FIXED OPS JOURNAL FEEDBACK Germ-free cars are nice, but nothing tops low price W hen states across the country issued stay-athome orders during the coronavirus pandemic, most service customers parked their cars and put off needed repair work even though many dealership service lanes were considered an essential service and therefore stayed open. Now that many states are slowly reopening, will service customers begin booking appointments at their dealerships? Customer surveys during the pandemic showed some reluctance on the part of consumers to reengage with advisers and techs on the service drive. Some worried about how clean their vehicle would be after the repair work was completed, and oth- ers expressed a desire to avoid faceto-face interactions. In mid-May, Fixed Ops Journal asked DealerRater to poll service customers on what their most important considerations would be when they now take their vehicles in for repairs at their dealership. Half of the nearly 12,000 respondents said price still matters most when deciding where to take their vehicles for service. Location came in second for both mass-market and luxury-brand customers. Being sure their vehicle will be sanitized and that there would not be face-to-face interaction finished at the bottom of the poll for both customer segments. Service matters Q: When you take your car in for service, what will be your most important consideration? All customers Good price ......................................50% Convenient location .........................33% Car will be sanitized after service .....14% No face-to-face contact ......................2% Mass-market customers Good price ......................................52% Convenient location .........................32% Car will be sanitized after service .....14% No face-to-face contact ......................2% Luxury-market customers Good price ......................................43% Convenient location .........................35% Car will be sanitized after service .....19% No face-to-face contact ......................3% Source: DealerRater survey of 11,656 consumers who visit new-vehicle dealerships, conducted May 15-19 JUNE 2020 PAGE 13