than double by putting Reevoo on your

Sponsored by

Essex Auto Group (EAG) has seen a 25% year-onyear increase in online visitors after re-launching its website at the end of 2012. Organic traffic increased by 53% and used car views rose by 25%.

The new website, which uses GForces software, is more user-friendly for visitors on tablets and mobile devices. In the past 18-24 months, the number of users visiting the website on a mobile device has risen from under 10% to more than 50%.

The majority (86%) of leads come in via telephone, after consumers have been on the website.

“Four years ago, people were happy to fill in an online form but now they are impatient,” said Matt Brown, group marketing director. “It’s an ‘I want it now’ culture. We have a one-hour response time.”

Reevoo is a fundamental function of the new EAG website.“People won’t trust you otherwise,” said Brown. Customers are staying three times longer on the site after reading a Reevoo review.

The website also includes photos of employees that have worked for EAG for the past 20 years, again engendering trust. “We’re not just pushing product,” said Brown. “We show that we are a privately run, family-owned business.”

Online marketing is handled in-house by a copywriter – a social media specialist who uses Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest – plus a designer and marketing assistant.

“We use social media to talk about new car releases or topical things such as the Lego cars in the Lego Movie to try and spark a response rather than pushing offers,” said Brown.

Video views on the site are up 167% year on year (to 92, 239). “We sponsor Essex Cricket Club so we shoot videos with players and our cars to try and capture cricket fans,” said Brown.

Four or five videos are uploaded every month and at least half are internally produced.

EAG also invests in PPC and re-targeting, as well as traditional marketing channels such as radio and press. “We push the brand across offline places to get people to the website,” said Brown.

But Brown believes that the key thing is good, quality relevant content that is regularly updated.

“Content is king,” he said.

site, according to Smith, as it “engenders trust”. Visitors typically stay on your site five times longer when a review is read. If you secure enough volume on Reevoo to get a star rating that will be pulled through into your paid search, bringing the cost of PPC down.

Re-targeting, which means that consumers that have expressed an interest in a car on your website see your banner or skyscraper ad when they are on another site, is a tool which is not yet widely used by dealers but should be.

“For some of our clients it has generated millions of impressions,” Smith said.

But don’t forget the basics. Make sure there are no spelling mistakes on the website and that it is regularly updated.

Remember to include pictures of key people at the dealership, such as the sales manager and owner.

“People like to see faces,” said King. “It shouldn’t be an anonymous site.”

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Advertisement Feature

BE RESPONSIVE TO YOUR CUSTOMERS Technology has driven a fundamental change in the way consumers research and buy a car. Information is readily available at any time and access to market intelligence like the right price to pay is now at their fingertips.

Car buyers are better informed than they have ever been. They are increasingly searching for their next model on the move and at a time that suits them. And they have little patience for retailers who fail to stock the model they want, whose online presence fails to impress, whose products are poorly presented or who don’t respond quickly to telephone, email and Live Chat contact.

Today, automotive retailers should be encouraged to align their business model to reflect this changing consumer journey.

In the digital age, the industry must seize every opportunity to engage with an increasingly expectant online audience.

STAND OUT ONLINE Life is getting quicker and being seen in an increasingly crowded marketplace is key to success. The mantra must be stand out, be seen and respond. A digital forecourt should now be the primary focus for any retailer, as the website is the first touch point for potential leads.

However, to reach an increasingly sophisticated consumer, the website must work on all devices customers are using.

CONSUMERS COME TO A RETAILER ARMED WITH INTELLIGENCE LIKE ACCURATE VALUATIONS AND EXPECT RESPONSIVENESS TO BE A CHARACTERISTIC OF WEBSITES AND STAFF.

A high quality site that re-sizes automatically to align with mobile devices makes business sense. The site should include multiple contact methods, as this engenders trust among an online audience, while presenting a prominent location address is seen by consumers as the most important aspect of a retailer’s website, according to latest Auto Trader research.

