Delivering cross touchpoint automotive customer experiences
Next to a house, a car is one of the most significant purchases you might make. It’s often fraught with anxiety and stress and a significant amount of information-gathering on the part of the buyer.
As we move into the digital age, the number of times people visit a dealership has decreased. Now, 70%-80% of the real work is done “upstream”, with the moment of truth being put off for as long as possible.
What’s changed too, is that the previously invisible touchpoints (such as looking at an Autotrader review) don’t have to be invisible any more. Why? Because there is (a) more activity and (b) it’s more visible.
These digital exhaust emissions (if you pardon the pun) need to be anticipated and monitored. So, rather than reacting to a formal sales enquiry, automotive brands need to know when you are starting to give the signals of wanting to get a new car.
Then there’s the need for automotive marketers to break out of the habit of hanging on to a driver profile. These days there is no such thing as a driver profile.
Building the customer relationship with engagement
Today, customers are more likely to switch automotive models and the newer the organisation, the smaller the unpicking of the organisational barriers. Brands such as Mini and Mustang are highly participative and iconic, with lots of material to engage prospective or current owners and a lot more “meat” to the relationship. A marketing team might be eloquent in describing what a typical driver would be like but this is not real data. It may be obvious that not everybody buys a Landrover for its ability to handle rugged terrain but there might be a subset of drivers who go skiing three times a year, and you don’t want to rule them out.
Connecting the data for better recognition
In order to secure these customers, marketers need to capture the data around behaviours. It’s not about reacting to big data, it’s about reacting to smart data within that big data. Most automotive companies have got more segments than they can treat differently with their content so this content needs to be better tailored to how the customer really interacts with the product.
This data then needs to be efficiently socialised across CRM platforms and brand teams to really make a difference to have real customer experience continuity and consistency.
Connected data isn’t just beneficial for marketers either. Through this very high-level customer feedback, manufacturers can better understand how the car is being used and research and develop their products accordingly.
How Mini uses data to create a strong auto customer experience
The industry could also learn a lot from Mini’s use of data to actually enhance the customer experience. Its Minimalism Analyser, for example, records driving data that enables users to environmentally streamline their driving style. Ford are launching cloud-based services that will allow them to provide software updates and patches for audio, communications and selected navigation functions whenever the car detects a wireless signal, ensuring the user is kept constantly up to date with the latest product improvements.
For some people owning a car can be a bit like owning a hole you throw money in. It can be difficult for manufacturers to add value. But using connected car data and knowledge of the customer gives them the ability to create lasting, value-based relationships.
However, if marketers are not clear about how they want to use the data, they won’t gain any actionable insight. Used ethically and smartly, data lets companies deliver the personal touch and value at scale across multiple channels in a way that’s right for each customer’s personal journey.
