How Automotive Industry Leaders Improved Their Dealership CSI Scores
Key Take Aways
- CSI ratings can affect the number of sales the dealership makes each month and dealerships with low CSI scores can cost manufacturers thousands of dollars in turn.
- The personal nature of the message results in an increased survey email open rate of 150%
- Hebert’s Town & Country increased their survey completion rate by 208% using TEXT2DRIVE.
- Sandberg Volvo Cars experienced a 35.2% rise in CSI scores - boosting their overall score to 96%, up from 71%.
How Automotive Industry Leaders Improved Their Dealership CSI Scores
They Strongly Suggested A Partnership With Text Messaging Software Companies To Use Their Proven Platforms To Increase CSI Responses, Strengthen Their Brand & Improve Retention
When automotive industry leaders Chrysler, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes and Audi wanted to improve their customer satisfaction indexing scores (CSI), enhance their customer experience and leverage their brands at associated dealerships, they turned to innovative full-featured text messaging and communications platforms.
These text messaging and communications platforms were specifically designed to support the service, sales and marketing departments at automobile dealerships. They are proven performers in raising CSI scores by as much as 35%.
TEXT2DRIVE™ was one of the first innovators of text messaging solutions for auto dealerships. The software was introduced to the market in 2008 and is the largest of its kind in the industry today, with over 1,400 dealerships using the platform – making TEXT2DRIVE™ a leader in its own right and a natural choice for top automobile brands.
Customer Satisfaction Matters
…and not just to sell more cars or get approval for more repair jobs. CSI surveys provide customers the opportunity to express their opinions about the experience they receive at a dealership. The results are often made public when a third party conducts the survey. It takes very few negative reviews to impact your dealership.
All departments including service, parts and sales are subject to CSI ratings. Your dealership may consistently receive praise for its sales team, but struggle with low service ratings, or vice versa.
Manufacturers rely heavily on dealerships to act as their brand representatives when it comes to working with customers. Naturally, they want to ensure these representatives are treating customers well. CSI ratings can affect the number of sales the dealership makes each month and dealerships with low CSI scores can cost manufacturers thousands of dollars in turn. That is the enormous power of CSI surveys. It is critical to deliver exemplary service in all situations and get surveys in customer’s hands to let them know you value the experience they have at your dealership.
TEXT2DRIVE™ delivers CSI messages that are personal from the advisor to the consumer. The personal nature of the message results in an increased survey email open rate of 150%. We have volumes of data and case studies that will conclusively support this finding.
Communication Shortage
The number one issue that customers cited when they completed CSI surveys was a lack of communication from the dealership when they took their vehicle into the service department. Many people are already wary of dealerships and consider them untrustworthy. A communication shortage further exacerbates their misgivings.
TEXT2DRIVE™ alleviates this issue by supporting and streamlining communication throughout the entire process for both the service and sales departments:
- The platform is fully automated and designed to deploy 17 unique automated messages to keep customers in the loop including CSI survey requests, service reminders, service status updates, vehicle ready for pickup and vehicle safety recall alerts.
- Service technicians can record videos in which they show customers exactly what repairs need to be made to their vehicle so that customers can see it with their own eyes and develop trust in the dealership.
- Speed CheckOut™ sends customers their bill via text message and allows them to pay securely with their mobile device to avoid long lines at checkout.
- Using TEXTconnect, customers can connect directly to employees via text simply by clicking on their photograph.
Increased Number Of CSI Completions
Automated service follow-up and thank you messages engender goodwill among customers, who feel the dealership truly cares about their experience. Declined service reminders let dealership employees know they need to follow up with customers on previously recommended work.
Customers feel like the dealership is looking out for their best interests. Many dealerships have already reaped the benefits of using TEXT2DRIVE™ to help increase CSI survey completions and scores.
Hebert’s Town & Country Is A Great Example
- Increased its survey completion rate by 208%
- Increased its score for service advocacy by 32%, overall service advisor by 27% and fixed first visit by 10%
- View full case study
Another Great Example Is Sandberg Volvo Cars
- Experienced a 35.2% rise in CSI scores – boosting their overall score to 96%, up from 71%
- Captured the number one spot for dealership CSI in its market as a result
- View full case study
A Winning Partnership
In addition to the many ways in which TEXT2DRIVE™ enhances and streamlines communications with customers, manufacturers like the fact that the CEO and founder of the company, Gregg Owen, has experience in the industry and is a lawyer. Gregg made sure the platform was designed to be fully compliant and secure. The software is also made and supported in the United States.
The auto industry believes so strongly in the TEXT2DRIVE™ platform, that many OEM’s provide co-op funds for dealers who deploy TEXT2DRIVE™. The communications platform is not only effective but also incredibly easy to use – reducing the learning curve drastically and saving dealerships time in the process.
TEXT2DRIVE™ integrates seamlessly with all major DMS providers.
With features that help service departments keep customers happy, elevate CSI scores and generate more revenue, TEXT2DRIVE™ is a communications necessity.