Customer trends in the service lane

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

April 10, 2022 07:00 PM

Customers who select a dealership for service work based solely on online searches and reviews:
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.

2021	67%
2020	46%

Service customers who said online review sites helped in their dealership selection process	87%
Service customers who research a few days or more before selecting a dealership	51%

Sites customers use to research dealerships:
Google	60%
Kelley Blue Book	17%
Cars.com	17%
CarGurus	17%
Autotrader	13%
Facebook	6%
Edmunds	6%
Yelp	4%

After you brought your in for service, did the dealership ask you to write an online review of your experience?
No	71%
Yes	29%

Was that review positive or negative?
Positive	88%
Negative	12%

How helpful were review sites in your dealership selection?
Helpful	58%
Not helpful	42%

Service customers who say a 4- or 5-start rating influences which dealership they choose	41%
Service customers who said social media ads were helpful	60%

Average number of service visits per year:
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 highlight.

2021	2.3
2018	2.8

2021 share of service visits:
Dealerships	34%
General repair/service station	26%
Quick lube	11%
Tire store/repair chain	11%
Retail	6%
Specialist	4%
Body shop	3%
Mobile service	3%
Other	2%

Reasons consumers prefer dealership:
They know my vehicle	55%
Prior experience	46%
Location	41%
They know me	33%

Top reasons for not returning to the dealership for service:
	2021	2018	2015
Not a convenient location	1	2	5
Total cost not reasonable	2	1	1
They will overcharge	3	3	2
Unreasonable labor charges	4	4	3
Unreasonable parts charges	5	5	4

Top reasons for staff turnover:
Cox also surveyed 529 dealers with decision-making authority over fixed ops. These are their top service operation frustrations.

Parts delays from manufacturers	58%
Finding, hiring right technician	45%

Dealers who say their service department is not fully staffed	57%
Dealers who expect labor shortages to continue or worsen	80%
Dealers who report an increase in service staff turnover since before COVID-19	29%

Employee wants to do something else or not work at all	43%
Employee leaves for better-paying job	42%

Top roles dealerships plan to grow:
Service technician	60%
New-vehicle sales associate	54%
Used-vehicle sales associate	48%
Service adviser	38%
BDC specialist	33%

Most important skills for technicians:
Mechanical	91%
Electrical	58%
Computer	25%
Customer service	9%