Choosing the right CRM can help create a lasting relationship with your customers
Any dealer knows there’s nothing more critical than an efficient CRM when it comes to nurturing client satisfaction and securing repeat business.
A full understanding of each customer’s product preferences and financing or leasing needs goes a long way towards building sales and increasing dealership profitability.
Once a customer contacts the dealership, it’s up to dealership staff to build relationships on a one-to-one basis and make full use of an effective CRM system.
Customer satisfaction earned early in the contact phase could be the first step in a very lengthy and rewarding relationship.
Ben Lovie, General Manager of OpenRoad VW in Burnaby, B.C., said CRM tools are now ubiquitous in the vehicle retailing industry.
“To me, the main consideration is the CRM’s ability to integrate with other dealer management systems and also the level of support from the CRM vendor. We chose our vendor based on their integration with other core systems and the sales desk,” said Lovie.
“I think there might still be a gap in many CRM software applications,” he added. “They don’t include the service customer relationship or bolt-on capability with third party vendors to pull together a dealership-wide CRM solution.”
Lovie said another shortcoming was the wholesale parts side of the business. “In my experience, I haven’t seen a CRM that manages our wholesale parts customer relationship.”
For Lovie, it was an “overwhelming endeavour” to create a truly encompassing CRM, though he said CRM offerings are improving and the next few years should see more consolidation and better CRM execution from the dominant DMS providers.
OpenRoad operates 17 stores in British Columbia, using different CRM products, often according to individual general manager preferences and the type and price range of vehicles sold.
That makes the “ideal” software difficult to pin down, said Lovie. Managers have a choice of working with either DealerSocket or ONE-EIGHTY.
According to the dealers we spoke with, one factor in getting the best out of any CRM system is that the database must be kept up-to-date in every respect.
Especially crucial are correct email addresses and names plus up-to-date telephone numbers, both home and mobile, said dealers. No CRM system will meet expectations unless data input is accurate and consistent, they added.
For some dealers, the geography of their CRM provider matters.
Sylvain Hogues, President of 440 Ford Lincoln Laval, said his dealership used one provider for many years but wanted to work with a Quebec-based company to reduce operating costs.
“The financial gap between SERTI and our former provider was very considerable and SERTI kept their word on everything,” said Hogues. “The software itself is beyond reproach, reliable and user-friendly,” he added.
As one dealer pointed out to us, the CRM services field is “something of a minefield” and it’s challenging to find the business that connects best with your own.
Even so, most established businesses offering CRM services provide informative demonstration sessions, even at the website level.
Many of them have a toolbox full of answers when it comes to CRM and finding the right one to work with will pay off in greater profitability and happier customers.
