Reynolds presented its newest study—Enhancing Service from Hello: A Deep Dive into the Service Check-In Process. 

This new study examines dealer’s perspectives on the check-in process and analyzes how customers feel about that process, to determine if the two groups are on the same page.

The study surveyed personnel at more than 150 dealerships across Canada and the United States, and nearly 700 dealership customers by phone.

Highlights 

• 96% of surveyed dealers would prefer a standardized check-in procedure.
• 100% indicated it was important to get accurate customer information during the check-in process.
• 98% indicated it was important to offer upsells during the check-in process.
• Only 26% say their advisors offer upsells to every customer, and for those that don’t—the number one reason for not doing so was because the advisors were too busy with other customers.
• 96% indicated check-in speed was important to the process.
• 90% of dealers say they have a check-in speed of seven minutes or less.
• Only 55% of customers report the process has taken seven minutes or less.
• 90% of customers are willing to use a self-service kiosk to check in and for other tasks (after-hours drop-off, pick-up, and mobile payments).
• 70% would use it every or almost every time.
• 30% would use it so they can get in and out of the dealership faster on their own.
• 29% would use it to avoid feeling pressured into a purchase by an employee.

Customers care about time

Ultimately, the study found that customers care about the time spent before and during their appointments and that they crave self-service technology to make the process feel faster. It’s clear the presence of self-service technology in other parts of their lives (stores, restaurants, movie theatres, airports, etc.) as well as the convenience and speed it offers, has conditioned or convinced many people to use them when they are presented as an option.

Meanwhile, dealerships recognize time as an essential factor in the customer’s satisfaction. They prefer to see the check-in process be efficient and that it’s being followed the same way every time. However, several variables can limit how often this is achieved with a face-to-face process.

The full report can be found here.