Larry H. Miller
Dealerships Adapting
to Serve
Innovation in the Face of Adversity
The service team at LHM Toyota Peoria is
focused on the safety of their customers.
Jason Villa, general manager at LHM Volkswagen Lakewood, delivered
a vehicle to a customer as part of our digital retailing initiative.
Overall Satisfaction Comment
Right now during this time in the world, the service that I received was beyond
anything that I expected. The service department was extremely clean, the desk had
two mugs one with clean pens and the other with used pens, my car was returned to
me with sanitizing smell and clean inside and out. Having just come from another repair
shop, my aunts car needed some service, I was blown away with how much different
the experience was and concern for my health was. You have a customer for life!
Enhance Experience Comment
Keep doing what you are doing!!! This team showed love, kindness, and respect to me.
“We know that people rely on their vehicles to get them where they need
to go. Even now, there are people working in essential businesses
whose job is to keep the collective public safe and healthy,” said Dean
Fitzpatrick, president, LHM Dealerships. “We want them to know that our
dealerships are open and that we’ve instituted various measures to minimize
the risk of potential exposure.”
As the COVID-19 health pandemic began to impact our communities,
governors across our dealership markets issued stay-at-home directives
and orders, each with its own set of guidelines related to automotive sales
and service. In all seven states where LHM Dealerships does business,
automotive service and repair was deemed an essential service, meaning we
could continue to keep our service departments open and operating.
When it came to sales, the guidelines varied. In some states, sales
was considered an essential service (Utah, Arizona, and Idaho), and in
others (Colorado, New Mexico, California, and Washington), Larry H.
Miller Dealerships had to close its showrooms and, at the time this issue
went to print, could sell only online and remotely.
DIGITAL RETAILING
This presented an obstacle for our stores—but Larry H. Miller Dealerships
employees rose to the challenge. Over several weeks, MAO worked with
the stores to develop digital retailing platforms for each location, enabling
the dealerships to conduct sales online. With online buying, customers can
research a vehicle, compare vehicles, value a trade-in, and connect with a
salesperson via the phone, email, website, or video chat.
Overall Satisfaction Comment
I have a high level of trust for the dealership and they
served me well again.
Enhance Experience Comment
I can’t think of anything. This was an unusual time in the
pandemic and they picked up my RX and delivered it when
they completed the work. I had a service and a factory
reprogramming that needed to be done. Totally satisfied!
Customer
feedback
received by
LHM Lexus
Spokane
NO-CONTACT AND SOCIAL DISTANCING
The stores moved to a no-contact sales process. After a vehicle is purchased,
many stores are delivering the vehicle to the customer’s home. Employees
are wearing masks and wiping down the inside of the vehicle prior to
delivering. If a dealership’s showroom is closed, paperwork is left in the
vehicle for the customer to sign and mail back to the dealership. In stores
with open showrooms, pens are discarded or cleaned after each use, and
surfaces are being sanitized throughout the day.
When it comes to test drives, stores are delivering vehicles to customers’
homes as well. They’re also doing video walk-arounds of vehicles to show
customers a car’s features remotely on platforms such as FaceTime and Zoom.
Social distancing is being practiced across all dealership locations.
Employees have been spread out, as well as customers.
Jarred Black, general manager of LHM Toyota Boulder,
appeared on the local news to talk about digital retailing.
Additional videos available at LHMWSM.com
COMPLIMENTARY CONCIERGE SERVICE
In dealership service departments, the same focus on health and safety
is in place. In early March, as CDC and government guidelines were
established, MAO introduced complimentary concierge vehicle pickup
and delivery across the Group. Members of the service team pick up a
customer’s vehicle at their home or office, repair or provide maintenance at
the dealership, and then deliver the vehicle back to the customer’s home.
Service technicians wear gloves, which they’re changing out with each
customer’s vehicle, and seats, steering wheels, and door handles are wiped
down with disinfectant.
Even in tough times, Larry H. Miller Dealerships is innovating to
meet today’s needs and ensure we’re serving our customers with health and
safety in mind. ◆
2 LHM Winning Spirit May/June 2020