Hi, my name is Suzan Tew and although it pains me to say it, I’ve been in a Customer Service role for over 32yrs. In the main I’ve been involved in the Telecoms (both mobile, fixed line and data) industry, however recently I’ve moved my skills to the Motor industry.

I’m a keen believer that sales are driven through service. If the service given to a customer is ‘best in class’ then why would a customer look elsewhere? There is a lot to be said about Customer Loyalty and how to achieve it.

However, the challenge is how to create a seamless customer service with a consistent approach to delivering customer satisfaction, when the company has customers spanning the country and a network of retailers and/or dealerships who may be separate businesses dealing with their customers?

So what’s different about the Ford Customer Relationship Centre (CRC)?

As Liz Britts mentions in her blog ‘First Impressions: Increasing Customer Satisfaction through Proactive Contact’ the principle of all good Customer Service Centres is to build relationships with their Customers. The Ford CRC is no different in this respect. Where we differ to most however, is that our aim is to support our Authorised Dealer Network in their search for quality customer service and to make them the Customer Champion.

So what did we do?

The lynch pin to the whole idea was the creation of a “Dealer Champion Team” with the purpose of assisting the Dealer through financial assistance, advice and guidance in a “one stop shop”. The Dealerships have a dedicated phone line managed by experienced staff within the CRC. The team gets the training and guidance to assist the Dealer with almost any question or customer scenario.

Through this support the Dealerships are actively encouraged to “own their customers” and to contact the Dealer Champion Team on any issue where a customer is likely to be unhappy. Through these situations we now work closely with the Ford Dealer network with a view to building better working relationships between the Manufacturer and the Dealer.

These relationships are the “holy grail” in customer service provision from the Dealership to the customer. A Dealer who takes an interest in their customers concerns and is able to resolve them quickly and efficiently and who provides a better service to the end customer is more likely to drive loyalty, which in return will increase their revenue. It is this loyalty that all businesses should strive to achieve.

We’ve all seen the adverts within the banking sector advertising cheap rates and overdraft limits for new customers however, after the first 12 months are over these tend to revert to a much higher rate. This doesn’t breed good customer loyalty so most jump between banks or credit cards in search of the best deal.

Automotive customers are equally looking out for the best deal possible for sales and service, which is where the Dealer Champion Team comes in. We:

• Provide financial assistance to reduce repair costs when a vehicle is just out of warranty for those customers loyal to Ford
• Engage in negotiations between the selling and repairing dealership on “goodwill” that can be offered so that the best level of contribution is provided to the customer and dealership.
• Discuss concerns with dealerships when they are having difficulty in repairing a vehicle or acquiring parts so that the concern can be resolved as quickly as possible.

The overall sentiment to this process is that the Ford CRC does not wish to handle customer calls, strange to say about a customer service environment but this is the point. The more contact the customer has with the manufacturer and the more ownership the manufacturer has over the concern, the loyalty to the authorised dealer network decreases.

Therefore, the potential to up-sell reduces and the likelihood the customer will purchase or service their vehicle through the dealerships drops off.

Within 12 months the whole Dealer Network has registered to the Ford Dealer Champion Programme and we are now in the position to be taking on new business or scopes of influence into others areas of the CRC using the same methodology.

So, the underlying message is that it is equally as important to provide your distribution networks with the support services they require to assist them in providing your end customers with great service, building loyalty for their outlet, which in turn improves your overall loyalty.

I hope this sparks interest and please do feel free to ask me any questions or leave a comment and I’m more than happy to discuss with you.

Suzan