Agero Insights

Tens of millions of cars move across American roadways every year. Of those millions of vehicle owners, roughly 1 in every 8 drivers has a tow event, according to our 2020 consumer benchmark research. Towing can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from transporting a new car from a dealership to hauling a vehicle away from the scene of an accident.  

With so many types of towing and vehicle transportation it can be hard to figure out where the opportunity lies for a dealer. Let’s break it down to better understand the opportunity that towing presents to your business and how our solutions can help. 

Breaking down the most common reasons for a tow  

Most tows can be categorized into three groups: roadside assistance, accident assistance, and vehicle transports. Let’s dig in to see what each of these entails, along with some of our solutions to manage these situations. 

Supporting Your Customers 

The economics for dealers are challenging and service and repair revenue creates high value opportunities to support your existing customers. As a dealer, there is a unique opportunity to support your existing customers in need of tow. Our Tow to Repair product offers a way for your brand not only to help your customers, but to increase revenue, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiencies while you're at it. Now, when a customer in need calls you looking for a tow, you can leverage our turnkey tow solution to bring them directly to your facility. With the addition of towing, customers can count on you for both routine and unexpected repairs, and you can grow your share of the over $1,300 spent annually on maintenance, per car.   

We’ve enabled this service to be tailored to your needs, allowing you to either give a complimentary tow or provide your customer with a discounted rate on their tow service.   

Supporting Vehicles in Your Area 

When customers are faced with an unexpected or first-time issue that requires an immediate tow, more than 20% of customers are uncertain of where to go. This uncertainty only contributes to the stress of a roadside event. At Agero, our goal is to reduce these pain points with a seamless experience from start to finish. We recognize that assisting consumers on the road to repair is a critical piece of this experience. To support these customers in your area, we have created the Repair Assistance program. This allows dealers to join our vetted network. When a tow is required in your area, we share a list of the local facilities with the customer. This enables you to connect with new customers in need of a repair without the traditional cost of acquisition. In addition, the typical value of a mechanical repair is $400-$700. 

Vehicle Transfers 

While towing may not be top of mind when you’re considering moving perfectly functional cars, it can certainly take the hassle out of transfers. More than ever customers have come to expect this kind of service. In fact, a recent survey from Cox Automotive found that 73% of dealerships offer vehicle pick-up and delivery for repairs and maintenance in 2020, and 78% plan to continue to do so. And maintenance transactions are just the start of it, dealers are also transporting vehicles from auction sites, for dealer trades, dealer to dealer moves, complimentary service moves, and sales transactions. Centralize and simplify the process with our transparent Vehicle Transport solution that can help your business to better operationalize these moves and minimize your costs.  

There are many ways to move a car and many times when a vehicle needs to be moved from point A to point B. From referrals to direct tows to vehicle transfers, these events are also an opportunity for car dealers to raise brand awareness, increase traffic, and most importantly, grow revenue. Learn more about Agero’s towing solutions at our auto dealer and repair facility pages.