Getting the basics right is imperative.

Of the 1,800 car buyers surveyed by Auto Trader last month, website quality was reinforced as a significant motivation for making first contact with a retailer.

High quality sites would encourage nearly two thirds to make contact: almost the same proportion said they would be put off by a site of low quality, the difference between a lead generated and a lead lost.

To find out more about any of the services available from Auto Trader visit autotrader.co.uk or call 0845 071 2655

Advertisement Feature RESPONSIVE Being responsive doesn’t just relate to the way a website works on different search devices. Today’s car buyers research their next purchase outside normal working hours and expect a prompt response to requests for information or help. Peak traffic on autotrader.co.uk occurs at 9pm and two thirds of car buyers’ research takes place between 6 and 9 pm. For many, this is the opportunity to interact through email or Live Chat.

Expectations for a swift response are high – yet many retailers fail to deliver.

57% of car buyers expect a response to an email within four hours and 36% expect a response to a voicemail message within one hour. However, half of these initial contacts are ignored completely. The opportunities for those who are prepared to engage quickly and personally to every potential lead is in stark contrast to those who believe that a response can wait until tomorrow.

RESPONDING TO CHANGE In any business, how one responds to change separates the most successful from the also-rans. We know that consumers are better informed than they have ever been, spending up to four months researching online. They are fluent in market pricing and know exactly what they want. More than a quarter research vehicles en route to a retailer or even on the forecourt itself, armed with the latest real-time price information.

But while this may seem daunting, retailers needn’t feel they are on the back foot. The same online sources that are leading the consumer knowledge revolution are also powering data-led intelligence that keeps the forwardthinking retailer one step ahead.

Stocking the right cars and pricing them to attract the fastest sale is now a science, as well as an art. Decision support tools collate huge volumes of online data that help retailers find the most desirable stock to buy, price it competitively and manage it intelligently by reacting swiftly to changing market conditions.

INTELLIGENCE-LED ADVANTAGE Of course, intelligence-led solutions are not a substitute for years of experience in the trade. But they are an important complement that deliver tangible benefits for those who see the potential in their adoption.

One example is i-Control, powered by Auto Trader. It collates data from millions of Auto Trader searches, auction houses, thousands of used car forecourts and in-market customers to help match stock to local demand, to recommend accurate pricing and to help retailers manage their forecourt to accelerate stock turn. All of this is done in real time.

W R Davies – a family-run franchise that has been operating since 1924 – is a convert to its benefits. “The two sites in the group have improved sales volumes, sales profits and reduced over-age stock massively by using i-Control’s desirability rating and burn rate metrics to identify the best cars to purchase,” said Stefan Mickiewicz, CMA stock controller. “i-Control is so good I don’t really want to tell anyone about it.”

THE SAME ONLINE SOURCES THAT ARE POWERING A REVOLUTION IN CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE ARE ALSO PROVIDING THE DATA THAT SUPPORTS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES THAT POWER THE DIGITAL RETAILER’S INTELLIGENCEBASED BUSINESS

IN THE DIGITAL AGE, THE INDUSTRY MUST SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE WITH AN INCREASINGLY EXPECTANT ONLINE AUDIENCE

PREPARED FOR SUCCESS The consumer journey is one increasingly characterised by extensive online research via mobile and tablet, outside normal working hours and Auto Trader continues to facilitate the path to purchase.

More than half of all automotive online classified visits were made at autotrader.co.uk in January 2014 – 51.2% – compared with 47.8% for the same month in 2013. ComScore research also confirms that car buyers spend more than an hour and a half on the site.

Significant leads are being channelled to retailers who increasingly understand the importance of being responsive.

Products like Live Chat are helping the best translate the concept of responsiveness beyond website design and into the practicalities of promptly answering requests for information and advice, even out of standard working hours.

