Last fall, Ford initiated a pilot program at seven dealerships across the U.S. that installed digital kiosks designed to help improve the check-in experience for Ford dealerships. The result is a 75 percent reduction in the amount of time customers spent checking in when they arrive at the dealership for service.
“Our goal is to change the perception of the dealership experience,” said Robert De Filippo, global director, Ford Retail Customer Experience. “We can start to do this by meeting rising expectations for fast and reliable service and letting each customer know they matter to us.”
Ford is piloting outdoor kiosks as well.Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Liberty Automotive Group in Ohio recently ordered more kiosks after successful implementation of the initiative, which resulted in interactions lasting only 25 percent of the time of the traditional check-in at
the dealership.
“The way I see it, there are two types of customers,” Andrew Bellavia, Chief Operating Officer of Liberty Automotive Group said. “Customers who are coming in for quick service or maintenance on low-mileage vehicles who want to get in and out quickly, and then customers who have unique cases that they want to discuss in-depth with our service staff. These kiosks provide an option to the customer who wants to move fast, freeing up service advisors to address the more complex concerns.”
Bellavia said in December the kiosk in the Brunswick location assisted 241 out of roughly 1,100 customers,
and 85 percent of these said the kiosk made their check-in process easier.
Across the seven pilot dealers, the average customer check in time using the kiosk is just over two minutes. Additionally, 84 percent of Bellavia’s users said the kiosk made their check in experience easier and 90 percent said it was able to answer all of their questions.
Ford explains how the kiosk experience works:
Imagine pulling up to a busy service area. All service advisors are busy assisting other customers. A wait seems eminent. Enter the digital service kiosk. Not unlike digital kiosks seen in other retail establishments such as fast-food or airline travel, digital kiosks in dealership service areas allow customers to check-in and select services without interaction with a service advisor.
Upon approaching the kiosk, the customer is prompted to enter their phone number via touchscreen. From there, the customers’ primary information is displayed for verification of name, address, vehicle type, and preferred method of contact. The customer then chooses the services their vehicle needs from various menu options and selects how they would like to be contacted with updates regarding their vehicle service. Recalls pertinent to the customers’ vehicle also are displayed on the screen during the check-in process.
According to Ford, outdoor versions of the kiosk currently are being piloted to provide access to vehicle drop-off or pick-up any time of day or night. The new outdoor kiosks will offer similar options as the indoor iterations and will eventually have the added capability of accepting and delivering keys.
