Driving the customer experience with vehicle expertise

Keeping up on all the new features, capabilities and technologies in the car industry is no small feat. Most of the time, a basic knowledge of how to work the car, safety features  and the sound system is the only information a vehicle owner needs. But about once every two years, most drivers will have a roadside event that requires more. When this occurs, there are important details of how their vehicle works that can be valuable to the customer, the provider and the agent supporting them. These details can help get the customer on their way faster and ensure the safety of the vehicle and the provider.

However with more than 400 different models on the road and an additional 40-60 new models introduced every year, it is challenging for even the professionals to stay up to date. Traditional knowledge channels like the owner’s manuals have their place but less than a third of owners fully read them. The key to supporting all stakeholders with vehicle knowledge is timely relevant delivery of information. Here are  3 steps to effectively leverage vehicle expertise into exceptional experiences: 

1. Build vehicle knowledge directly into the platform, Leveraging algorithms and automation for a perfect match

Key attributes about vehicles like their class, size, weight, and drivetrain are important for selecting the right equipment and service, but drivers don’t always know this information off hand. These details can be determined directly from VIN and used to determine what support is needed. Algorithms to decode the VIN can be embedded directly into the dispatch platform to populate these details directly into the roadside request. The Swoop platform added this enhancement earlier this year. These details are used in auto-dispatch to ensure the best match between the services the customer needs and the equipment available. Building vehicle expertise directly into the platform streamlines the customer experience on intake and helps provide the essential details, ensuring the necessary equipment is deployed. 

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2. Empower providers at the scene with easy to access relevant training

Supporting providers with the information they need to safely and effectively support vehicles can be instrumental in streamlining the customer experience. In fact, equipping providers with relevant training can impact some of the most critical factors of the customer experience such as reducing total customer experience time and multiple dispatches. With the steady roll out of electric vehicles, this is more critical than ever. Service providers need consumable information at their fingertips. OEMS can support this with a robust library of content. 

However, creating the content is not enough. Ensure your information is in the hands of the providers with a program that includes:

    • Regular communication to providers on training materials and updates
    • Direct digital distribution of relevant content with the job details
    • Continuous updates and expansion the training materials

At Agero, we have developed Blueprint, our free resource to support service providers with training. Chris Young, a Network Trainer at Agero recommends that providers “take time to review these educational materials, and if you’re an owner, make it required reading for your operators.” With timely relevant training, providers can more confidently service the vehicle, reducing time on site, risk of injury and risk of damage.

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3. Deliver the "I can't believe that worked" moment directly to your customers

There is a growing list of tips and tricks that can be used to help customers with their vehicles. In some cases, these can get the customer directly on their way without the need for a service provider dispatch. However, these are rarely top of mind when customers request roadside. This presents a great opportunity to curate and deliver relevant information directly to the customer. 

Just like with providers, there are two parts to enabling this type of support - content generation and distribution. Directions need to be visual, easy to understand and easy to execute, as well as well matched to the symptoms reported. 

We recently launched a pilot program to support customers with digital instructions to routine challenges like a dead key FOB battery or a jump start. Customers were thrilled with the results. Customer comments include  “The tip worked great! Thank you“ and  “It worked! Wow  - learned something new tonight!.”

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ExceptionAL Experiences Start with Exceptional Partners

Collecting critical vehicle information, packaging it up into easy to understand content and distributing this where and when customers, agents and providers need it is not easy. A deep understanding of the automotive industry is critical, decades of experience doesn’t hurt. Also a combination of creative and technical resources are needed to generate the right assets and deliver them when they are needed. To learn more about our library of resources and to learn more about how partnering with Agero can support your brand, click here or reach out to your client services manager.

 
 

Meet the Author: Tim Chung - Business Leader, OEM Roadside

Tim Chung is Business Leader for Agero’s Automotive Roadside line of business. He joined Agero through the Swoop acquisition in 2018 and played a critical role in growing Agero's operations and sales engineering functions. Prior to Swoop, Tim managed service and after-sales programs at Tesla, including global operations for roadside assistance. He currently resides in San Francisco, CA, and holds a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University and a BA from Point Loma Nazarene University.
 
 

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