4 Min ReadFebruary 9, 2022

Give Customers the Gift of Time

Give Customers the Gift of Time

How many people still work the typical 9 to 5? If you’re like many Americans, odds are you’re working more than you’re clocking.

It turns out readily available technology, partnered with a global pandemic, has propelled even the strictest of clock-watchers towards constant email checking, instant responding and perpetual multitasking from dawn until dusk. With our offices in our dining rooms and attached to our hips, we’re inclined to overcommit and underestimate our time.

Businesses are seeing customers demand everything from food to computers and even vehicles be provided faster and hassle-free. They’re often wedging in their shopping between Zoom calls and picking up the kids from school. And since we’re conditioned to have access to anything we want at a moment’s notice, we get frustrated as soon as the smallest roadblock occurs. Evidence suggests that increasing technology increases impatience. One study showed that 50% of people hang up the phone if they’re on hold for one minute or less.

Time is a precious commodity, and no one wants to waste it. And in an era where impatience runs high, customer service teams are finding themselves challenged by people with low tolerance and high tempers.

How can we meet our customers’ needs while still maintaining productivity? The CDK Global Customer Care team is focused on this new sense of urgency and giving our customers what they want most: their time.

Here are a few ways you can give the gift of time to your customers.

Don’t Trip the Trigger

Research from a study by OnePoll shares that “the general population is struggling on a daily basis to remain patient when confronted with any form of delay. They are triggered easily and have a small window of tolerance.”

For many people, entering a dealership for sales or service can raise their normal level of anxiety. You need to be ahead of that ticking window of intolerance that might be under the surface or on full display.

How can you keep the situation calm? Build relationships. Take time in front of every interaction to understand your customer and avoid any triggers that may come along. A rapport with someone allows you to transfer emotion. And should emotions become heated, this connection will help keep everyone on the same friendly page.

Meet the Demand for Instant Results With Empathy

Wakefield Research revealed that 72% of people in its study push an elevator button that is already lit, hoping it will come faster.

Similarly, car buyers want a hassle-free experience, and they want it now. When an issue arises, quickly isolate the problem and try to identify with your customer’s viewpoint. Take a moment to show that you recognize how a problem has caused this person to lose valuable time.

Empathy invites people to lower their walls and facilitates a greater opportunity for mutual resolution. That also allows breathing room for you to use the tools at your disposal to solve the problem. Even if you’ve built a terrific rapport with your customer, you still need to do the job efficiently or they will revert to that place where they want to push the elevator button again.

Be Proactive to Be Productive

In customer service, we often engage with people who are frustrated, annoyed or downright angry, primarily because their daily life is being delayed unexpectedly. After you solve each case, ask yourself, “how could our company solve this issue before it happens to give customers more time back?”

One thing CDK does is provide technological tools and educational resources for our products to improve the ease of use for our customers. For you, perhaps it’s choosing to utilize live-person interactions instead of online chats to truly understand the issue.

You should always examine past interactions to help you identify future problems before they come through the door. With resolutions ready in your toolbox, your team is armed to provide exceptional service.

Make It Right by Them

The biggest destroyer of a relationship is a bad transaction, but a sincere apology can be the best antidote. Accepting that the customer is upset, not taking it personally and apologizing for their inconvenience is a fundamental step towards good customer service.

It's all about how you handle the situation. Use words that express, "I’m sorry you had that experience." Don’t try to explain how or why it happened. That’s not relevant to the other party and comes across like you’re making an excuse. They simply want it made right.

Train your team to take it one step further by asking two more questions: “Did we get your issue handled? Is there anything else we can do for you today?"

When you correct the specific problem quickly and without excuse, you’re telling your customers you respect the time they may have lost while promising they won’t lose more in the future. Time gained means happier people and the hope that they will share their positive experience.

At CDK, we believe it’s all about how fast we can deliver a lifeline to make things more convenient for our dealer customers by tackling their pressing issues. And by getting back that time, you will have more of it to focus on and meet the needs of your own customers.

Share This

Jeff Beals
By Jeff Beals
Senior Vice President of Customer Delivery at CDK Global

Jeff Beals is senior vice president of Customer Delivery at CDK Global.
Jeff and his team focus on consistently delivering high levels of support for dealer and OEM customers through every interaction they have with CDK. He also spent nearly a decade in leadership roles at Elead, an industry-leading customer relationship management (CRM) software with a long history of exceptional service, prior to it becoming a valuable part of CDK’s suite of automotive retail solutions.

Recent Insights

Why Your Dealership Needs to Prioritize Tire Sales.

Why Your Dealership Needs to Prioritize Tire Sales

Tire sales represent an opportunity to drive additional Service revenue and highlight the convenience and quality of work performed at...
3 Min ReadFeb 4CDK Global
Moods Bright During January Car Sales

Moods Bright During January Car Sales

The automotive landscape may look different as the calendar flips to February, but last month saw car steady car sales...
3 Min ReadFeb 3David Thomas
The 10 Commandments of Used Vehicle Inventory Management

The 10 Commandments of Used Vehicle Inventory Management

If you have it, they’ll come — the right car that is. Car dealerships run on inventory and without it,...
1 Min ReadJan 23CDK Global
Dealers Speed Up Sales According to Latest CDK Friction Points Study

Dealers Speed Up Sales According to Latest CDK Friction Points Study

Customer expectations are at an all-time high in the post-pandemic automotive retail industry. Shoppers want more screen time and less...
1 Min ReadJan 20CDK Global
A Glossary of F and I Products at Dealerships.

A Glossary of F&I Products at Dealerships

The Finance and Insurance department — better known as the F&I office — is where customers finalize financing, sign auto...
3 Min ReadJan 16CDK Global
Convert Phone Ups to Sell More Cars and Drive Loyalty.

Convert Phone Ups to Sell More Cars and Drive Loyalty

In the fast-paced world of car sales, each interaction with a potential customer is a chance to build trust, make...
4 Min ReadJan 15Natalia Mischenko
What to Look for When Choosing a Dealer Management System.

What to Look for When Choosing a Dealer Management System

What’s a DMS? Simply put, a Dealership Management System (DMS) is the central hub of your dealership that integrates all the functional areas like Sales, Accounting, Service and Inventory together in one system. The right DMS should provide insight into how your business is performing in real time, unlock efficiencies in your day-to-day processes, and turn data into profitable growth in a trusted and secure platform.
5 Min ReadJan 14CDK Global
Some Purchase Steps Slip as Car Inventory Booms

Some Purchase Steps Slip as Car Inventory Booms

Car shoppers hit dealerships in droves this December and nearly nine out of 10 (88%) said the purchase experience was...
2 Min ReadJan 6David Thomas
Communicating Long Car Parts Delays With Service Customers.

Communicating Long Car Parts Delays With Service Customers

Your Service department is likely accustomed to auto parts delays that stretch far longer than in days past. While many...
4 Min ReadJan 3CDK Global
The State of Cybersecurity for Auto Dealerships 2024.

The State of Cybersecurity for Auto Dealerships 2024

In 2024, 35% of auto dealers experienced a cyberattack or incident and 92% said it resulted in a negative financial/operational...
1 Min ReadDec 30CDK Global