Last year, 3 Birds released the results of industry-leading service content study, "Content, Communication and Keeping Customers Coming Back: Using Digital to Distinguish Your Service Department and Improve Your Bottom Line.” After assessing service-related content on the websites of nearly 1,000 dealerships (offering highline, import, and domestic brands), we found several significant areas of missed opportunity when it comes to winning customers back from competing dealers as well as independent service centers and national chains.

61 percent of dealership websites had fewer than five pages of service-related content, and 82 percent of dealership websites did not include a “Why Service Here” value proposition. These findings highlight action items that any dealership can incorporate into its marketing, but that’s just the beginning. Adjusting the lens to show us the data by OEM revealed even more telling trends. In general, dealerships are not maximizing the conversion tools and OEM programs available to them to attract and engage long-term service customers.

Incorporating OEM service programs into your conversion tools

One of the most powerful tools your dealership can have is an online service scheduler. However, many dealerships we surveyed don’t inform customers about OEM-specific service programs that offer no-cost or reduced-cost maintenance during the initial ownership period. In fact, some service schedulers even listed prices for services that were covered under these programs. Of the dealers who including pricing info on their scheduler, more than 8 out of 10 including pricing for services covered by the OEM program. This leads to a large drop-off in service retention after a short period.

Another conversion tool that suffers from a lack of OEM-specific content is online chat. For the same OEM surveyed, we found that 86 percent of chat agents did not schedule a service appointment with the customer when asked to do so. Because many chat agents trained for sales, it’s important to have content about OEM maintenance programs like Volkswagen Carefree Maintenance or Hyundai Assurance easily accessible to prospective customers on your dealership site or a fixed ops microsite.

See the solution at NADA Booth 3805N

Don’t let your service marketing suffer when you could be building lifetime customer relationships with your buyers. Visit 3 Birds at Booth 3805N at NADA to see our all-new Fixed Ops Customer Retention Suite, now with responsive technology and even more customization. Now that you know the service roadblocks, you know how to get past them—so why wait? Schedule your appointment today.