Those who accept that car buying has changed forever, and embrace the opportunities that the online marketplace affords are thriving in this new digital landscape. Armed with data-led intelligence, these retailers have responsive websites, responsive staff and a forecourt that responds quickly to a dynamic and ever-changing market.

THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

MERGING DIGITAL WITH PHYSICAL

‘Buyers expect the seamless merging of bricks with clicks’ A bad dealership experience can derail the best-laid digital strategy NEED TO KNOW ■ Integrated, company-wide and future-proofed DMS is essential to match dealership and digital experiences ■ Dealers can learn from ‘Apple store’ sales approach

By Richard Yarrow ealers know smartphones and tablet computers have changed how consumers browse the internet – as well as going mobile, it has become a sofabased, evening activity, with people searching for a new car to the theme tune of EastEnders.

The automotive industry has embraced this change. Manufacturers and retailers have revamped their websites, built online car configurators and introduced live chat, all to engage with potential buyers on their terms.

The aim is obviously to get them interested enough to visit the showroom, transferring them from the digital world to the physical one. Unfortunately, it is at this critical point that the customer experience can fail.

The trick is getting that digital-physical transition right. There can be no more effective way of crushing a customer’s expectations – and their desire to buy from you – than if they find Dave from Sales hasn’t the first idea who they are or what they’re interested in. Doing his job, he will want to take them back to the traditional start of the process.

Ian Plummer, head of sales operations at Volkswagen UK, said his team coined the phrase ‘blended retailing’ to describe what needs to happen.

“You’re merging the bricks with the clicks, making sure you add the warmth and the human element to the customer journey. They come to a dealership to make it physical and the key message is that it should be seamless. I’m sure they would feel frustrated if it isn’t.”

So how does a dealer avoid that? The main tool is a capable

D

and tightly integrated DMS. It’s vital the system includes a single customer database across all elements of the business, so for each person there is one record card encapsulating their entire relationship with you. Whether it’s new or used sales, aftersales, service, parts, customer feedback – everything should be together and able to accommodate multiple showroom locations across the group. Every employee should be able to see the same information.

Angela Fleming is product manager for CRM at ADP Dealer Services, which supplies the Autoline Drive DMS. It was launched in May last year, updating a previous product. Part of the reason for the upgrade was to enhance the digital-tophysical transition.

“If someone has gone to the trouble of filling out an enquiry form online, they don’t want to have to do it again. We can carry that information from the website to the DMS, so people feel they have been listened to and the attention to detail is there.

Our feedback from OEMs and dealers is that this is key to customer retention.”

Meeting every digital media expectation Autoline Drive can be set up to provide specific responses to specific actions. For example, all enquiries about a particular model of car can go to one sales person, and will create a task in their diary to make contact. It will also automatically generate a new customer record using the information completed in the web form, or match it to and update an existing one.

“When the customer walks into the dealership it’s all there for the sales person. It’s a case of ‘let me load your information’ and they can start the sales process,” explained Fleming.

Today’s customers use digital media in various ways, but it’s important to remember they don’t all use the same ones.

So while a 50-year-old might be comfortable with websites and email, a 40-year-old will access them on the go via a smartphone. A 30-year-old could be a tablet user, and while a 20-year-old is a

“You’re merging bricks with clicks, making sure you add warmth and the human element to the customer journey. They come to a dealership to make it physical … it should be seamless” Ian Plummer, Volkswagen UK 14 March 2014 am-online.com

F O R T H E L A T E S T M O T O R R E T A I L I N D U S T R Y N E W S V I S I T: w w w . a m - o n l i n e . c o m

Facebook and Twitter fan, his 18-year-old sibling could be on Snapchat and Instagram.

In order to engage physically with all those different people, you need to be on their wavelength digitally. Key to that is a DMS built on an architecture that permits easy and swift integration, not of just today’s social media but tomorrow’s as well.

What dealers can learn from Apple stores Another of the big challenges to ensuring a seamless transition from digital to physical is changing the ingrained habits of people who remember a time when every customer came in clutching a copy of the local newspaper.

