Explore Beyond Your Traditional Workspace: Challenge Your Desk-Based Comfort Zones
In today's fast-paced world, dealers are striving to set themselves apart from the competition by reflecting real-life customer buying habits. One key area where this is evident is in the desking process, the phase where the financial details of a car purchase are worked out.
By integrating advanced desking software and CRM systems, dealers can automate deal calculations, incorporate accurate pricing, and streamline financing options based on real customer credit profiles. This approach, as highlighted by industry experts, reduces redundant workflows, minimizes errors from manual data entry, and personalizes the buying experience, which helps build trust and loyalty over time.
Key steps in this digital transformation include using desking software with seamless CRM integration, leveraging third-party integrations for credit checks, virtual retailing, and financing platforms, and streamlining workflows by removing duplication and redundancies. These measures aim to provide personalized, transparent deal structuring from initial research to vehicle delivery.
Training staff and implementing standardized procedures are also crucial for ensuring consistent application of financial validations and avoiding potential deal rework or customer dissatisfaction. Ongoing coaching and real-world practice are essential for desk managers to acquire this knowledge.
The use of digital tools in the desking process is suggested as a way to speed up the sales process, align deals with customers’ actual financial situations, and offer more payment structure options, such as bi-weekly payments. By offering bi-weekly payments, dealers can help reduce interest, build equity faster, and close more deals.
Customers today are more interested in understanding the affordability of the car, the speed of the F&I process, and getting a fair deal rather than corporate jargon. Offering a streamlined desking process with digital tools, real-time payment breakdowns, and electronic paperwork can cater to these preferences, fostering stronger relationships and long-term loyalty.
Great desking involves asking the right questions about the customer's car plan, desired length of ownership, and financial goals. By understanding these factors, dealers can help customers get the car they want and a deal they can live with, encouraging repeat business.
While specific digital tools that can be used to speed up the desking process are not detailed in this discussion, it is clear that technology plays a crucial role in optimizing the car-buying experience for both dealers and customers. By focusing on transparency, accuracy, and personalized service, dealers can increase the likelihood of closing deals that customers can sustain, thereby improving retention and loyalty in the long term.
Sources:
[1] Automotive News - Streamlining the desking process with technology [2] Digital Dealer Conference & Expo - Best Practices in Desking [3] NADA - The Impact of Technology on the Desking Process
In the pursuit of streamlining the car-buying experience, dealers are leveraging advanced desking software and finance solutions to align deals with customers' financial situations and offer diverse payment structures. By integrating these tools with CRM systems, they can personalize the process, reduce errors, and foster trust among customers.
A significant aspect of this digital transformation involves using technology to provide transparent, accurate, and personalized deal structuring, from the initial research phase to vehicle delivery. This not only caters to customers' preferences for understanding affordability and getting a fair deal, but also helps build long-term loyalty.
