Vehicle Health Checks Are Important to Build an Ongoing Relationship With the Customer

Communication is key when it comes to building a loyal customer database. You can bridge the gap between services or new car purchases by inviting customers in for a free vehicle health check.

Not only can technicians identify work that needs doing which can help you generate additional profits, but they also allow you to display an element of openness that will help build the customer’s trust in your judgment.

Staff Support

Getting your staff behind the idea of a free vehicle health check is going to have a positive knock-on effect. They will only spend 5-10 minutes checking it over, but if they do a thorough job, they could find an issue that needs addressing. This can lead to the dealership selling parts, servicing and labour time.  

Work = Reward

You can help your staff feel better about giving up some of their time for ‘free work’ by creating an incentive bonus for them to up sell from a certain number of health checks each month or simply to complete more than a specific percentage of the vehicles they work on each month.

Amber Means Go

Normally technicians will work through their list and identify areas as red, amber or green. Work that is classified as red is high priority issues, things like tyres for example if the tread level is below or near the legal limit. In these instances, the red items are almost certainly selling points. A customer won’t likely want to risk even taking his car home until these are taken care of.

However, make sure you’re also focusing on the amber work. Amber issues can still cause the failure of an MOT or lead to performance issues with the car, so they are important to get resolved but less urgent.

Make sure your service team or a familiar sales executive follows up with the customer about anything that was highlighted in amber that they opted not to have fixed at the time. Your focus should be making the customer recognise that you have their safety and interests at heart.

Make It Easy

Don’t make the customer face a battle to contact you about any issues they’re having or to follow up on their vehicle health check. Below is a list of bespoke ways you can increase the number of customers returning for follow-up work.

• Appointment Cards
• Company Personalised Air Fresheners or Window Stickers
• Company Personalised Key Rings, Pens, Fridge Magnets or Mugs
• Send Out Email and Text Reminders

Through Your Eyes

The equipment needed for a video health check is minimal. A mobile phone, a source of light and a pointer are often enough. By using video to show any red or amber faults, the customer can’t deny that they don’t exist. It helps further with building that level of trust and a loyal relationship as a result.

Make sure the workshop is kept tidy and the video reflects the business in a good and professional light. You can also add an incentive for staff with the best or most videos at the end of each month. This will likely lead to an increase in the quality of your representation.

For more information about what Click Dealer can do for your business, contact us on 01782 478220 or via marketing@clickdealer.co.uk.  Alternatively, you can get in touch through our contact page.