“People have grown up in the industry and been used to doing things in a linear way,” said Ian Plummer from VW. “But customers don’t work like that any more. It’s about the sales executive delivering what the customer wants, not what the sales executive is comfortable with because they’ve been doing it that way for many years.”

Key to that is having the right people in the right roles. Many manufacturers actively encourage retailers to source new staff from outside of the industry, and make hiring decisions based on attitude rather than sales skills. The former can’t be taught, the latter can. It’s about having passionate people, who are good at dealing with customers and love that engagement.

Apple pioneered such an approach in its stores, with staff who were trained to seduce customers into buying by connecting with their feelings and promoting the products’ benefits. What they never do is discount and incentivise.

BMW took a leaf out of Apple’s book last spring with the nationwide launch of its ‘Genius’ programme, following a successful pilot scheme. A genius is a staff member who has no involvement with the actual sale, but is there to qualify the customer, introduce the right product for them, answer questions and supervise a test drive. The customer is then handed to a traditional sales executive who will complete the deal.

Cotswold BMW in Cheltenham has embraced the initiative, with six new car geniuses and one for used vehicles. Salary accounts for 85% of their earnings, and even the commission is determined by test drive volumes and customer satisfaction.

Put simply, they’re not motivated to give people the hard sell.

Dealer principal Paul Neale said the geniuses had a role to play in getting the digital-to-physical transition right.

“When someone configures a car online, they get a reference number which can be fed into our showroom’s Virtual Product Presenter. Instantly the car is in front of them in 3D on a 55-inch screen. That’s the start of the physical journey – we know who they are and we know the car they have configured.”

Building the digital showroom Manufacturers have also extended the digital experience further into the physical sales process than ever before, in part because they know customers are comfortable with it.

Volkswagen, for example, uses iPads on lecterns in the showroom so the customer can configure their car further, add options or completely change their choices.

They can do it with or without the help of staff and the system also features short video clips to help explain new car technologies.

VW calls it ‘the digital showroom’ and Ian Plummer said it was important because dealers will never have all the different model variants on site for customers to see and test drive.

“We don’t want a cold digital experience.

We believe digital can help make a much warmer experience that’s seamless and without all the stop-start.

“It’s about making sure our dealer teams can continue that journey.”

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am-online.com March 2014 15

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OWNERSHIP EXPERIENCE

Generate a single view of your customer activity to help you create customers for life Manage your customer retention easily and efciently with Autoline Drive

With one CRM database and an easy to use interface, Autoline Drive provides every area of your business with the opportunity to improve customer retention and prospecting results.

Interested? Please call 01488 852060 or visit www.adpdsi.com/uk The contents of this publication are subject to the Disclaimer found at www.adpdsi.com/disclaimer Š2014 ADP Dealer Services. All rights reserved KJW/03-14

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THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

CRM

TOP 10 CRM TIPS

Follow our guide to manage and enhance your customer relationships

02

NEED TO KNOW ■ A clean database is essential to good CRM, but dealers should not rely on software alone ■ Technology should enhance existing strategies

By Debbie Kirlew eeping an existing customer is six times more profitable than attracting a new one, according to automotive customer relationship marketing (CRM) agency Eclipse Marketing’s operations director Nick Mylum.

The multi-faceted nature of CRM can make it challenging, but it’s essential for modern dealers. AM’s top 10 tips for creating a successful CRM strategy have been compiled from a range of experts.

K

01

D ATA B A S E

A clean database is the most important factor, says Lyn Porritt, customer relations manager at Jemca Car Group, which operates a central CRM centre for its Toyota and Lexus centres.

Porritt recommends an initial cleanse prior to setting up a CRM centre, updates coinciding with campaigns, a ‘deep clean’ every two years and regular checks for ongoing high quality data input.

“Whether you’re a single site or a group, the database should be managed centrally to ensure it is as up-to-date and as accurate as possible,” said Porritt.

