A Small Change in Email Processes Reaps Big Rewards
Article Highlights:
- 70% of consumers prefer companies contact them via email.
- 33% of emails are opened based on subject line alone.
What Customers Want
Customer expectations are changing rapidly. The old order of customer expectations at a dealership is over and the new order revolves around experience. Customers choose where they shop not based only on price, but on experience. While Apple is not normally the most economical choice, it is popular because it excels at providing a first-rate customer experience. How is your service department creating an Apple-type experience?
Customers are no longer content to drop off their car, wait for a call once service is complete, and then wait again to pay.
A shift in customer expectations may mean a change in dealership processes, but it doesn’t have to be a complete overhaul. The smallest process change can have a significant impact on customer experience and efficiency.
Providing a Rewarding Customer Experience
Improve communication to provide a rewarding customer experience. In a January 2015 study conducted by MarketingSherpa, more than 70% of the 2,000 American consumers polled said they would prefer a company to contact them via email.
Email is an efficient way to personalize information for your customers, making them feel you’re going above and beyond. Being able to send an email alerting “James Walters” the service of his vehicle is complete is more impactful than leaving a generic voicemail stating “your car is ready for pickup.” And, adding a name to the email subject line is an easy way to make a connection with your customers. In fact, according to an Experian study, emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened.
A Small Change
By implementing a process to collect new and to validate existing emails, future marketing efforts aren’t being wasted and you can feel confident in the accuracy of your name file.
But the challenge lies in making sure you are actively requesting, and receiving, valid email addresses. Do customers want to hear from you? Do they need to?
Big Rewards
Entice customers to give you their emails by having a valid reason to use them. Without one, customers believe you’ll use their email for promotions and no one, including you, likes a horde of promotional emails filling his or her inbox. How can you provide a valid reason? By using a solution that helps collect emails for a purpose, such as sending invoices or enabling customers to pay online.
If, by asking for their email, you’re making their lives easier and not harder, they’ll be at ease providing their information.
Conclusion
Emails are crucial to the customer experience and also benefit your dealership. If you are looking for a way to increase marketing efficiency and provide a better customer experience, look for a solution that will help you do both.
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Katie Parks was a marketing and product management professional with a background in payment management solutions.
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