Did you know electronic reg & title solutions can benefit your fixed operations?
April 2023
The best pipeline for a dealership’s service department is its sales floor and back office. Creating a great sales experience so customers want to continue a service relationship after the sale, occurs at every step of the purchase process, but a key player may surprise you…the title clerk.
Although the customer works most directly with sales, the title clerk still has an impact on the way the customer views the level of service they receive from the dealership. Even if the title clerk and customer never interact, a smooth and accurate title and registration experience leaves buyers with a positive impression of doing business with your dealership. That lasting impression could mean that they would be more receptive to servicing their vehicle with you. On the other hand, a complicated or time-consuming registration and titling process may leave a negative impression of the dealership as a whole and could discourage customers from returning to your store.
One way dealers can make sure all their team members work together to support the dealership’s customers is to provide title clerks with the technology they need for fast, accurate and compliant deal completion. Here’s how Dealertrack’s suite of electronic registration and title solutions can help benefit your service retention.
Allow your front-line contacts to deepen dealership trust and retain your customers through a better registration and title process
A smooth and efficient vehicle title and registration process demonstrates a high level of attention to detail and accuracy in your dealership operations. This helps buyers to understand that every aspect of the engagement matters, building trust with customers who feel confident that their vehicle’s paperwork has been processed correctly. To ensure a seamless process with sales and title clerks, your dealership needs an in-state and out-of-state registration and title solution that integrates with key DMS providers to import data directly from the DMS. This will reduce the need for data re-entry, mitigate inaccurate or incomplete documents, and improve the overall customer experience.
Deliver high-quality service to every customer
When you handle the reg and title process accurately and with a friendly attitude, the customer feels valued and respected and will likely want to continue doing business with you. This is important to earn the business of customers who live in your state and those who are close enough to the state line to return for service. Every state has its own regulations around registration and titling along with specific forms, taxes, and fees. With 50 states and more than 100 sets of taxes and fees, 200 forms, and 300 different registration and title transactions, you can see why a title clerk benefits from in-state and out-of-state electronic solutions that are designed based on state compliance. Direct connections with state DMVs mean information is always up to date, and transactions go through on first submission so your dealership can deliver high-quality customer service. Processing the customer’s registration and title electronically can mean the difference between fast, one-stop service or sending them off to wait in line at their local DMV.
Avoid a poor trade-in experience
A customer with a trade-in vehicle expects a hassle-free process. From the customer perspective, it’s as easy as having a vehicle inspection and negotiating over price. But the title clerk knows there can be hidden pitfalls. Accepting a vehicle without seeing the title first may cause a deal to unravel if there are surprises such as an ex-spouse on the title. A digital solution like Dealertrack Accelerated Title® enables the clerk to view full title details before accepting a trade. This helps eliminate surprises and mitigates risk, so customer satisfaction doesn’t take a nose-dive. Having all the information up front allows the dealership to work with the customer to resolve any potential issues before they become a problem, saving time and hassle that could have arisen later.
Protect the customer’s time
Time is a valuable commodity, and all customers want a faster buying experience. Mailing paperwork or sending a runner to drop it off can make registration and title transactions take days or weeks – dragging out the process for customers. An electronic registration and title process (ERT), where transactions are completed and securely submitted online, allows title clerks to submit in-state transactions in under four minutes. An efficient process leads to a positive impression which can lead to repeat service and sales business.
According to AAA1, a buyer who chooses a third-party mechanic takes with them approximately $600 per year in maintenance and repair spending. Dealertrack’s registration and title solutions can help title clerks make the last step of the purchase process a positive one — giving customers a reason to visit your service department over the shop down the street.
We are proud to be the exclusively–endorsed Reg & Title partner of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association (VADA).
1 https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/articles/how-to-plan-for-maintenance-and-repair-costs-for-your-car