RESOURCE CENTER

How Bentley Motors Is Reimagining Its Customer Experience for the Next 100 Years

Luxury brands differentiate themselves with bespoke craftsmanship, customization, and service at every turn. Yet, it’s become difficult in the digital age to translate these moments into an online experience of the same caliber.

Bentley Motors has been perfecting the luxury car-buying experience for more than 100 years with handcrafted expertise. But data and systems abound across a century of business, and Bentley needed a way to not only build cleaner, more connected customer data but set itself on a path toward digitized excellence for the next 100 years.

Let’s take a look at how Bentley Motors is reimagining the customer experience by creating a 360-degree view of each customer and prospect with Salesforce Customer 360.

“We need to think existentially about how we compete and win in this new digital environment, and the answer? It’s all about customers for me.”

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman and CEO

“We need to think existentially about how we compete and win in this new digital environment, and the answer? It’s all about customers for me.”

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman and CEO

“We need to think existentially about how we compete and win in this new digital environment, and the answer? It’s all about customers for me.”

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman and CEO

JULY 31, 2020. TIME TO READ: 5 MINUTES

Table of Contents

Step 1: Integrate for ultimate visibility

Step 2: Build a single view of the customer

Step 3: Optimize sales and service interactions

Step 4: Personalize customer journeys

Step 5: Create a new category of sustainable luxury

In this short video [3:10], hear Bentley Motors' leaders describe the company’s digital transformation and promise for a more sustainable future.

1. Integrate for ultimate visibility

When data is all in one place, the opportunities for connected experiences are endless. Bentley Motors began by integrating its legacy systems to increase response times, add personalization, and streamline work for brand advisors. Now, Bentley Motors can unlock and integrate data from various back-end systems to form a 360-degree view of customers for more personalized experiences.

“With a 360 degree view of the customer, we can create a single source of truth that allows us to create extraordinary experiences for our customers and that’s what we need moving forward.”

Dr. Astrid Fontaine

Board Member for People, Digitalization and IT

“With a 360 degree view of the customer, we can create a single source of truth that allows us to create extraordinary experiences for our customers and that’s what we need moving forward.”

Dr. Astrid Fontaine

Board Member for People, Digitalization and IT

“With a 360 degree view of the customer, we can create a single source of truth that allows us to create extraordinary experiences for our customers and that’s what we need moving forward.”

Dr. Astrid Fontaine

Board Member for People, Digitalization and IT

Bentley Motors’ brand advisor team can view customers on a single pane of glass for deeper personalization and faster response times in managing inbound and outbound sales and service queries. Plus, increased visibility across systems also means Bentley Motors can quickly analyze its data in real-time. With a clear view of data and simplified extraction, employees can examine and analyze multiple data sources automatically, driving real-time decision-making.

2. Build a single view of the customer.

Bentley Motors has been tailoring offline customer experiences since its founding. To build engaging moments online, Bentley Motors set out to create a single view of each customer, leveraging industry expertise and technical guidance to redefine customer interactions and deepen personal relationships. These ideal customer records may consist of purchasing interests, vehicles owned, previous inquiries, lead source, and so on — made possible by connecting every touchpoint in one source of truth.

“The needs of our customers have been evolving through time. More than ever, we need to know them more closely.”

Chris Craft

Board Member for Sales and Marketing

“The needs of our customers have been evolving through time. More than ever, we need to know them more closely.”

Chris Craft

Board Member for Sales and Marketing

“The needs of our customers have been evolving through time. More than ever, we need to know them more closely.”

Chris Craft

Board Member for Sales and Marketing

“The needs of our customers have been evolving through time. More than ever, we need to know them more closely.”

Chris Craft

Board Member for Sales and Marketing

Note: Set up for the small breakpoint when the headshot is on the left side.

