According to the latest research, the connected car market is well on its way to becoming a $50 billion industry. We hear a lot about what this means for fleets, for OEMs, and of course, for the end-customer. But what does all this data and connectivity spell for the dealership?
When we say connected car dealership, we mean dealers that sell cars connected to the cloud. More and more cars come off the assembly line with embedded modems, all ready to connect and generate data. These automobile manufacturers have systems in place that, with consent, can collect and share information about vehicle location, usage, maintenance, and more. This data is pulled and pushed from technology such as:
- Electronic Control Units, (ECUs)
- Controller Area Networks (CAN bus)
- Infotainment systems
- Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS)
- Additional relevant applications
Dealerships and automotive stakeholders who are attempting to leverage this data can enrich driver experiences in the areas of diagnostics and preventive maintenance, personalization, in-car services, Innovative insurance and more.
All of this data is already being generated by the connected vehicles under a dealership’s own roof and is readily accessible, upon consent from the vehicle driver/owner.
Let’s look at four key areas that can be revolutionized by the right approach to data, from which any dealership could quickly see value.
- Faster sale process for better customer experience
- Superior service for higher customer retention rate
- Value added concierge services to increase customer loyalty and grow PVR (gross income Per Vehicle Retailed)
- Efficient lot management that saves time and focus on sales
Let’s imagine a day in the life of the average dealership, empowered by connected vehicle data.
9am: Faster daily audits:
When your staff arrives on-site, how long do they usually spend on daily audits, such as manual battery checks? Instead, you can now see all of your vehicles from one centralized dashboard, and immediately highlight which ones need charging or support. All vehicles are accounted for, with GPS tracking alerting you to any cars that are removed from the site, even out of office hours.
11am: Perfect customer experience:
A customer comes to view a vehicle, after spending some time browsing your website online. Thanks to a single connected system, what they’ve seen on the web is exactly what you have in person, and so you can quickly and easily find the vehicle they need. While you welcome the customer, a large delivery is being unloaded behind the scenes – and your database automatically updates to reflect the new inventory.
12pm: Quick access to sales documentation:
Thanks to integrated business intelligence tools, you know from your trends and analysis which sales reps have the most success, so you put your best member of staff to work with your cautiously interested customer, and in no time – they are ready to sign on the dotted line. You pull the documentation that you need in seconds such as MSO or title deeds and then verify customer identity automatically at the point of sale.
2pm: Automated alerts for your customers:
Many of your customers now opt-in to post-sale offerings, and so you have a busy afternoon of services and maintenance ahead, all managed automatically without taking time away from the marketing or sales teams. A couple of customers were alerted automatically to come in for their 15,000 mile check or their yearly MOT, while others were given warnings when problems were detected by the system, such as overheating or unsafe tire tread, prompting an automatic appointment booking at a mutually convenient time. These alerts foster increased customer satisfaction and improve loyalty.
5pm: Faster and More Efficient Preventive maintenance:
What used to take hours can now be completed in a fraction of the time, with your engineers and maintenance staff using AI to collect information automatically such as the condition of the external vehicle, tire condition, leaks, damage, and rust. Even before the cars arrive on-site, you can auto-fill details such as mileage, fuel consumption, and oil use. Services are so simple, quick and accurate for the customer, they happily agree to book again ahead of time.
7 pm: Lots of time for your family:
Instead of working into the small hours with piles of paperwork, you’re ahead of yourself before day’s end, and have been at home with your family since close of business. Your connected dealership has improved pre-sale, point-of-sale, and post-sale relationships, streamlined your manual and time-consuming processes, and steering a business set to cruise control.
Looking for a complete guide to supercharging your dealership using connected vehicle data, including strengthening customer relationships, streamlining manual processes, and getting ahead of the game with preventative maintenance?
You’re in luck!
Download our guide, Your Dealership, Upgraded right here.
If interested in learning more, speak with one of our data experts.
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