For today’s customers, quality over quantity wins every time—for both the product and the customer experience.

As McKinsey & Company puts it:

Car manufacturers once competed largely on their engineering capabilities: superior driving performance and reliability were their marketing boasts. These qualities still matter, but they are table stakes. The new battleground is customer experience.

That said, a superior product still matters. In a world of electric and connected cars, customers expect advanced personalization and convenience throughout both the purchasing and ownership process. Add-ons, service packages, personalized recommendations, in-car entertainment for drivers, and so on all contribute not only to enhanced driving experiences but enhanced purchasing experiences as well.

The trends in recent data on CX in the automotive industry speak for themselves.

According to a study by Accenture:

Automotive brands can no longer compete solely based on technology, engineering, and product performance. Instead, the entire customer experience must be considered and reimagined for consistent growth. A study by Qualtrics in 2020 found that Auto Dealers ranked only 9th in customer ratings across 20 leading industries—a ranking that could be improved with an excellent customer experience.

In order to transform customers from one-time buyers into loyal lifetime customers, a standout customer experience is essential.

Today’s customers are no longer content with the old ways of car shopping: visiting dealerships, test-driving cars, and haggling with salesmen at the showroom. Shoppers today expect more speed and convenience, which is one reason why the time spent looking for a new vehicle is decreasing among today’s consumers. The average number of vehicle dealerships visited before purchasing is declining, too.

As a result, your brand will have fewer in-person opportunities to connect with consumers and impact the buyer’s journey. Instead, CX leaders will provide a streamlined journey that takes into account consumers’ time constraints and preferences so that you can be the first to connect with potential buyers and get them the information they need.

A key step to creating streamlined experiences is to provide omnichannel experiences for your customers. Today’s consumers don’t want to have to “shop around”—instead, they’re looking for one-click solutions and a connected experience across every touchpoint.

Give your customers the frictionless experience they deserve and expect by using a centralized customer experience platform and solution.

Of course, it’s essential to provide chat, video, and online experiences so that customers can always access your brand at their convenience. However, all of these touchpoints should be connected so that the call center agent your customer talks to today knows they’ve already booked an appointment to test drive three new cars next week. A centralized CX platform and omnichannel support help you meet your customers where they are with integrated systems and a seamless customer journey.

A streamlined, omnichannel experience is a must—but this is an experience that should stretch across the entire buyer journey. Far too many automotive companies only connect with consumers during the purchasing stage of the buyer journey—scheduling test drives or talking to customers in the showroom.

According to a Cox Automotive study in 2018, only 1 in 3 buyers know the exact vehicle they’re looking to purchase when they start shopping. As a result, the research and awareness phases of the buyer journey are becoming increasingly important for automotive experts to tap into. Given that more and more of the research for car purchases is happening digitally, providing online resources and touchpoints for consumers in this stage is essential for gaining awareness and creating happy customers from the very beginning.

On the other hand, follow-up after a purchase is just as important—and a huge opportunity for most OEMs and many dealers as well. 59% of customers said they were never contacted by the manufacturer after acquiring their vehicle (and 26% said the dealer didn’t contact them after the purchase either). Extending customer connection beyond the point of purchase goes a long way to not only providing upselling and service opportunities but also cementing a good customer experience and driving brand loyalty.

Part of providing a customer experience that sets you above the competition doesn’t just involve meeting customers where they are—but knowing what the customer needs before they even ask.

And how do you anticipate customer needs? With data, of course.

Data-driven sales and marketing allow you to drive sales and impact purchasing decisions by understanding customer needs, concerns, patterns, and habits. Automotive industry leaders can use data such as:

The demand for digital transformation within the automotive industry and customer experience is only growing. Put your customers in the driver’s seat with self-service tools that allow them to get what they need when they need it.

Digital self-service tools support customer needs while also contributing to a streamlined customer experience—and provide you with more customer data, so you can better anticipate customer needs in the future.

According to a 2019 study by Cox Automotive:

Completing paperwork or contracts digitally isn’t the only option for self-service tools. Digital solutions provide a better customer experience across the entire buyer journey, from research to the final contract and beyond. Leaders in CX in the automotive industry can take it a step further with self-service and automated tools. These scalable options allow you to reach more customers without having to scale your team accordingly.

While state-of-the-art technology might be second-nature for your automotive engineering team, it should be just as at home in your marketing, showrooms, and throughout the entire customer experience.

Not only does automation make the shopping experience easier and more streamlined for your customers, but it also saves time and work for your employees and staff. For example, you might consider automation for the following customer experience touchpoints:

• Booking test drives, services, and appointments
• Chatbots to answer questions 24/7
• VR or video to show the features of different car models
• Upselling or cross-selling opportunities
• Website support
• Processes for qualification, leasing, or other payment options

When you outsource your customer experience, you benefit from the following:

• Partnering with experts in customer experience, gaining the best expertise without having to hire an in-house expert
• Getting the best strategy built for you without draining resources or requiring training for your team
• Access to advanced analytics and CX technology and a team who’s trained to use it
• Seamless, omnichannel experiences that meet customers where they are
• Integrated, state-of-the-art technology and systems that make customer experiences easy and match the advanced automotive technology customers expect
• Instant solutions for customers, with round-the-clock service and self-service options, all managed by your team of experts

Of course, it’s essential to find a proven partner whose expertise in customer experience you can trust. ROI CX Solutions has more than a decade of experience working with customer experience in the automotive industry and knows how to deliver fast, high-touch customer experiences that create happy, lifelong customers.