And because sales, service, and marketing functions are all integrated in one platform, Bentley Motors can keep customer data current, ensuring messages always reach customers at the moments that matter most.

increase in data captured

Ready to connect to your customers in a whole new way? Get the Customer Expectations Report.

First name Enter your first name

Last name Enter your last name

Job title Please enter your title

Email Enter a valid email address

Phone Enter a valid phone number

Company Enter your company name

Employees Select the number of employees

Country/Region Choose a valid country

By registering I confirm that I have read and agree to the Privacy Statement.

This field is required.

3. Optimize sales and service interactions.

Instead of manually processing web and social media leads, Bentley Motors now has a lead management process that can streamline and automate sales for ultimate efficiency and flow. With optimized web forms, web-to-lead processes, and built-in intelligence (like lead scoring and next best action), brand advisors can immediately act on leads, forming a relationship when prospects are most engaged.

Plus, brand advisors can easily prioritize cases, driving faster response times and improved customer satisfaction. Bentley Motors has further revolutionized its customer service by piloting a live chat tool, providing a new and convenient digital channel for customers to engage with the company in real time. Going forward, no matter which channel customers engage on, brand advisors will be able to view every service touchpoint on a single screen.

4. Personalize customer journeys.

Bentley is planning to unify, segment and activate audience data to further personalize customer experiences. Armed with a 360-degree view of each individual, Bentley Motors has endless possibilities for reaching customers on their terms. By fueling digital marketing with sales and service data, Bentley can personalize every marketing journey to improve customer engagement and drive quality demand.

Whether customers want to hear from the brand via email, SMS, web, or social media, Bentley Motors can deliver, triggering campaigns at the right moment based on customer behavior, new promotions, and so on. Some interactions (like clicking on an email campaign) also trigger lead qualification actions, such as calls or appointment requests. Bentley Motors brand advisors can then reach out to form one-to-one relationships with customers using data collected inside the new platform.

“We want to make sure there’s a consistent journey and piece it all together, be it digitally or physically, into a very consistent customer experience.”

Robert Savin

Chief Digital Officer

“We want to make sure there’s a consistent journey and piece it all together, be it digitally or physically, into a very consistent customer experience.”

Robert Savin

Chief Digital Officer

5. Create a new category of sustainable luxury.

Bentley Motors’ digital transformation doesn’t just improve customer experiences. It also sets the auto manufacturer on a path to enhance global wellbeing for automobile occupants and the wider world. In its next 100 years, Bentley Motors is committing to more sustainable business practices like ethical wood sourcing, lighter batteries, an electric grand touring car, the largest solar carport in the U.K., and even a project to combat the declining bee population.

“For 101 years we built cars, and more than eighty percent of them are still on the road. That already is the most sustainable story.”

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman and CEO

“For 101 years we built cars, and more than eighty percent of them are still on the road. That already is the most sustainable story.”

Adrian Hallmark

Chairman and CEO

Sustainability starts right at the source for Bentley. The Bentley factory in England is completely carbon neutral, relying on solar panels and green energy sources to provide power. Plus, the company is exploring more responsible materials like carbon neutral wood and paint made from rice husks to achieve its vision of being fully sustainable.

“Our vision is to go beyond zero, to become climate positive as a company.”

Peter Bosch

Board Member for Manufacturing

“Our vision is to go beyond zero, to become climate positive as a company.”

Peter Bosch

Board Member for Manufacturing

“Our vision is to go beyond zero, to become climate positive as a company.”

Peter Bosch

Board Member for Manufacturing

“Our vision is to go beyond zero, to become climate positive as a company.”

Peter Bosch

Board Member for Manufacturing

Bentley Motors’ new digital platform is a crucial component of its century-long goal to become the undisputed leader of sustainable luxury mobility. With the ability to connect data for increased clarity across the business, Bentley Motors can accelerate business growth and personalized customer engagement to deliver a new generation of luxury services.

Ready to put customers at the center of everything you do? Build your own Customer 360 with the Customer 360 Solution Finder.