With the press of a button you can send out thousands of emails to potential customers and deliver your message.

Need a new car? Come visit our dealership.

Need an oil change? Bring your car into our service center and get 10% off.

Unfortunately, a small percentage will open that email and a much, much smaller percentage will act on it.

Automation is easy. But customers no longer react to automation. Call up an insurance company or the cable company and you’re met with a whole host of automated messaging. Press 1 if you’re a current customer. Press 2 if you want to pay your bill.  Everyone knows that customer service today is the key for success, yet companies prove over and over that they don’t want to help you, let alone talk to you.

So much emphasis is placed on the customer experience because businesses need to contend with the level of service found at companies such as Amazon and Starbucks. The reason dealerships can’t rely on traditional marketing anymore is because customers want to be catered too, and that means personalization.

How do companies like Amazon and Starbucks meet the demands of the 21^st century customer?

Amazon

Try to find a phone number on Amazon.

It’s almost impossible to speak with someone from the company yet they are often ranked as one of the top companies in personalization marketing.

Through algorithms and proven marketing and engagement methods, Amazon has been able to show their longstanding ability to consistently perform.

“Amazon’s personalization efforts aren’t exactly new. Since at least 2013, its product curation and recommendation algorithm has made for headlines and case studies,” writes Amanda Zantal-Wiener, HubSpot.

How do you provide that level of service when that’s what your customer expects?

Amazon is a behemoth. 43% of online sales in 2016 were completed through Amazon.

But if you’re a dealership, you’re not selling $136 billion of merchandise and streaming content. Your customer base is the local population and tapping into their needs is very different. You can deliver the right messages at the right time to entice the customer to check out your business, return for service and become a customer for life.

Utilizing software-as-a-solution tools like the kind ChannelNet offers places you above the competition because of the level of personalization and customization you have access to. You’re no longer batching-and-blasting emails but strategically interacting with your customers in order to deliver the optimal message at the time they are most likely to need your services.

Starbucks

Starbucks on the other hand, delivers personalization through its baristas.

They are friendly and engaging, willing to help and offer suggestions, and they create a rapport with their customers. Each encounter is generally a good customer experience and people are loyal to the coffee company willing to dole out heaps of cash (albeit via pay apps) for their morning caffeine fix.

It’s your local billion-dollar coffee shop but most people feel an emotional connection to their Starbucks.

People want to feel special. It’s not a generational thing, per se, but the door has been kicked open and instead of finding personalization a luxury, it’s expected.

If a customer doesn’t feel a connection to your business then there isn’t a spark ignited when they need your service. In that case, the customer can go to a $20 quick lube because they are getting the same service and seemingly the same experience at a discount.

By engaging with customers and targeting your message based on their needs, you’ll help increase retention and revenue rates. Great customer service at your business continues the high-level experience that drives loyalty.