Toyota of Montgomery in Alabama began utilizing MPI videos in its service lane earlier this year and the results have been hard to argue with.
The details: Service Director Joel Love says the store is on a streak of three record-breaking months.
“We are looking forward to breaking another record this month,” Love told Sam D’Arc during Fixed Ops Friday on Daily Dealer Live.
How we got here: The dealership began using the videos in January. The technicians bought into the effort even after some initial pushback.
“I had one technician, he argued with me about doing them at first, and then he saw how many hours he produced after his first month,” Love said.
Love added that he compared the MPI experience for customers to that of a trip to a doctor’s office and getting medical advice straight from the doctor.
“That’s what I’ve instilled into my technicians. ‘Hey, you’re the doctor,’” Love said. “'They want to hear from you.’”
Joel Love
Zooming in: On service orders, the dealership is at an 88.7% delivery rate with the MPIs, with customers opening the MPIs at a 63% clip.
The biggest obstacle to keeping the open rate from being higher, Love says, is incorrect customer information, such as a wrong phone number or email address.
That aside, another impressive number is the team’s approval rate with the use of the MPI videos.
Per Love, the store currently has a 78% approval rate with MPI videos.
Without the video evidence, he says the approval rate drops to 32%.
“Don’t wait around. Do it,” he said.
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Building retention: Love has made keeping customers coming back to the dealership a priority.
As it stands, his retention rate currently ranges between 80% and 85%, but his goal is 90%, with a dedication to customer service.
“Our CSI has improved greatly in the last three or four months,” Love said. “We’re improving by giving world-class service. We take care of our customers and communicate.”
UVIs also help: Along with MPIs helping to drive the retention, Love points to the use of UVI (under-the-vehicle inspection) scans.
He acknowledged the expense but points to it delivering a strong ROI as it splits the cost with the used car department that uses it for appraisals.
The UVI has helped drive tire sales to more than 500 this past month.
Bottom line: More informed consumers want to hear what is wrong with their vehicles straight from the technician, and the use of MPI videos creates the direct line they’re looking for.
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