Fixed Ops Journal - August 2016 - (Page 24)

FIXED OPS JOURNAL " "We're doing business on the client's terms. For luxury clients, the No. 1 thing they value is their time." ANDREW FRICK, Lincoln's North American director of sales and service operations PICK UP, LOAN, DROP OFF ■ Lincoln valet plan keeps customers at home - and dealers approve DAVID KUSHMA dkushma@autonews.com O Industry first Although some other automakers and dealerships offer limited pickup and delivery of service vehicles, Lincoln says it is the first luxury automaker to make such service standard. Frick said the company is making a "multimillion-dollar investment" to establish the valet program across its retail network, but would not be more specific. That investment may pay off. Lincoln's new program "has the potential to be a game changer," said Michael Battaglia, vice president of automotive retail for J.D. Power and PAGE 24 AUGUST 2016 A free loaner vehicle is a key element of Lincoln's new valet program for service customers. Associates. "It should generate very high levels of customer satisfaction and retention." To prepare to roll out the program nationwide, Lincoln has conducted a pilot project at 27 dealerships since May 2015. Nearly 40 percent of customers eligible for the pickup and delivery service have used it, Frick said - exceeding the 25 to 30 percent rate the automaker initially projected. Surveys indicated that nearly all of these customers say they will be more likely to return to the dealership for service, to recommend Lincoln to their friends and family members, and to buy another Lincoln car or truck, Frick added. Dealerships in the pilot project report less of a "mad rush" to their service drives early in the day, Frick said, as fewer customers SEE LINCOLN, PAGE 26 KEVIN LANDERS wner satisfaction surveys rank two practices very high: when dealerships pick up a vehicle that needs servicing from the customer's home or office, and when dealers provide loaner vehicles of comparable value during servicing time. Customers want both services to be free. Meeting those demands is the concept behind a new program called Lincoln Service Valet. Starting with new 2017 models, Lincoln's nearly 900 U.S. dealerships will provide pickup and delivery when owners schedule servicing. Customers get a Lincoln loaner in the meantime. "We're doing business on the client's terms," Andrew Frick, Lincoln's North American director of sales and service operations, told Fixed Ops Journal. "For luxury clients, the No. 1 thing they value is their time." Frick: Service Executives of Ford Moconvenience is tor Co.'s luxury brand program goal predict the program will yield a big advantage in a competitive marketplace by saving Lincoln buyers time and effort. It will become part of Lincoln's 4year/50,000 mile warranty coverage. Dealers also will benefit, the automaker says, by gaining greater control over workflow in their service departments and by enhancing their ability to manage loaner fleets efficiently. A valet picks up and returns a service vehicle at an owner's home or office.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - August 2016

Fixed Ops Journal - August 2016
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Service Counter
Legal Lane
Treading confidently
'Tis the season
Profit Builder
Valet service
Richard Truett
OEConnection
Changing oil:
Photo story
Trade-off
Toyota way
Feedback
Lone star
Airbag recall
Forging links
Top 50
5 Minutes With
Shop Talk
Fixed in Time

Fixed Ops Journal - August 2016