Even in today’s automotive business climate with limited touchpoints and concierge service, there will come a point where your best customers find themselves in your lounge areas either waiting for their vehicle to be serviced or prior to going into finance.
These lounge areas are often forgotten or neglected and treated as just a spot to park customers as they wait for your team to prepare paperwork or perform necessary repairs on a vehicle. In reality, lounges present a great opportunity to further communicate with and market to your guests. Given the length of some of these waits, it is vital to give these areas the attention they deserve as a crucial and important step in the customer’s relationship with your dealership.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “no news is good news.” This is particularly true in your lounge areas. Many dealerships leave the entertainment to the local networks or cable news channels. When you do this, you are ceding control of your environment to the leanings of whatever program happens to come on and it becomes a risk.
Does divisive political rhetoric bring happiness?
No.
Can negative financial news discourage your customer from making the second largest purchase most will ever make?
Yes.
Also consider that network TV allows your competitors’ ads in your facility. Maybe another manufacturer is offering a great lease special. Maybe the independent shop down the street is charging less for an oil change. A curated channel, like DealerTV, devoted to your dealership and your brand without the negative news and objectionable daytime television creates the positive experience you are looking to provide while continuing to drive a relationship with your business.
Digital signage is a powerful upsell and cross-sell tool in your client waiting lounges as well. Customers say no to most F&I products simply because they do not know what they are. Educating your buyers on the basics of these products while they wait allows them to prepare questions or make decisions in the quiet time when they are not being sold. Your finance team will have an easier time adding an extended service plan to a deal if the customer was already exposed to it and is asking questions or has already understood the value proposition prior to coming in the office.
Educational content in service is invaluable for upsells for the same reason. Informing customers on how to better protect their investment and maintain their vehicle yields the same result. ABN clients often report that their service waiting customers routinely come to them asking about a maintenance item they saw on a screen. Increasing the average repair order cost is one of the fastest ways to drive revenue to your bottom line.
As with all things digital signage, it really comes down to your brand and the customer experience. Given the dwell time in customer lounges, these areas, present a unique opportunity to elevate both while also educating and informing your guests. You worked hard and devoted a great deal of advertising money to get your customer to come to you to buy or service their vehicle. Why would you stop once they come through the door?
It is imperative that you maximize the value of their visit. A dedicated television channel complemented by strategic digital signage sets your dealership up for success in achieving this goal.
← Previous Post: Service Relationships While Servicing Vehicles