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HOLISTIC APPROACH

“Sales and aftersales need to work closely together. It is about creating a holistic approach to the customer journey” Angela Barrow, Emac

A joined-up approach between sales and aftersales can transform CRM fortunes, with products such as service plans straddling the two departments.

Angela Barrow, CEO of service plan provider Emac, said: “Sales and aftersales need to work closely together. It is about creating a holistic approach to the customer journey. A service plan is not automatically a customer for life. This has still to be earned by managing the customer experience.”

03

D O N ’ T R E Ly S O L E Ly O N T HE S O F T WA R E Falling into the trap of installing CRM software and thinking ‘job done’ can be too easy, according to Richard Beevers, director of Customer Plus, a customer experience consultancy that worked with Ford Retail (now TrustFord) to develop its Moments of Truth campaign, as well as with Greene King and Specsavers: “CRM isn’t software, it’s a business strategy.”

am-online.com March 2014 17

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Engaging editorial & owner reviews Backed by award-winning journalists from Britain’s best-selling daily newspaper, SunMotors.co.uk delivers entertaining and engaging content from the world of motoring, including current news, new and used car reviews, buying guides and moneysaving advice. In addition, prospective buyers can benefit from real-life reviews written by owners of similar vehicles to the ones they’re considering.

Supporting every decision, from whatever device they use to whichever dealership they choose As dealers already know, buying a car isn’t simply a process of selecting from a list of makes and models, in fact it’s very rare that a prospective buyer knows the exact car they want to buy when they set out on the buying journey.

“One site fits all” SunMotors.co.uk sits comfortably on any device, ensuring your stock is always visible, wherever and whenever the consumer chooses to browse, without the need to download apps or spend hours zooming in and out of non-optimised websites.

Image or fact, we’ll find their match Whether the prospective buyers see themselves in a sports car or whether they’d like to spend less money at the pump, our innovative filters enable users to search by vehicle style, economy, monthly budget, and a host of other factors.

Minimum risk, maximum reward Our dealer offer is aimed at recognising the vital role dealers and their stock play in providing our audience of prospective buyers with the breadth and depth of choice they demand.

SunMotors.co.uk offers dealers the opportunity to list their cars without charge,

paying only when a qualified lead is generated, in the form of an email, unique phone call over 30 seconds or live chat* encounter where more than two human interactions have taken place.

The only limit dealers will find when listing their stock on SunMotors.co.uk is the one we place on their monthly invoice We understand that, with so many online classified websites, controlling your digital

“Our dealer offer is aimed at recognising the vital role dealers and their stock play in providing our audience with the breadth and depth of choice they demand”

To put your cars in front of a wider audience, without risk, contact a member of the

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While our cost-per-lead model ensures that you only pay on performance, we also cap your invoice at a set amount each month, regardless of how many leads we generate if and when that cap is reached.

Clear, concise & controlled In addition to regular communications and reports, dealers have access to a wealth of information and statistics through our DealerOne portal, providing up-to-theminute analysis of their cars, clicks and calls. What’s more, our dedicated Dealer Support Team will be in regular contact to ensure you fully understand how to use the system and that you’re getting the most out of it.

Multi-million-pound launch campaign To mark the launch of SunMotors.co.uk, we’ve embarked on a multi-million-pound consumer launch campaign, engaging potential buyers across a variety of media including print, radio, digital and more.

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Until May 31, 2014, dealers choosing to list their cars on SunMotors.co.uk won’t pay a penny for any leads generated, enabling you to evaluate our site without cost**, benefit from the response to our consumer launch activities and experience for yourselves our dealer-focused approach.

This offer requires no additional contract term above our standard 30-day rolling agreement and dealers are free to cancel their listing during the evaluation period, though we hope you’ll have no reason to do so.

