Customer trends in the service lane

A look at Digital Air Strike and Cox Automotive surveys on customer service.

Digital adoption

Dealership marketing firm Digital Air Strike released its 9th annual Automotive Customer Experience Trends Study, which gauges how technology influences customers when they make purchasing decisions and chose dealerships for vehicle service. Here are some study highlights.

Customers who select a dealership for service work based solely on online searches and reviews:202167%202046%Service customers who said online review sites helped in their dealership selection process87%Service customers who research a few days or more before selecting a dealership51%Sites customers use to research dealerships:Google60%Kelley Blue Book17%Cars.com17%CarGurus17%Autotrader13%Facebook6%Edmunds6%Yelp4%After you brought your in for service, did the dealership ask you to write an online review of your experience?No71%Yes29%Was that review positive or negative?Positive88%Negative12%How helpful were review sites in your dealership selection?Helpful58%Not helpful42%Service customers who say a 4- or 5-start rating influences which dealership they choose41%Service customers who said social media ads were helpful60%

Consumer sentiment

Cox Automotive released its 2021 Service Industry Study, which polled 2,500 consumers who had at least 1 service visit in the past 12 months. Here are some study highlights.

Average number of service visits per year:20212.320182.82021 share of service visits:Dealerships34%General repair/service station26%Quick lube11%Tire store/repair chain11%Retail6%Specialist4%Body shop3%Mobile service3%Other2%Reasons consumers prefer dealership:They know my vehicle55%Prior experience46%Location41%They know me33%Top reasons for not returning to the dealership for service:202120182015Not a convenient location125Total cost not reasonable211They will overcharge332Unreasonable labor charges443Unreasonable parts charges554

Dealership discouragement

Cox also surveyed 529 dealers with decision-making authority over fixed ops. These are their top service operation frustrations.

Parts delays from manufacturers58%Finding, hiring right technician45%Dealers who say their service department is not fully staffed57%Dealers who expect labor shortages to continue or worsen80%Dealers who report an increase in service staff turnover since before COVID-1929%Top reasons for staff turnover:Employee wants to do something else or not work at all43%Employee leaves for better-paying job42%Top roles dealerships plan to grow:Service technician60%New-vehicle sales associate54%Used-vehicle sales associate48%Service adviser38%BDC specialist33%Most important skills for technicians:Mechanical91%Electrical58%Computer25%Customer service9%