Automotive News Canada - March 2022 - 23

* MARCH 2022
23
Communication improving
all around at dealerships
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
ing a positive customer relationship]
is, is if a factory order gets
cancelled, " said Chipman. " It's
almost like it's not an order; it's
a Christmas wish. You don't
have the car until it's under the
tree. "
Increased communication
with customers also means
increased internal communication.
Every Friday morning via
video, Chipman updates his 1,100
employees on inventory and
other issues. He also makes periHOWE
SNAPSHOT
* $5.7 billion cost
* 2.5 kilometres long
* A cable-stayed design
* 60 inspection booths
* Three traffic lanes in each
direction, plus a multiuse
path
* Scheduled to open by the
end of 2024
Bridge offers
predictability
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
seamlessly connected to a divided
highway on the Canadian side.
" [The new bridge] results in
better trip-time repeatability
and, importantly, predictability,
which is so important in this
commercial environment, where
just-in-time delivery is at the
base of everyone's decision-making, "
Grondin said.
DETERMINED TO OPEN IN 2024
With construction activity
currently at its peak, about 2,500
people are working on the four
major components of the bridge
project, which includes ports of
entry in Canada and the United
States, the interchange with I-75
in Michigan and the 2.5-kilometre
bridge itself. Roughly threeand-a-half
years into construction,
the bridge's two main support
piers currently top out at
430 feet (131 metres), about threefifths
of their eventual 722-foot
(220-metre) height.
" We're still working toward
our contracted opening date of
end of 2024, " Grondin said, " of
course keeping in mind when we
set that date, there wasn't a pandemic
that we were dealing with. "
The WDBA does not have projections
for how much traffic
from the Ambassador Bridge and
other crossings the Howe bridge
will siphon off. Grondin expects
a significant percentage of commercial
and passenger vehicles
to switch to the new route once
the bridge opens.
Both truck traffic and passenger
vehicles will pay tolls to
cross the Howe bridge, but rates
have not been determined. The
WDBA plans to set the toll at a
cost that's competitive with other
crossings in the region. - ANC
LISTING
LISTING
LISTING
Dealership listing
inventory is growing fast!
odic appearances - about once
a month - on a Winnipeg talk
radio station, keeping the public
updated on industry trends.
As with many dealerships,
Birchwood's call centre also regularly
contacts customers to
remind them of service intervals.
The pandemic " changed everything
for the majority of dealers, "
said Dominic Sigouin,
owner of Noahvik Consultants
near Montreal. Over the past 20
years, dealers have developed
sophisticated online strategies,
shifting the emphasis from customer
retention to finding new
customers through such social
channels as Google, LinkedIn,
YouTube and TikTok.
But with cars and parts in
short supply, " that bubble just
popped, " he said.
'GOODWILL CALLS'
That is why dealerships need
to reemphasize retention, he
said, returning to pre-Internet
days when dealerships sponsored
events such as Santa Claus
parades to build links to the community.
Sales staff also need to
make " goodwill calls " to keep
relationships with existing customers
alive.
" Right now, [many sales
staff] don't have a real relationship
with buyers, " Sigouin said.
" They just send an automated
message once a
year - Happy Birthday,
blah, blah, blah. "
Instead, sales staff
need to develop an
authentic relationship
with customers that
keeps them up to date
on how that customer's
needs have changed.
" If you have a real
relationship, you'll
know the customer is
no longer happy with
their vehicle - maybe
they need more space
for their kids - and you
will respond proactively. "
events
such as hosting
a guest chef and inviting
VIP customers to
attend.
Chipman:
Customers who
are waiting
for their new
vehicles
get weekly
updates.
FILE PHOTO
Customer contact could be
as frequent as monthly through
The frequency of
one-on-one contact also
could be increased by
reshaping the sales
staff's duties into those
of a customer service
concierge, Sigouin said.
One person becomes
the sole point of contact
with the customer,
making the reminder
calls and acting as a
service adviser.
" I will be your service
adviser; I will be
your salesman, " Sigouin said.
" Then you are really maintaining
a relationship. " - ANC
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Automotive News Canada - March 2022

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