There seems to be a plethora of research into customer preferences when it comes to buying cars , but what about the vehicle servicing experience which is often said heavily influences customer loyalty and repeat purchases ?

Research by Xtime in the US highlights some customer insights which would be very much aligned with customer views in Australia and New Zealand .

ecent Xtime data has revealed that transparent cost estimates are the most critical concern for today ’ s automotive customers when setting service appointments .

In a 2016 study of 668 respondents , more than 70 per cent considered cost estimates “ extremely important ” or “ very important ” when setting appointments .

This outranked all other factors surveyed , including the ability to choose the time or day of the appointment , the availability of transportation options and the option of choosing among different service advisors .

About Xtime

time delivers retention solutions for the

Xtime , headquartered in Silicon Valley , is the exclusive or preferred provider for 24 major global automotive manufacturers in the United States , Canada and Australia , as well as leading dealership groups , and services 7,000 dealerships world-wide . Xtime is a Cox Automotive™ brand .

By aligning their service strategy with this research , dealers can position themselves to win more business and retain more customers in the service department .

Today , only 30 per cent of service visits take place in dealerships , partly because customers believe dealership service departments are more expensive than independent repair shops .

The reality is that the average cost of routine maintenance at a dealership is comparable to third-party providers .

Therefore , by providing cost estimates during the scheduling process , dealers can alleviate the misconception of having higher costs , create a transparent and trustworthy ownership experience for customers , and increase their odds of winning more service appointments .

“ This research shows price transparency is a big way for dealers to deliver a high-quality ownership experience that keeps customers coming back to the service drive ,” said Jim Roche , senior vice president of marketing and managed services at Xtime .

“ Spectrum , Xtime ’ s cloud-based service experience platform , already allows dealers to act on these new findings .”

“ Since 94 per cent of dealers state that the ownership experience is more important than the service itself , dealers must look to technology in order to deliver that superior experience .”

“ With Spectrum , customers can conveniently schedule their appointments online - and know how much they ’ ll pay before they arrive . This improves convenience and trust , enhances the ownership experience , and increases service retention by an average of 7.5 per cent .”