Acquiring a new customer can cost five times more than retaining an existing one. However, in a world where customers are more informed, more demanding and savvier than ever, retaining existing customers can be challenging.    

Here are some practical customer retention strategies that your car dealership can use to keep customers coming back for maintenance, repairs and to purchase more vehicles. 

Build and maintain an online presence

Today, a good number of potential car buyers do their research online before making a purchase. Having a strong online presence will make it easy for you to be found and allow you to stay connected with customers. In addition to creating a professional website and being active on social media, ensure you personalize your communications with the clients. This will help you build strong dealer-customer relationships. 

Meet expectations 

Customers will keep coming back to your dealership if you meet their needs and expectations right from the time they contact you. To retain your current customers, you should think of the entire customer journey. You can then enhance customer experience by improving client response times and prioritizing incredible customer service. Once a customer buys a new car, you should check in with them after a while to find out how everything is going. 

Manage your dealership's reputation 

Your reputation can mean the difference between the success and failure of your car dealership. Apart from providing excellent customer service, you should monitor online reviews to find out what people are saying about your dealership. Manage your online reputation by maintaining positive reviews and responding appropriately to negative ones. Listening to your customers will help you make better decisions that will earn you repeat business. 

Create a loyalty program 

Customers like being appreciated. Incentives and loyalty programs are effective tools that can help you get customers to return for service or to purchase another vehicle. Consider setting up programs that offer coupons, discounts, free services and contests to loyal customers and those who recommend your dealership to others. 

Keep the experience fresh

You should continuously give your customers a reason to shop at your dealership. One way of doing this is to create a welcoming in-dealership experience by having friendly and helpful salespeople. You can also update customers regularly on new vehicle launches, makeovers and offers at your dealership. This will drive engagement and keep customers interested in working with you. 

When implementing your customer retention strategies, you should monitor and measure progress periodically. Vanguard Dealer Services is an automotive consulting firm that is committed to helping auto dealers grow their businesses by providing quality aftermarket and F&I products. Contact us today to find out more.