How Workflow 360° Is Improving Customer Satisfaction For Auto Dealerships
Our team at Workflow 360° has been in the automotive industry for years. We’ve seen it all – from dealerships struggling in economic downturns to a thriving market. We’ve witnessed dealerships struggle while others thrive and have been part of a company’s growth. We can confidently say that one of the most significant factors that set dealerships apart from their competitors comes down to customer service.
It’s only natural that customer satisfaction leads to more business with good reviews, referrals, and retention. While a business has many moving parts to function well, each effort should center around the most important factor – the customer.
Here’s how Workflow 360°’s DMS service plugin helps improve customer satisfaction for automotive dealerships.
- Helps service advisors keep the job stack moving
When service tasks are backed up due to a constraint in the process, customers are left waiting longer than usual for their vehicle. If this happens consistently, there’s a good chance that customer satisfaction will decline and eventually dealerships will lose their business. It’s the service team’s responsibility to get the customer’s vehicle back on the road as efficiently and safely as possible. For many customers, their vehicle is an integral part of their daily routine and they are more than willing to go to a service center that can get the job done quicker.
Oftentimes, when jobs are not moving through the service bay, it’s not because there is a shortage of service advisors or hands on deck. In fact, some service centers have service advisors sitting and waiting as jobs continue to pile on which becomes costly downtime.
Workflow 360° helps smooth out the process and eliminate bottlenecks by providing a platform that allows departments to see each step of the service, identify where the bottlenecks are regularly occurring, and view the process of each vehicle. Service advisors can put a job on hold and move on to the next one as they’re waiting for approvals. Additionally, service advisors can communicate directly with the customer through text which allows for quicker approvals and helps the job stack move forward more efficiently.
- Allows managers to provide team support where it’s needed
As mentioned above, Workflow 360°’s interactive route sheet gives managers a bird’s eye view of each step of the service process. Department managers can identify where constraints are happening, whether it’s waiting for parts approvals, a service that’s taking longer than it should, or where there’s a disconnect in the communication. This helps managers support their team, address what they need, and provide them with the right solutions for a better workflow.
- Uses the latest technology without a complete DMS overhaul
The automotive industry has changed drastically over the last decade with advances in technology, innovative software, and the rapid rise of e-commerce. While today’s customers shop and communicate differently, dealership management systems have not evolved with the changes. Simply put, what used to work then doesn’t work now. And some of the most successful and efficient dealerships are the ones that have embraced new technologies and integrated them into their current processes.
One of the biggest advantages of Workflow 360° is that it does not require a complete DMS overhaul, which is costly and time-consuming to install and train team members on. Introducing a brand new software also runs the risk of not being effective and there will be team members who resist the big change.
A simple solution can be found in Workflow 360°’s Production Efficiency Platform that plugs into the dealership’s existing DMS. This software simplifies the process by populating data into one interactive route sheet where it provides departments with real-time reports. Because it is a cloud-based platform, all departments can access the information which cuts down communication time.
Final thoughts
When there have been no improvements to an aging business process, businesses naturally see a decline in efficiency, productivity, and customer/employee satisfaction all across the board. Integrating new technology is a natural part of business growth. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated or require a large investment.
In the automotive industry, dealerships that have kept up with technology remain competitive. Providing the service team with the right tools improves internal processes, increases profit, and – most importantly – leads to greater customer satisfaction. If you’re ready to enhance your customer’s experience, contact us for a demo to see how your Production Efficiency Platform can integrate into your existing DMS.
