Konvergence

For many years I have been putting my car keys in an envelope, writing my registration number on and then pushing it under a roller shutter door early in the morning before anyone has started work. Technology has caught up - kiosks for 24hr dealership service check- in. Think the envelope method may still quicker. #dealerships #customer experience

We are all used to the many updates that Amazon gives us about the delivery status of our purchases. This article makes a good point about customers now having raised expectations for updates about their vehicles when in for service at a dealership. Automatic texts could be sent for: - Vehicle in service bay - Parts arrived - Delay to Service... - Repair complete - Invoice total For me also add online payment facility and a 'get call back to discuss' to the functionality. #dealerships #automotive
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Retail guru Paco Underhill says to find innovation go to where money is new. This JD Power survey shows where automotive service customers want to see innovation- "Customers are increasingly sensitive to waiting time and with more service delays being experienced, dealers need to focus on dealership productivity by addressing the growing service volume and responsiveness of service advisors.” The survey takes a good approach looking at metrics around customer journey stages.... I think it would be a good exercise for any dealership to look at their own metrics: #dealerships #automotive #customerexperience
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For lots of us our network provider sources our phones and provide support for the device. So why not let our utility companies source and support our EVs in the future? Exelon are doing it in the US. #EV #automotive

LoRa technology to help dealerships find where vehicles are located on site. In our studies we have seen lots on non-productive time spent looking for cars. #dealerships #efficiency

As the automotive world changes it seems like we are also at tipping point for the parking world. Shouldn't city authorities now be undertaking utilisation studies of current daily parking space use before giving planning permission for new car parks to be constructed with adaptability for future alternative use. Is there not an opportunity to save resources and cut out the parking bit. In Manchester where many new buildings have been bought by non UK investors I suspect there are now many permanently empty spaces. I am currently seeing concrete being poured to construct new spaces almost every day I come to work https://buff.ly/2FPV8Kp

" 41 Hawaii automobile sales associates are now certified Electric Vehicle (EV) Experts through the Blue Planet Foundation’s EV Expert Certification Program" This is a good dealership initiative in Hawaii. Sales associates developing their expertise beyond the features of the car to knowledge of broader environmental issues and the practical usability of EVs in that particular location. Why do it? "Most dealers know less about electric cars than the people who want to buy them."

Where will flying cars land and park when the "urban air mobility ecosystem" develops? Dealerships? By then they will have gained this sort of experience as they will have already helped us adopt EV and AV technology. https://buff.ly/2S6eXUm

If you like lean manufacturing , automotive customer experience or just want to hear how the Tesla purchase experience can be far from perfect, then read this. Interesting that even with many many customer problems out there to learn from, according to the writer Tesla's feedback processes are only asking: '“Based on your experience so far, would you recommend Tesla?" with a simple thumbs up or down symbol to record my response.' "Absent more granular detail, Tesla is thus poorly equipped to identify and prioritize a myriad of much-needed improvements."

Dealerships developing future formats may have to think about including "Consumer Mobility Lounges". New fleet services company Pivet is doing this at its new vehicle service centre in Atlanta for Uber and Lift drivers. A WeWork for driving workers? They don't list what is in the lounge. - Any guesses?

According to this interview 3 reasons why conversational AI is already at and will continue to develop at the dealership: 1. About 75% of all car shopping is done after 8:00 at night when most are shut. 2. Studies show that the millennials and Generation Z would rather do business with artificial intelligence rather than a human being on the phone. 3. AI will understand a customer that’s maybe had a bad experience and instead of notifying the salesperson it will actually notify management.

Interesting article about virtual used car dealership Clutch in Canada. After visiting eight physical dealership locations last Saturday the 'concierge' service that brings the vehicle to you to test drive certainly sounds good. Not sure if they would bring eight though.

Impact data in the US from car sharing service Zipcar. Each shared vehicle eliminates need for 13 personal vehicles. Each vehicle serves 80 individual members on average. "Members rely on Zipcar for longer trips but use other methods of transport like walking, biking and public transit for shorter journeys." If physical dealerships are to play a role in supporting these services in the future then this emerging data will be essential to develop their formats to support new se...rvice processes and customer needs. Will we see luggage trolleys at some dealerships of the future? Will we need change?
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Check out this prototype dash out on show at CES Las Vegas. No wonder many are saying that dealerships will have to develop in house 'geniuses' similar to an Apple store.

Automotive customers again saying they will pay more and travel further for a better experience.

Some good points in this interview including lifetime value, staff skill sets that customers want to see and how the service team have more face to face interaction with the customer than anyone else.

Traditional dealerships and OEMs should take note of this UX researcher role advertised by a US mobility tech start up. It shows how this type of company are using research tools and techniques that have successfully been used to develop digital products and services to their "mission to relentlessly understand car owner and drivers’ needs to iteratively create a compelling and useful transportation experience." Expectations for the role are to "Design and conduct studies across key product areas, utilizing methods such as ethnographic/field research, diary studies, surveys, user/usability testing (remote and in-person), and any other methods (the researcher) finds impactful.

Comprehensive article discussing the challenges facing dealerships today and making realistic predictions about future roles - including: Pickup locations for vehicles sold online Autonomous taxi checkpoints Car-sharing pickup locations Vehicle service and charging station... Digital test-drive vending kiosk Vehicle sales touch point with digital tools
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