THE EVOLUTION OF A CUSTOMER: Your Guide To Interchange
INTERCHANGE &YOU Effective communication with customers is key to every sale you make. That communication extends beyond your dealership and into your customers’ homes, workplaces and lives through Interchange, GM Canada’s CRM program. This guide will get you up to date on the components of Interchange and give you tips on how to make Interchange work for you.
Interchange Owner
Dealer
Immediately post-purchase
WELCOME
The beginning of an important relationship
The divisionally branded welcome letter and e-mail continue the relationship that began in your dealership. We thank the customer for their purchase and loyalty, and congratulate them on making a wise decision ¬– choosing a GM vehicle. From there, the customer is introduced to the Customer Care Centre (CCC) and invited to take advantage of everything the GM family has to offer, including GM partner services and the tools at gm.ca. The welcome letter also introduces the customer to the next phase of Interchange — ownership.
What you can do Call the owner or lessee after 3 days to thank them for their business and welcome them to the GM – and your dealership’s – family.
Lead Management Teaser These pieces tease at the vehicles and brands the customers are interested in learning about, and drive to virtualshowroom.gm.ca. More samples are available on the GM infonet.
Make a follow-up phone call after 3 weeks, checking in to make sure everything is OK with their new vehicle. Service: During the sales process, print off a maintenance schedule for all new and used vehicle buyers and schedule their first service appointment.
Customers who purchase or lease a new GM vehicle.
0-12 LEAD MANAGMENT & HOT LEADS months pre-purchase
Lead Management Teaser These pieces tease at the vehicles and brands the customers are interested in learning about, and drive to virtualshowroom.gm.ca. More samples are available on the GM infonet.
Turning leads into GM owners
Throughout the year, GM generates thousands of leads from survey responses and contest entries at events and online. People who’ve told us they plan to buy a vehicle in the next 12 months join the Lead Management or Hot Leads programs. Customers who plan to buy their next vehicle in 4-12 months enter the Lead Management cycle. These potential leads receive e-mail or direct mail pieces that are tailored to the brand, vehicle class or a GM alternative to the non-GM vehicle they’ve told us they’re interested in. Lessees whose leases are ending in 9 months also enter this stream. The Lead Management pieces drive potential leads to the Vehicle Showroom online at gm.ca, which then drives the leads to locate you, their local dealer.
What you can do Lead Management
Survey responders: Call the potential customer within 2 weeks of receiving the lead. Lessees in final year: Call customer 6 and 3 months before the end of their lease to discuss their options. Follow up monthly until their lease ends. Finance customers in final year: Call customer 12 months before the end of their finance contract to discuss their options. Follow up monthly until their finance contract ends.
Hot Leads
Call the potential customer within a week of receiving the lead.
Lead Management Follow-Up These pieces encourage the customers to experience the brands and vehicles they’ve told us they’re interested in, and encourage them to visit virtualshowroom.gm.ca and their local dealer. More samples are available on the GM infonet.
Hot Leads A strong call to action sending these ready-topurchase customers to their local dealers. More samples are available on the GM infonet.
Lead Management: Potential leads who have completed a survey and indicated a purchase intent of 4-12 months or lessees coming off lease in 9 months. Hot Leads: Potential leads who have completed a survey and indicated a purchase intent of 0-3 months.
0-5 OWNER COMMUNICATION: MOTION & TON years post-purchase
Keeping in touch
While GM owners and lessees have their vehicle, they also have exclusive access to GM’s print and online owner communications, MOTION and the Truck Owner Network (TON). These divisionally branded Web sites are updated monthly and deliver relevant information on new vehicles, lifestyle content and tips, event listings and ownership perks. This contact keeps GM in customers’ minds for the entire course of their ownership cycle.
TON Chevrolet and GMC truck owners and lessees get access to the Truck Owner Network, an online community that allows truck owners to get to know GM and other truck enthusiasts. They receive a monthly e-mail, quarterly magazine, a special edition calendar, and access to the TON ‘Truck Talk’ forums. For more samples, visit The GM Infonet. information. For more samples, visit The GM Infonet.
MOTION At MOTION.gm.ca, owners can access their vehicle’s maintenance schedule, download a copy of their owners manual and check out exclusive owner promotions among other things. Brand specific editorial and lifestyle content is updated monthly. Owners and lessees receive e-mail driving them online to check out the latest content. Owners and lessees who haven’t given us an e-mail address receive a direct mail piece driving them online. Chevrolet, Pontiac and Cadillac owners without e-mail addresses also receive the quarterly MOTION digest, a magazine containing the latest MOTION articles and information. For more samples, visit The GM Infonet.
What you can do Call owners and lessees semi-annually to check in and maintain the relationship you’ve built with the customer. Service: Make a follow-up phone call 3 months after a new or used vehicle owner’s first service appointment. Remind the owner to get semi-annual service every 6 months after their first service appointment. GM owners and lessees.
Make a follow-up phone call 3 days after service or warranty repairs are made.
CONTINUING THE RELATIONSHIP Through GM’s initiatives and the cultivation of your relationship with your customers, we aim to create a positive experience in each phase of Interchange. By giving customers the best experience we can at every point of contact, they’ll naturally turn to General Motors for their next vehicle.