Reaching New Heights of Customer Experience: The Strategic Differentiator in Automotive Retail

Where expectations are high, customer experience is the ultimate differentiator, with the guiding principle clear: Good isn’t good enough; you have to be great.

People and Culture
Customer experience starts with people. Both training and empowerment can ensure that every customer interaction reflects trust and reliability. Managing resource levels is key to avoiding friction points like slow follow-up or rushed handovers. A strong culture also drives higher employee engagement, improved eNPS, and better retention.

First Impressions
With over half of car buyers wanting a response after enquiry within 3 hours*, responding to customers in a timely manner is even more crucial than ever for delivering a stand-out customer experience.

Having technology like CitNOW React360 as an enabler ensures you capture 100% of online leads – on any device – so your sales teams can respond, qualify and convert, all while meeting the expectations of your prospective customers.

Technology as an Enabler
Technology is here to support and not replace the human experience.

Tools like CitNOW Sales, CitNOW Workshop and 2-Way Messaging can enhance customer convenience by reducing customer response times by 33%** and allowing retailers to respond to customers within 5 minutes.

AI also offers a powerful means of enhancing the customer experience, through streamlining operations and empowering businesses. Conversational AI for example, can become a powerful ally either as an assistant suggesting customer replies, which dealerships then review and send, or in autopilot mode where the AI chats directly with customers. Both solutions drive business efficiency, build customer trust, and create personalised journeys that meet the evolving expectations of today’s automotive customer.

Excellence into Aftersales
Aftersales is a vital revenue stream for dealerships, with 28%† identifying it as a key driver of profitability.

Dealerships rank timely and personalised contact centre outreach among the topmost effective strategies, highlighting the importance of precision and relevance in customer engagement.

Aftersales solutions like RTC, and intelligent pre-diagnostic tools such as CitNOW Triage, empower dealerships to deliver exceptional service by pre-defining servicing needs. Leveraging a live, business-wide view of workshop activity which not only enhances operational efficiency but also elevates the customer experience, turns routine interactions into moments of delight.

Seamless Experiences
The ultimate goal is a seamless omni-channel experience where customers move effortlessly between digital and physical touchpoints. While achieving this in its purest form can be complex, starting by offering customers choice and flexibility in how they communicate is a strong first step toward delivering personalised, memorable car-buying and ownership journeys.

In conclusion, customer experience should be considered a strategic imperative, not just a service function. By blending people, culture, and technology, businesses can deliver scalable excellence and stand out in a competitive market.

If you want to find out more about how we’re creating memorable experiences across Marketing, Sales and Showroom to ensure dealerships make a lasting impression, reach out to your Account Manager or email us at team@citnowgroup.com

*CitNOW Group: Uniting Customers and Retailers Through Technology – 2022 Report

**Based on pilot program run by CitNOW Group

†“Time to Shift Gears: Rethinking Customer Experience in Automotive Retail”