Automotive Aftersales Study 2017
Digitalization has already left its mark on the automotive industry, and that also means increasing changes in the automotive service sector. New formats are becoming more important, and service offerings in the future will increasingly need to be integrated into a customer’s everyday life and be tailored to individual needs. Standards for automation and digitization already existent in other industries influence and raise new customer expectations in the area of automotive aftersales.
Within the context of the new NTT DATA study in cooperation with the AUTOHAUS publishing house, we investigated how customer expectations will evolve, based on current digitalization trends. Chances as well as risks were identified not only for the OEM and the dealerships but also for third parties. The following five trends stand out as main driving forces for change and offer an outline for possible scenarios for the aftersales of the future.
NETWORKING:
Maintenance increasingly done over-the-air
- 55% of dealers confirm that over-the-air services will increase.
- Over-the-air offers new marketing possibilities for additional services.
TELEMATICS:
Increased transparency using vehicle data - the customer becomes the expert
- 57% of customers would like to use their vehicle data to assess service requirements.
- The service process is shortened because customers themselves decide on the scope of their consulting needs.
OMNI-/CROSS-CHANNEL & PARTNERSHIPS:
Full service agent covers the service process
- 54% of all retailers see full service offers as a new business potential.
- Third-party providers of full-service services will increase the price pressure in this area.
SMART CITY:
The dealership comes to the customer
- 61% of customers would opt for service offered on-site, such as mobile maintenance.
- The greatest advantage to this is seen in the time savings and the reduced effort.
AUTONOMOUS DRIVING:
Vehicle drives itself to the garage
- In particular business customers under the age of 30 (74%) view this development positively.
- Consequences are, amongst others, reduced customer contact and re-planning of network coverage.
Success factors for the future of aftersales
Fully integrated processes, a new understanding of roles and close partnerships represent the three key success factors for automotive aftersales, in order to fully exploit the chances identified. However, this goal must also be reflected in the IT landscape of the OEMs and dealerships.
Flexible and distributed processes:
- Flexible service consulting depending on customer segment
- Full integration in the customer’s everyday life
- Consistent process information based on an inter-connected IT landscape
Support for the customer, rather than for the vehicle:
- New (digital) role of the customer manager
- Mobile infrastructures for digital communication and on-site consultation
- Centralized provisioning of customer information
Strong partnerships:
- Close networking and cooperation between OEM and dealerships
- Signing in on new partnerships to exploit business potentials
- Creation of interfaces for connecting and integrating partners
The future is full of new potential! Read more about it in our study:
Megatrend Digitalization of Automotive Aftersales.