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The Offer: 30-Day rolling agreement Zero listing cost Free leads Until May 31, 2014 Cost-per-lead rates (guaranteed until June 1, 2015) ■ Unique phone call over 30 seconds: £15 ■ Email enquiry: £15 ■ Live chat encounter (two human interactions): £5 Monthly invoice cap (reviewed every 90 days based on performance/stock) ■ £2 per car per month e.g. Agreed stock level @ 50 cars = £100pcm maximum invoice amount (Regardless of leads generated thereafter)

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THE ONLINE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

04

CRM

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AUTHENTIC AND HONEST CUSTOMER REVIEWS Incorporating customer reviews on websites is becoming more widespread, but not everyone is doing it right. Early adopter Kia, however, won AM’s 2014 Best Digital Manufacturer Initiative Award for its review programme with its partner Reevoo.

The review website recommends five steps: ask all purchasers for a review; ensure reviews are real and only from verified purchasers; don’t offer incentives; show all reviews – warts and all; and display the review’s source.

Reevoo’s chief marketing officer Peter Simpson said: “Trust underlines all commerce, but trust has to be earned. People researching cars online will check out other people’s opinions.

Their views are much more impactful than anything the brand has to say about themselves.”

Jardine Motors Group, one of Reevoo’s first automotive clients, also runs review reports to ascertain dealership performance, while many Kia dealers display a model’s Reevoo score on the bonnets of showroom vehicles.

Reevoo partner digital agency GForces recommends searchoptimising reviews, harnessing customer conversations and placing buyer-to-owner Q&As on a dealer’s website so that existing customers can provide advice to would-be buyers and performing a search result audit to gauge online reputation.

For Honda, Mazda and Kia group Brayleys, which utilises JudgeService for its reviews, the process is also two-fold – transparency for prospective customers and to ensure staff maintain the highest standards.

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I N T E G R AT E SOCIAL MEDIA Social media should not be a separate entity, but integrated into the CRM programme.

With more than 1,000 Twitter followers, Brayleys’ engagement levels have increased by 50%. Hashtags highlight specific dealer news while social media offers a channel for direct customer and media communication.

GForces’ commercial director Tim Smith has several nuggets of advice, including social sharing (which can double the number of unique visits) and the resolution of individual issues, but says mostly that dealers should be social: “Post personable, entertaining, engaging content that allows your fans to interact. Favour personality over the pursuit of profit.”

Marketing Delivery managing director Jeremy Evans said: “Reach is the most important stat, not number of likes – a well managed Facebook page with 65 likes can have a potential reach of over 25,000 people.”

Customer Plus’s Beevers suggests asking customers for their Twitter handle: “Follow your customers and they are more likely to follow you.”

20 March 2014 am-online.com

USE TECHNOLOGy TO ENHANCE THE PERSONAL

“Post personable, entertaining, engaging content that allows your fans to interact” Tim Smith, GForces

Since its launch in January, 3,500 motorists have registered on Volvo’s online customer portal, which means it is on track to hit its goal of 17,000 registered users this year.

With a strict ratio of 4:1 in favour of news and information against offers, customer services director David Baddeley believes the portal will become the building block of dealercustomer relationships.

He said: “It’s important that we don’t divert customers away from the experience of the brand which takes place in the dealership. The relationship between the customer and the dealer is absolutely critical and MyVolvo is about adding to that process and not replacing it; the personal touch is still key.”

Scotland’s Phoenix Motor Group uses Contact Advantage, which includes an email functionality providing direct ‘online’ contact with their salesperson.

Sales and communications director Debbie Hubner said: “This removes the face-to-face pressure that can put many customers off and yet feels more immediate than email. It’s a unique ‘Facebook-style’ tool with the added bonus that it logs all communication within the customer’s CRM record. These things help us to join up the online to showroom journey.”

