The Rikess Group Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
A traditional car buying process involves shuffling the guest from office to office. The guest has clearly stated they dislike this approach and prefer working with a single person throughout their car-buying experience. Single Point of Contact (SPoC) is a selling philosophy that approaches processes from the consumer’s point of view. By implementing a SPoC sales model, dealerships will be able to close more deals while saving time and money by streamlining the sales process.
Why Transition to Single Point of Contact?
7 BENEFITS TO SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT
Increase Customer Satisfaction index (CSI)
The primary reason for a transition to SPoC is founded on the understanding that it is what the guest wants. In focus groups and in our experience with dealerships, the guest has stated clearly, they see no value in being moved around from one person to another. They hate it! Let’s meet their expectations, stop moving the guest around, and focus on increasing CSI and 5-star reviews.
Employee Satisfaction and Retention
In Single Point of Contact (SPoC) the role of the salesperson changes dramatically. The salespersons skill level is elevated to a true professional consultative role allowing them to take sincere pride in what they do and receive compensation commensurate to their efforts. TRG likes to use the term Customer Experience Manager (CEM) for this new role. When the CEM can be a true professional consultant for their guest and increase their income, tenure, and retention increase, resulting in a big win for the guest and the business.
Boost Your Candidate Pool
We all know how hard it is to find and retain good people. Part of the problem is so few candidates are interested in joining a sales team in a dealership, based frequently on their personal experiences or the reputation of the automotive industry. When candidates learn that they do not have to negotiate and could serve their guest through the entire transaction earning a very respectable income by becoming a Customer Experience Manager is far more attractive.
Speed and Efficiencies
Everything moves quicker with SPoC. A simple explanation is the absence of the F&I office back-up which happens far too often, paralyzing the sales team while they entertain their guest. With the right organizational structure and good lateral support, CEMs should be producing 20 plus units a month with 1.5 to 1.75 products per transaction.
Leadership
When the sales team is allowed to manage the transaction from however they acquire the guest through to the completion of the paperwork, the leadership teams role changes significantly. The SPoC selling philosophy allows for the management team to become true leaders, coaches, and mentors to their teams developing the teams talent and increasing productivity.
Reduced cost of sale / Increased net profitability
Take the cost out of the transaction: The SPoC selling philosophy allows for increased unit production per / salesperson and a reduction in the management count, resulting in reduced cost of sale and increased net profitability.
Guest Retention
It is very common to hear a guest say, “When do I have to go into that office in the back?” When they discover that there is no office in the back and the Customer Experience Manager (CEM) has the ability to complete the entire transaction, they’re so enthusiastic they just want to tell everyone and are eager to return for their next vehicle.