How One Dealership Drives Loyalty With Uber for Business

The past years have seen a major shift in the automotive industry. While dealers long had the upper hand, the rise of online marketplaces has shifted consumer expectations and created an emphasis on the customer experience. Today’s automotive customers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to purchasing and maintaining their vehicle. 

An Opportunity To Deliver

Brick and mortar dealerships may compete with online platforms for sales of new and used cars, but the customer experience doesn’t end once they’ve signed on the dotted line. Nearly half of dealership’s revenue comes from fixed operations and long-term vehicle care. 

Dealerships have a huge opportunity to build loyalty and increase a customer’s lifetime value by providing a great experience for customers repairing and maintaining their cars. In fact, nearly half of customers consider changing their automotive brand after a company fails to deliver a positive experience. 

How One Dealership Boosts Customer Loyalty

At BMW of Ramsey, a Prestige Family Dealership in Ramsey, New Jersey, customers are a top focus. Whether a customer is buying a car or getting one serviced, their experience is crucial to the team. “Our staff are really what sets our dealership apart. We go above and beyond for our customers,” says James Crowe, Service Director at the dealership. 

Service appointments at BMW of Ramsey include a complimentary car wash and vacuum, and customers can wait—and grab coffee—in an onsite cafe. The dealership also provides mobile service, sending out a truck equipped for minor services like a tire change at a customer’s home or office.

Putting Customers Front and Center

Five years ago, employees would have to provide rides for customers waiting for their cars to be serviced, which limited the time employees could spend helping other customers. To ease logistical challenges and create a great experience for waiting customers, the dealership now provides a mix of their own loaner cars and courtesy rides through Uber for Business’ Central solution. 

If a customer opts for a ride while waiting at the dealership’s service center, a member of the service department team will request a ride using the Central dashboard. Customers don’t need to have the Uber app or even a smartphone. Once the ride has been requested on their behalf, they receive a text or phone call with their ride details.

The rides are a flexible and easy way to provide a great customer experience without all the risk that can be associated with a loaner fleet. “Uber for Business is convenient and helps limit the liability of a fleet as much as possible, allowing us to focus on our customers. We try to use Uber for everything,” Crowe says.

The team at BMW of Ramsey’s hard work has paid off: the dealership maintains high CSI scores and has 4.5 stars on Google Reviews—the markers of many happy customers.

Learn how Uber for Business can help your dealership elevate the customer experience.