The service department at Benzel-Busch Mercedes-Benz in Englewood, New Jersey, has upped its MPI video creation to 84 percent. Leadership and incentives helped boost its percentage rate.
Starts at the top: Benzel-Busch’s service director, David Cerqueira, told Daily Dealer Live hosts Sam D’Arc and Uli De’ Martino that he led the charge. “Probably the first 100 videos were done by myself…I made fun of myself when the videos weren’t so great, right?”
Show don’t tell: He also worked with naysayers to show why the videos matter.
" Once this video MPI gets through to the customer and we see an upsell happen, that's how we got engagement out of them,” Cerqueira said. “It's really about shop leadership and being out there and I spend a ton of my time in the shop. I live my life out there with them."
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Make waiting a game: Or, at least more enjoyable. Using MPIs to check in with customers on-site every 15 minutes helps keep them engaged, or as Cerqueira gleefully put it: The videos trigger happiness.
Customers see live updates on their ride while axing the need for a borrowed one. “They don't need a loaner car; they can just prop up their laptop,” Cerqueira said. “We have some really great amenities here; they're going to hang out with us.”
The dealership tries to get customers in and out within an hour.
Nuts and bolts: Mercedes-Benz offers a $2,000 monthly incentive to dealerships who cross the 80 percent threshold for MPI creation, Cerqueira said.
He also reminded other advantages the videos provide, including improving transparency. Not that people have trust issues with dealerships, of course.
Videos also help with language barriers thanks to closed captioning.
Bottom line: Despite the positives, some dealerships fall way below the targeted 80 percent rate for MPI creation or don’t use them at all. In the ever-evolving world of auto retail, one thing is certain: Customers like a smooth, seamless experience. MPIs help dealers provide that.
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