MARKET INSIGHT
CitNOW DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
EXPERTS
Carol Fairchild, Chief Customer Officer at CitNOW, offers advice for retailers preparing to restart operations, considering new working practises that may be required and changing consumer behaviours and expectations as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis
W
e have been working closely with retailers across England as they start
to reopen their showroom doors, which has given us invaluable insight into how dealers in Scotland can restart their operations following the lockdown.
Plans for reopening showrooms need to be two-pronged and incorporate new contactless processes into every stage of the customer journey. Most importantly, retailers must implement social distancing measures for the safety of staff and customers. Secondly, they need to quickly optimise their operations to rebuild the sales pipeline and restart all customer-facing dealership operations.
What has become clear during this pandemic is that video can play a significant role in keeping dealer staff engaged and connected with customers in a safe and effective way, especially
for following up on initial enquiries. South of the border, we have seen that customers still want to visit dealerships so retailers are using video to communicate effectively and clearly the new safety protocols in place throughout their showroom, including PPE, sanitation measures and new showroom and workshop layouts to ensure social distancing.
Dealers should also be prepared for a surge in enquiries from pent-up demand when they re-open. For many dealerships operating with a skeleton staff video messages have proven to be a time-efficient and effective way to respond to customer queries. Videos can be produced in a matter of minutes, with notifications received when the video has been viewed, allowing them to make more timely follow-up calls and ensure their time is used most efficiently. Dealers can also send a video confirming appointments with customers. Our recent performance data shows that
home. Carol Fairchild
a short confirmation video can reduce no-shows by up to 30%, which could save valuable man hours at a time when this matters more than ever.
In response to the demand for new contactless communication tools, we recently launched Live Video, to enable remote face-to-face interactions with customers. This allows dealership staff using the CitNOW Sales or Workshop app to respond quickly to individual customer enquiries with a level of detail and emotional connection comparable to visiting a dealership. For example, sales staff can complete a vehicle walkaround, present feature demonstrations or a live handover, which the customer can watch from the comfort and safety of their
As the automotive industry emerges from the effects of the pandemic, we are seeing volumes of video production by retailers approach pre-crisis levels in some markets. It’s highly likely that consumers who get accustomed to this new contactless world will continue to use the many new digital offerings that have soared in popularity during the crisis, with safety remaining a top priority. And while circumstance and necessity have been driving the recent growth in video output, the need for social distancing has made the public even more comfortable receiving information via video. So now is the time for all retailers to integrate video into their sales and aftersales processes, to allow them to adapt quickly to changing market conditions and demonstrate their understanding of what matters to their customers.
For more information: (0)1189 977740 or
www.citnow.com
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