F O R A L L T H E L A T E S T M O T O R R E T A I L I N D U S T R y N E W S V I S I T: w w w . a m - o n l i n e . c o m

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MAKE IT PERSONAL A N D R E L E VA N T

PEOPLE & TEAMWORK

Eclipse Marketing uses data insights to predict customer behaviour and to better target meaningful communication, resulting in a 58% uplift in response rates.

Customer Plus’s Beevers warns against ‘bombarding’ customers with offers and advises careful crafting of messages, as bad copy can be as off-putting as badly targeted information.

Phoenix takes individual communication to a new level, with technology that, as a customer enters a dealership, highlights on a screen the last communication sent to them, enabling a more personal conversation.

People are at the heart of successful CRM programmes.

Jemca’s contact team has grown from just four people in 2007 to 16, with diverse backgrounds including hotels, double-glazing and banking. The team is on target to achieve 44,000 aftersales bookings this year compared with 1,700 in its first year.

Internal communications is vital for Phoenix’s Hubner: “I firmly believe if our team can speak with authority on all matters, customers will be more confident in our ability to serve their needs.”

Eclipse Marketing’s Mylum said: “You have to build teams. You cannot simply employ people who appear to have met your benchmark, appoint a team manager and walk away. It is vital to ensure that, from day one, the team is involved in setting out the customer journey.”

Lifestyle Europe’s eight-strong contact centre is under the remit of HR manager Helen Farrow, who has added five people to her team over the past 12 months, upped outbound call volume by 22% and increased service bookings by 19%.

Farrow said: “The achievements of the people at the contact centre have been phenomenal. As they have proved their worth, so the faith from the owners, directors and the senior management team has intensified, which has meant more projects have been handed to us, thereby creating a spiral of success.

“It’s all about recruiting the right people. We are looking for people who can combine personality, commitment, hard work and the ability to think on their feet or rather on the phone.”

08

B E A D A P TA B L E Adaptability can come in many guises. Beevers suggests testing different messages or even different campaigns. Eclipse says providing the means to speak to business representatives outside of the normal 9-5 routine can make a big difference to customer perception and Marketing Delivery has found email to be the most successful medium, but only if optimised for smartphones and tablets.

“An accurate, up-to-date database is the lifeblood of our future business” Jon Head, Ridgeway

10

BE WA R E O F P R O C E S SE S Processes are essential, but in a process-obsessed industry, Volvo’s Baddeley has some words of caution: “We have to remember there is a customer at the end of it all and we don’t allow the process to triumph over the customer experience.”

C A S E S T U D y: R I D G E W A y One of the 20 largest motor retail groups in the UK with dealerships across the middle and South of England, Ridgeway utilises a number of CRM strategies, such as the ADP system, which caretakes all its customers data, its customer contact team, social media and its popular direct web link to CEO John O’Hanlon.

The database, though, is central. Each time an employee contacts a customer, information is checked and a full cleanse is undertaken annually. Group operations director

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Jon Head said: “An accurate and up-to-date database is the lifeblood of our future business.”

Building on the database foundations is Ridgeway’s contact centre, which started with six people in 2008 and currently has 36.

Teams are divided by brand and sub-divided into revenue generators – those who make service bookings, for example – and agents responsible for customer satisfaction, who handled almost 70,000 calls last year.

“From our perspective, employing people to

contact customers means the job gets done and takes some of the stress away from sales executives and service advisers,” said Head.

CRM is integrated in all aspects of the business, particularly in social media, where Ridgeway’s team monitors and engages with thousands of people. The group has 21,000 followers on Twitter alone.

“We want to make everything right so people keep coming back to us. It’s about doing the basics and doing them well,” said Head.

am-online.com March 2014 21

IT WOULD TAKE SIX MONTHS TO DRIVE

TO THE MOON AT THE NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT

Selling your stock with us is much quicker.

Learn more about the market insight and solutions we can offer to help make buying, selling, marketing and managing your stock effortless.

Visit dealerportal.co.uk or give us a call on 0845 071 2655 and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be happy to help

*www.sciencefocus.com