Selling trucks has always been a relationship-oriented, “touchy, feely thing.” But dealers are placing an increased emphasis on measuring
and improving customer satisfaction.
More truck and commercial vehicle dealers have engaged customer satisfaction and reporting services in the last few months than in the past 15 years combined, according to a recent study by the OCT Group, an automotive sales and customer research firm.
With the recent increase in demand from truck dealers, OCT (One Customer at a Time) has specifically tailored its consumer satisfaction-related survey programs for truck dealerships in North America. It will showcase it new programs at the upcoming American Truck Dealers 38th Annual Convention & Exposition, set for April 21-23 in Baltimore, Md.
“Like automotive dealerships, customer satisfaction is critical to the success of each truck dealership,” said company president Grant Dunning. Its new “combination of gratitude and appreciation programs, combined with satisfaction surveys, can help bond customers more closely to those
truck dealerships that truly value customer relationships.”
OCT Group has developed three new programs to build customer relationships for truck dealerships: Prospect Advantage, Service Advantage and Sales Advantage.
Prospect Advantage helps increase the sales conversion ratio of recent visitors, Dunning explained. The program thanks the shopper for the visit with a package, shipped within 24 hours, that includes a gift, personalized letter and brief, postage-paid survey card to measure the prospect's shopping experience.
The Service Advantage program monitors the customer's experiences in the service department, including daily alerts with less-than-satisfactory scores and referrals. It also includes a monthly summary of service
satisfaction.
The Sales Advantage program follows the sale of a truck. Within days after, the customer receives a package that contains a personalized thank you note and gift, along with a brief survey covering the sales process and customer satisfaction. Also included is a request for referrals. In addition, the program incorporates cards mailed to all customers on the anniversary of their truck purchase.
The Sales Advantage and Service Advantage programs include OCT Group’s Insight Track Executive Management Reports which illustrate customer feedback regarding the sales experience. From a secured Internet Web site, the charts measure a dealer’s performance from the customer's perspective.