EMAIL ADDRESSES

[CMG]

Has anyone figured out a bullet proof way to get email addresses for all service and parts customers. We have tried incentives for each address added as well as other things. i would like to start an email campaign within our group but am looking for some ideas that work.
does anyone know if it van be a lockdown field on ADP or R and R

[petepuma01]

What do you mean by 'lockdown' field?

[mgl]

Only about 50% of people in the US have computers, and even all of those are not on line. More of your consumers have some sort of telephone number, though. I'm assuming that 'lockdown' means the field must be filled in to continue? What happens when my Mom comes in? She can't have service until she buys a computer and gets on line?

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It only pays two tenths!

[Fixedopsmgr]

CMG,
We currently use e-mail's for reminders as well as promotions/campaigns. It works really well. The company that we use sends us reports that show e-mail additions by advisor. I spiff the advisor with the highest percentage of new e-mails added. One of the things that I will be doing in the future is stopping all paper reminders for anyone that has an e-mail address. No sense in duplicating reminders. Also each service customer with an e-mail gets a satisfaction survey the next day. If the customer either does not or won't give an e-mail gets entered with either a WNG@A.com(would not give) or DNH@A.com(does not have).

[This message has been edited by Fixedopsmgr (edited 10-23-2007).]

[Ken_Pfau]

Agree with fixedopmgr. You need to make sure your email client can filter out the placeholder emails. In response to the % of users with computers the current numbers are much higher; while only 50% of households had computers in 2001, that number jumped to over 62% in 2003 the year of the last survey. Plus, in the US, 88% of adult Internet users have personal e-mail accounts. Further, 46% of them have e-mail access at work. Added together, eMarketer estimates that 147 million people across the country use e-mail, almost every day; it's a very effective way to market to your clients. You may also consider a vendor that can reverse append your customer database by adding email addresses to existing accounts.



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[robc]

Wow - Ken good to hear your input, where have you been keeping yourself all these years from our early Internet conferences?

Email use amongst new vehicle owners is tremendously higher than the general population. The real number is how many of your customers have some access to email. In general the feeling is all those excuses about why you can't get email addresses is exactly that.

I have some fear of paying advisors for emails that I might get a lot of junk just to hit the bonus level

[CMG]

thanks for the great input!

When i said lock down i did mean mandatory field. I like the idea of the two addresses of those who do not have or would not give.

The ideas will help!

[jazdale]

NO!

Do not create bad email addresses. You will regret it later.
In fact, never update any database with junk data. It will always bite you in the end.

As for getting email addresses, offer as a form of communications - Such as..

Would you like an email confirmation that your vehicle is done?
Would you like an email confirmation the day before your appointment?
Would you like an email when your special order part comes in?
Would you like your maintenance reminder via email?

The incentive to your writer is a quicker more thorough way to communicate with his/her customers. You either embrace this as a form of communications, or you don't.

The part that I find funny, is that management is asking employees to gather email addresses, but won't supply those same employees with a company email address to communicate with.

[flyboy]

Funny comments in here for sure!

I have had pretty good success offering a $XX.XX gas card from a local filling station (where we get a reduced rate)if customers fill out a "Win a $XX gas card drawing". Little coupons they fill out at the cashier and put into a box. We do a monthly drawing for those that enter.

Yeah, some entered twice! OMG! Somehow they didn't get chosen twice...

I suppose you could make a nice sign at the coupon site that expresses what it will be used for etc, we just didn't want to make it a big deal. Fill out a coupon, maybe win some free gas. Works great.

I find it difficult to pay spiffs etc on something like this, but that's me!

[lacesfe]

Another way is to have the salesman (as a part of the delivery process) show the vehicle purchaser your online schedule service appointment page and schedule their first service appointment (90 days out) and be sure you have the email address as a required field for the appointment. Not only do you get the email address, you also get the first appointment scheduled (customer retention), introduce them to the service department and educate them about the option of making online appointments. Of course you also have to have a process in place to check the appointments and enter them in your DMS or other contact management system.