Motorists are often excited about upgrading to a new or newer car but dread the purchase process. Many consumers still prefer face-to-face transactions, especially for big-ticket items like vehicles, but others have grown quite accustomed to the modern conveniences that COVID forced into reality.

The pandemic compelled many businesses, including dealerships, to rethink the customer experience, much to the consumer’s pleasure.

From virtual tours, test drives and other digital retailing tools to vehicle delivery, customers have certainly appreciated some of the industry changes required during the pandemic.

The question is: if customers are happy with some of these changes, why go back to the old way of doing business?

Here are some questions to consider:

• What are some recent customer experience updates that have been most popular among consumers?
• Has an interest in pandemic-related services, like virtual test drives and vehicle delivery, changed during the gradual reopening of 2021?
• Have these new services been costly and time-consuming to offer, or could you easily keep them in place moving forward?

These are all relevant points to discuss with your team. Your answers and solutions could play a significant role in how your dealership stacks up against your local competition in the eyes of consumers.

If you don’t have the people power to continue with such services as FaceTime virtual car tours or at-home test drives, there are other sound options.

Available dealership website add-ons like WheelsTV help consumers research and understand car model features and trim levels before visiting your dealership.

Adding WheelsTV to your website frees up time for your customers and sales staff by providing on-demand and online video test drives from the safety and convenience of home.

Many car dealers have excelled at the customer experience throughout 2020 and 2021 by going above and beyond what most consumers expect.

As we advance, it’s crucial to continue focusing on the customer experience and finding innovative ways to make it even more painless and convenient for drivers to buy and service a vehicle at your dealership.

And for our last installment of the Q3 Playbook, Setting Yourself Up for Success in Q4 and Beyond, check back soon for the last piece!