Value added services

Illustration by KEVIN GROULX/QMI AGENCY

Opinion: Would you buy life-insurance on your investments?

In their never-ending quest to satisfy customers’ needs and keep them coming back to the for all their service and parts needs, many dealerships are going above and beyond the call of duty in their product and service offerings.

It all stems back to the constant battle with aftermarket shops – yes you can get stuff cheaper in the aftermarket but who can better take care of your vehicle needs than the company who made it, or its representatives.

For years, we’ve been hearing companies telling customers to replace parts with original equipment units, or to trust your vehicle to the professionals who know it best. Today, though, many dealership customers might be surprised at the “extras” available through their dealerships.

I bought my first new car in 1984, as it turned out from a salesman I had worked for at another profession some eight years earlier. The car is long gone, and I never went back to the dealership to replace it, but to this day I still get birthday and Christmas cards from this fellow.

That’s the kind of thing dealerships used to have to do to relate good customer service. It was a little gesture, but it conveyed to customers that they were part of a family, not just a name in a database (although really, that’s exactly what they were – you think each salesman kept a card about you in his rolodex? With the important dates in your life and the names of your parents, siblings, wife and children?).

Today, companies know the way to retain relationships with customers is through added value services, and that’s how things such as roadside assistance, no-cost maintenance and washing/detailing when the vehicle is in for service came about.

I remember when the Cadillac Allante first came out. It was one of the first convertibles with a removable hardtop. Unlike today’s contraptions that split apart and fold up in the vehicle’s trunk, the Allante top was a one-piece aluminum panel with a hefty liner to keep out winter’s cold and noise. Removing it was a two to three person job, just because of the weight and awkwardness of moving around the car. Then there was the problem of where to put it … you couldn’t just prop it up in the corner of the garage. So, Cadillac offered a special service where its dealerships would remove and store your car’s top or the summer (Allante also had a power operated soft top) and then reinstall it in the winter.

That way of thinking spread to other conveniences and necessities alike, and today it isn’t hard to find a dealership, or other specialty shops for that matter, which won’t change and store your seasonal tires (there are certain safety procedures that should be followed when storing tires for several months, to insure they don’t get damaged).

Again, it seems like a little gesture but think of it this way – you need to change your tires to get the most out of your driving and maintain your safety. You could stack them up in the corner of the garage but their own weight, the temperature fluctuations, moisture and even critters could shorten their lifespan, meaning another expenditure a season or two down the road.

Even if there’s a nominal fee attached to the service, chances are it will be cheaper than the replacement costs. Think of it as life insurance for your safety investment.

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Tags: aftermarket, dealership, investment, life-insurance, Value services