"Why You Should Text Service Customers"
This Article: Dealer News / Business Office
5 Reasons Your Service Department Should Send Texts to Build Customer Loyalty
Over the past few
years, there have been many discussions about service
departments turning to text messaging. It is suggested
that customers who made an appointment and received a
text about it were more likely to show up. Now, texting
doesn’t simply apply to service appointments, but also
for job approval and repair order completion.
Customers prefer to communicate via text, and this preference is growing. Your customers are no longer asking for a modern experience - they’re expecting it.
The question is: does your dealership offer it?
Here are five reasons why you should be using text messaging in service:
Customers prefer to communicate via text, and this preference is growing. Your customers are no longer asking for a modern experience - they’re expecting it.
The question is: does your dealership offer it?
Here are five reasons why you should be using text messaging in service:
Over the past few
years, there have been many discussions about service
departments turning to text messaging. It is suggested
that customers who made an appointment and received a
text about it were more likely to show up. Now, texting
doesn’t simply apply to service appointments, but also
for job approval and repair order completion.
Customers prefer to communicate via text, and this preference is growing. Your customers are no longer asking for a modern experience - they’re expecting it.
The question is: does your dealership offer it?
Here are five reasons why you should be using text messaging in service:
Customers prefer to communicate via text, and this preference is growing. Your customers are no longer asking for a modern experience - they’re expecting it.
The question is: does your dealership offer it?
Here are five reasons why you should be using text messaging in service:
1. People read text messages more frequently
95% of text messages
are read within 3 minutes of being sent (Text Request,
2016) compared to the average open rate of emails is
about 20% (Mail Chimp, 2017). Well, consider your own
habits: how many unread texts do you currently have?
Probably none, right? A crucial part of our modern
communication methods is the ability to exchange
information quickly, and text messages are leading the
way.
2. Speed up your service processes
The average response
time for a text is 90 seconds (Text Request, 2016).
Communicating job approval or pick-up availability with
a customer through text allows for a more immediate
response versus an email. For instance, when a customer
drops off their vehicle and leaves to run errands, and
you must advise of a simple oil filter replacement, a
text message is typically the fastest way of gaining
approval.
3. Text messaging is not only for young people
Adults 25-34 send
and receive over 75 texts a day; adults 35-44 send and
receive about 52 texts a day; and adults 45-54 send and
receive 33 texts a day (Text Request, 2016). These
customers most likely want to receive texts from your
dealership - you may simply need to let them know
it’s available so ensure your service advisors
mention it. Customers will appreciate your modern
capabilities in service, and it can help boost CSI.
4. Enhance your brand loyalty
Customers who
communicate with you more frequently develop stronger
loyalty to your brand. Sending communications via a
variety of methods also helps to improve brand
recognition. We recommend a blend of email and text to
get in touch with customers. Email can reinforce a
dealership brand’s look and feel, while also
communicating things too complicated for a simple text.
Consider the appropriate time to send emails and texts
for an enhanced customer experience.
5. Give your service department attention
The recent trend of
declining profit margins means your service department
needs to pick up absorption to cover front end
shortfalls. Text messaging can increase the attention
your service department is getting. Make sure the
service appointments section on your website mentions
you offer texting as a convenience. Word of mouth can
also be a powerful force: if word spreads about how your
dealership is modernising and streamlining service
processes by implementing text messaging - think of what
that could do for your service business (and front end
sales).
In the end, text
messaging is something all intelligent retailers are
adopting. When you submit an online order for tickets to
an event, often the most preferred option is to receive
a digital version of the ticket via text message. This
same concept is what your dealership can begin to do in
service.
Consider this scenario: you send a customer a text with an approval request or a hyperlink to their invoice - seconds later the job is approved, and your dealership is boosting efficiency and driving profitable retention. Does this sound good for your business? Well, what are you waiting for? Opt-in!
1. People read text messages more frequently
95% of text messages
are read within 3 minutes of being sent (Text Request,
2016) compared to the average open rate of emails is
about 20% (Mail Chimp, 2017). Well, consider your own
habits: how many unread texts do you currently have?
Probably none, right? A crucial part of our modern
communication methods is the ability to exchange
information quickly, and text messages are leading the
way.
2. Speed up your service processes
The average response
time for a text is 90 seconds (Text Request, 2016).
Communicating job approval or pick-up availability with
a customer through text allows for a more immediate
response versus an email. For instance, when a customer
drops off their vehicle and leaves to run errands, and
you must advise of a simple oil filter replacement, a
text message is typically the fastest way of gaining
approval.
3. Text messaging is not only for young people
Adults 25-34 send
and receive over 75 texts a day; adults 35-44 send and
receive about 52 texts a day; and adults 45-54 send and
receive 33 texts a day (Text Request, 2016). These
customers most likely want to receive texts from your
dealership - you may simply need to let them know
it’s available so ensure your service advisors
mention it. Customers will appreciate your modern
capabilities in service, and it can help boost CSI.
4. Enhance your brand loyalty
Customers who
communicate with you more frequently develop stronger
loyalty to your brand. Sending communications via a
variety of methods also helps to improve brand
recognition. We recommend a blend of email and text to
get in touch with customers. Email can reinforce a
dealership brand’s look and feel, while also
communicating things too complicated for a simple text.
Consider the appropriate time to send emails and texts
for an enhanced customer experience.
5. Give your service department attention
The recent trend of
declining profit margins means your service department
needs to pick up absorption to cover front end
shortfalls. Text messaging can increase the attention
your service department is getting. Make sure the
service appointments section on your website mentions
you offer texting as a convenience. Word of mouth can
also be a powerful force: if word spreads about how your
dealership is modernising and streamlining service
processes by implementing text messaging - think of what
that could do for your service business (and front end
sales).
In the end, text
messaging is something all intelligent retailers are
adopting. When you submit an online order for tickets to
an event, often the most preferred option is to receive
a digital version of the ticket via text message. This
same concept is what your dealership can begin to do in
service.
Consider this scenario: you send a customer a text with an approval request or a hyperlink to their invoice - seconds later the job is approved, and your dealership is boosting efficiency and driving profitable retention. Does this sound good for your business? Well, what are you waiting for? Opt-in!
This Article: Dealer News / Business Office