Technology set to reinvent aftersales
Technology could help reinvent the aftersales process in 2017 and potentially increase dealer revenues by £40,000 per site according to In-car Cleverness.
The vehicle relationship management (VRM) specialist predicts next year will, in fact, prove to be a tipping point in the adoption of technology which enables the dealer, customer and vehicle to communicate in a completely transparent way.
In the face of longer service intervals and more reliable vehicles, the technology, which incorporates remote diagnostics, could be used to boost customer contact, improve client satisfaction and minimise missed sales opportunities or routine maintenance.
In-car Cleverness estimates that telematics-driven VRM and remote diagnostics will increase aftersales revenues by 10% in dealers which adopt the technology and actively promote the benefits to their customers, equating to an estimated boon of £4 million for the top-10 dealer groups alone – or roughly £40,000 per site.
Paul O’Dowd, head of sales at In-car Cleverness, said, ‘Just a few years ago dealers started to migrate aftersales services to their websites, making the booking process easier for the customer. Telematics and vehicle relationship management, however, takes this on another level.
‘It can change the way we manage vehicle maintenance, laying bare information which was previously unavailable, unless the vehicle was plugged into a good diagnostics tool in the workshop. The inherent transparency of the system and greater trust it imbues will finally start making a real impact in 2017.’
Adoption of the technology is already benefitting the dealer sector according to In-Car Cleverness, where courtesy fleets are utilising telematics to monitor how vehicles are being driven by customers and staff to gain specific insights or to minimise accident disputes, as well as running costs.
