The automobile industry in India is on the transformation fast lane. Rapid digitisation, new regulations around safety standards, increasing focus on sustainability, and evolving customer expectations are all competing for the attention of auto players. In such a disruptive scenario, with advanced engineering capabilities becoming table stakes, customer experience (CX) can be a crucial differentiator. Especially since the Indian consumer, traditionally only concerned with parameters like cost vs fuel efficiency, is focusing more on CX now.
The average Indian automobile customer is changing their buying pattern, prioritising experience over cost. Customers are now willing to accept a longer delivery time for a better experience, for instance.
To ensure a delightful customer experience, automobile players need to intelligently engage their customers at all touchpoints. Using data and industry-specific digital solutions, both automobile manufacturers and dealers can build robust customer relationships and boost customer lifetime value.
Accelerating towards greater CX: 4 tips to leverage the data you have
1. Ensure a single customer view to enable seamless interactions
A fragmented view of the customer across sales, marketing, and service can result in a disjointed journey. On the other hand, with a unified customer view, all teams can use real-time insights from connected customer interactions across touchpoints to provide one seamless experience.
Take a look at Silver Arrows, a leading Mercedes-Benz dealer. The dealership has built out its entire customer experience on a single platform that consolidates data across the customer’s lifecycle. This single view offers key account managers a 360-degree view of each customer’s needs, allowing them to anticipate and fulfill requirements, thus improving the overall experience they deliver.
Meanwhile, the customer has a single point of contact for all their needs, including post-sales services such as financing and insurance. This helps in simplifying and personalising the customer’s experience, enhancing their satisfaction.
2. Use data-driven, targeted communication to maximise CLV
Smart brands know how to use data to maximise customer lifecycle value (CLV). Using a data-driven approach, you can:
- Segment customers effectively (for example, based on the model, year of purchase, etc) and send out periodic alerts (such as reminding customers they are due for an oil change when their odometer touches a specific number)
- Use analytics to finetune campaigns and 1-to-1 messaging, creating a more emotional connection with customers.
Silver Arrows prides itself on delivering smart, personalised customer engagements that help build deeper relationships, leading to increased loyalty and higher customer lifetime value. The brand’s remarketing campaigns contribute almost 20% to fresh business each month.
They can also target customers at different milestones in their journey, making communications very granular and specific. Real-time access to campaign performance ensures that they are fine-tuned for maximum impact.
3. Leverage data for boosting customer relationships and encourage cross-selling
By leveraging insights from purchase history, preferences, and evolving demands, you can create targeted loyalty programs and incentives that encourage profitable behaviour. For example, with unified data, you could:
- Identify and reward customers who frequently use your post-sales services with exclusive rewards, such as discounts on future purchases, complimentary maintenance services, and more.
- Encourage these customers to upgrade and create cost-efficient cross-selling/ upselling opportunities
This not only fosters deeper customer engagement but also helps to boost sales and build customer loyalty. With data-driven strategies like these, you can create a win-win situation for both your business and your customers, resulting in stronger, more profitable relationships.
4. Automate lead management to improve conversions and strengthen your sales pipeline
With data that helps you better understand customers’ needs and preferences, you can tailor your interactions and sell smarter. Engage your prospects wherever they are, and consolidate all your leads for better routing and faster conversions.
With Salesforce Automotive CRM,for instance, you can transform your lead management by capturing customer data from multiple touchpoints and using it to customise future interactions and streamline operations. See how market leader Mahindra & Mahindra drives both customer experience and revenue through effective lead nurturing and management:
- Website leads are consolidated on a single platform, so sales and marketing teams can customise prospect journeys and launch targeted communications.
- With a deeper understanding of prospects, gleaned from all the data they have, teams can send the right messages at the right time and drive omnichannel engagement.
- Qualified leads are scored to determine those that have a higher chance of converting. These are then seamlessly handed over to dealer sales consultants via a dealer portal.
Driving great customer experience with Salesforce
Salesforce Automotive CRM is built specifically for OEMs, dealers, automotive finance groups, and their customers. Use real-time personalisation and intelligent insights to offer connected experiences across the entire customer and vehicle lifecycle. From nurturing your prospects to supporting vehicle purchasing and post-sales servicing, engage more meaningfully with your customers.
With Automotive CRM, you can:
- Get a complete view of customer interactions across touchpoints
- Capture and route leads across channels onto a single interface and manage the relationship from test drive to sale
- Get a single view of the entire customer and vehicle lifecycle
- Access complete vehicle information to provide proactive, personalised support
