Budgen Motor Group recently deployed Auto Data Solution’s SMR iQ across its network, to boost customer confidence and increase completed bookings, during a pre-launch trial.
The dealer Group saw service booking conversion rates of 45% and overall bookings increase by 19.7% during the trial.
ADS Operations Director Jon Sheard said: “It is no surprise that so many customers drop off during a traditional booking process which fails to tell them what they need to know up front and even sometimes offers misleading information. For example, we see a high proportion of service quotations for electric vehicles which include an oil change.
“SMR iQ is designed to resolve the problems of fragmented information systems, inconsistent pricing and the expectation that every customer knows exactly what their car needs by giving them everything they need to complete their booking with confidence.
“Our colleagues at Budgen have demonstrated the commercial value of SMR iQ in the real world and we are delighted to see the uplift in service business they have enjoyed during the initial trials.”
Inconsistent price quotations and expecting customers to have expert knowledge of their car maintenance needs may cause up to 1 in 5 motorists to give up on completing a service booking.
ADS identified common failures in the service booking journey offered by many franchise dealers.
Inconsistent quotations are common, with ADS highlighting 5 different prices quoted for an intermediate service, ranging between £165 and £413.94, for the same car.
Other failures include no price provided and no guidance on the work they need.
Dealers have evolved a fragmented booking journey for service customers, using multiple systems which often contain contradictory data, says ADS.
Website booking forms, AI assistants, external contact centres and even service personnel frequently work with different information and often have no knowledge of precise needs.
SMR iQ provides clarity and transparency to drive customer confidence in completing their booking.
It integrates seamlessly with websites, booking tools, contact centres, service advisors, chatbots and AI-powered customer journeys.
SMR iQ offers enhanced efficiency for dealers by reducing reliance on manual pricing checks and shortening time spent on customer enquiries.
