117446 starview newsletter v6

Your StarView Newsletter A monthly update on selling more cars and parts more profitably Volume 1 | Issue 1 | April 2015

1.1

Case Study: L&L Automotive

2

Tips and Tricks: Amber and Advisory

2.1 Employee Spotlight: Alistair Jeff 3.1 Secrets of Success 3.2 Starview of the Month: Chris Darke

Welcome to StarView Welcome to the first ‘Your StarView’ Newsletter Exclusive to the Mercedes-Benz Retailer network; ‘Your StarView’ communicates ideas, processes, case studies and figures from Retailers using StarView.

Case Study: Ian Phythian, L&L Automotive L&L Automotive’s sites in Bishops Stortford, Hertford and Stevenage have used StarView for over 15 months now, creating over 3,000 videos. Ian shared how he tested and implemented StarView across the group and the impact that this had on his business.

To see the full interview go to: video.citnow.com/vvcasestudy Ian Phythian, After Sales Director, L&L Automotive continued…

Your StarView April 2015

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Tips and Tricks Workshop Amber and Advisory Every After Sales department has a guideline for replacing work that whilst not dangerous will soon require attention. While a VHC might identify amber work it doesn’t sell it; that privilege falls to your Service Advisors. But as soon as the customer realises that the work isn’t urgent it typically becomes a much harder sell.

How StarView can help: 1. Your technician is the authority on what’s wrong with the car. A personalised message straight from ‘the doctor’ explaining what needs attention and why, adds authority and makes the Service Advisor’s job that much easier.

2. Transparency and trust. Chances are your customer won’t understand why a new part is being recommended. Help them out. Show the part and explain the reasons why you are advising a replacement.

3. Currency for the future. A great way to sell amber follow-up is when a car has passed visual inspection - it’s green. Deliver a green StarView, no immediate work required with an amber advisory and you create two big benefits: #1 customers love good news which will improve your NPS. #2 it’s a lot easier to sell amber follow-up in three months time because you’ve now built some trust.

To view our Top Tips Cartoon go to: http://www.citnow.com/workshop-top10

Employee Spotlight Alistair Jeff Commercial Director Alistair, a recently new addition to the CitNOW team is responsible for 3rd party integrations, contracts and our global partnerships. He comes from AutoTrader where he was responsible for trade-to-trade products including Autotrade-mail & 2ndByte. He has 20+ years’ automotive experience including time with Manheim Group, GM UK and general dealership management. video.citnow.com/ourteam10

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…continued

1) Why did you choose video?

“I’d seen the success our sales executives had using personalised video with their customers.

I started to think about how it could evolve in the aftersales arena and thought the StarView platform would work well with our Visual Health Checks.”

“There’s been a mistrust of workshops. I believed this would break it down. We have nothing to hide and now we can pinpoint and explain in details which parts are worn and require attention. This made it much easier to convert them from a need into a purchase.”

2) How did you implement StarView?

“I initially tested it with one team at our Bishop Stortford site; three technicians and one STM. There was some apprehension at first, but two weeks on techs from other teams were asking to use it and it snowballed. The technicians can see the benefits; if they’re busy, they’re earning.

The feedback we immediately received from customers has been fantastic. It blew me away.

Very early on I could have rolled it out across the group but I really wanted to test it in depth to make sure it wasn’t a one off.”

3) What effect has StarView had?

“StarView assists us with the selling process because it builds trust. Off the back of that our Amber work conversion has increased by 15%.

Our Red work conversion was already high, but StarView has made the process a lot slicker. We are also mystery shopped once a quarter. In the interview with him [the mystery shopper] he spent five minutes raving about how good the video was. He could clearly see the work that needed doing and he approved all of the work. We’ve also seen the videos watched multiple times, even after the work has been done, shared amongst customers’ friends.”

“Video is still not expected at the moment. It will be soon as customers see it as a real positive.”

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Secrets of Success

StarView of the Month

Advance your customer relationship beyond red and amber StarView is perfect for showing customers when their vehicle needs red and amber work completed. But when was the last time you sent an ‘All Green’ StarView to your customer? Even when there is no additional work needed on a vehicle, there is still a great opportunity for you to improve your customer relationship and your business. A Green StarView is simple to do and creates a big impact in return for a little time investment.

It’s about customer retention Think of it as an opportunity to improve customer relations. With their vehicle in the workshop, the customer typically isn’t looking forward to a phone call from you. Make their day. Send a green StarView with nothing to report. This can really help to secure your relationship with the customer and provides a lasting experience for your service team to pick up on when they next contact the customer. Here’s a simple formula to make sure you succeed every time.

What not to do We’ve seen our fair share of green videos sent out to customers. The devil is definitely in the detail. Don’t send a 20 second StarView to the customer. It gives the wrong impression and leaves the customer feeling that the whole process is a bit of a chore and the technician is just touching the bases to earn his bonus.

How to create the perfect green StarView Take more time. One minute is all it takes to build trust and potentially increase your customer satisfaction. A great green StarView video should follow this simple three-step process: 1. Deliver the good news: “I’ve carried out a Visual Health Check and everything is in good condition.”

2. Build rapport. “This vehicle is in good working order, Mr. Customer. There is no additional work to report. I’d just like to take you on a quick visual tour of your vehicle.” Show the customer the tyre depth of each tyre using a digital tyre gauge and comment on the discs and pads for each wheel as you move around the vehicle.

3. Thank you. “Thank you for using <retailer name> today. ” Creating the StarView video won’t take much time, but it delivers a great customer experience. This is all about delivering a great customer experience whenever you can. Do that as part of your daily process and it’s money in the bank.

See a good example: video@citnow.com/starview1 Looking for more great ways to use StarView in the workshop? Check out: www.CitNOW.com/workshop-top10

Hero Report The top 5 users for StarView Sales Sales

and StarView Workshop

Amount

Workshop

Amount

Jeremy Dodd, Hull

31

Steve Challoner, Newcastle upon Tyne

89

Vicki Potter, Hull

29

Clive Linfield, Watford

68

Nigel Johnson, Hull

28

John Atkins, Solihull

68

Steve Laverick, Teeside

27

Paul Hawkins, Manchester Central

67

Stuart Paton, Teeside

23

Dan Crofts, Manchester Central

65

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Chris Darke Mercedes-Benz of Southampton Why it works: The importance of green: A ‘green, all clear’ StarView video delivers a big impact in under two minutes. How? As one After Sales Director said, workshops mostly get in contact when you need to spend money. Reversing that expectation with a personalised tour of the underside of their car works wonders for your customer satisfaction score and retention.

Be visual: Using tools to support your verbal explanation works for all types of StarView video. Chris gets out the digital tread depth gauge which adds further authority to his diagnosis.

It’s an investment: Providing a customer with a StarView video when all VHC items are green is not just about customer satisfaction. It’s an investment of time in future revenue.

Telling a customer that they’ve done a great job of maintaining their car and that there is no work is unexpected and very well received. It books their car into your workshop for the next service and MOT. Take a look yourself: video.citnow.com/vvstarview1

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Please welcome to StarView

April Cartoon

●● Mercedes-Benz of Ashford ●● Mercedes-Benz of Brighton ●● Mercedes-Benz of Eastbourne ●● Mercedes-Benz of Exeter ●● Mercedes-Benz of Gatwick ●● Mercedes-Benz of Maidstone ●● Mercedes-Benz of Plymouth ●● Mercedes-Benz of Taunton ●● Mercedes-Benz of Tonbridge ●● Mercedes-Benz of Truro ●● Mercedes-Benz Stratford

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Your StarView September 2014 31/03/2015 17:27