Cutting Edge Issues in Service - Assignment Example

Cutting Edge Issues in Service Contents Contents 2 Car Dealership and s 3 Relationship Marketing (CRM) in Perrys 3 Recommendations to Enhance the CRM at Perrys 5 Conclusion 6 References 8 Car Dealership and Customers Automobile or car manufacturers tend to gain an increased consumer space in the retail markets through the availability of service rendered by the dealers. The manufacturers in turn need to maintain and coordinate with their dealership and franchisees in a regular manner to avoid conflicts in regards to rendering services to the consumers (Mangin, Koplyay and Calmes, 2007, p.60-61; Boone and Kurtz, 2012, p.588). Further the car dealers also focus in gaining profit from conducting their sales but at the same time require maintaining effective relationship with the consumers. Dealers have to gain a tradeoff between the impeding pressures of the car manufacturers in selling large volumes and the consumer’s demand in gaining the automobiles at lower prices. Thus the dealers are required to gain effective information of the market demands and thereby create attractive packages involving car loans and discounts to attract the people to purchase cars from their end (Clarke, 2003, p.73-74; Pride and Ferrell, 2006, p.327). Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) in Perrys In the light of the above discussion the paper focuses on analyzing the customer relationship marketing activities of Perrys a large automobile dealer in United Kingdom dealing with the sales of cars from reputable brands. In regards to enhancing their relationship with the consumer base the dealership company has incorporated in its website an area through which the consumers can render complaints and potential feedback. The site also contains testimonials of people who have already availed their service. This creates a positive and transparent image of the concern in the public’s eye (Perrys, 2012; Genat, 2004, p.32-33). Further the company to enhance its relationship with the consumer base also focuses on marketing its several warranty, financing and insurance packages along with other key service deliverables through the web page created. Through the above activities the company tends to effectively communicate with their consumers in terms of offers and opportunities available (Perrys-a, 2012; Brink and Berndt, 2009, p.36-39). It is found from the above discussion that Perrys depends largely on the internet to help market its products and services to a larger consumer base in the United Kingdom market. Internet has emerged as one of the growing mediums for helping in the sale of automobile products to a larger consumer space in reflecting a rise of around 11 percent in automobile sales during 2010 as against 2009. On the contrary the sales in units through other mediums failed to reflect any such rise. With the help of the internet the automobile dealers can effectively communicate the different offerings and other value additions rendered in the automobiles to the consumers in an enhanced fashion. Along with internet the telephone communication also appears to have rendered high amount of effectiveness in the dealership functions related to sales of new and used cars to the consumers. In total the internet and telephone communication media has helped to increase the sales of automobiles by around 9 percent during the 2009 to 2010 period. Thus the automobile dealers tend to enhance their relationship with the consumers in an effective fashion with the help of internet and telecommunication media (Mintel Group Limited, 2011; Plunkett, 2006). Again the use of internet as a communication tool used by car dealerships helps in retaining a large pool of customers. The consumers can learn from the internet sites of the car retailers and dealerships where car Dealerships Company through the use of such sites can give effective testimonials of other consumers. Such learning helps the company in enhancing its relationship and communication base with the consumers in providing them effective information needed to be gained prior to making a purchase of automobiles from the dealer’s end. Retention of consumers helps in enhancing the goodwill of the company in the market and also enhances its competitiveness in the automobile dealership market. Moreover the creation of an internet page by the dealership company to enhance the level of relationship marketing with the consumers in turn creates a differentiated image of the concern. This differentiation enabled in the sphere of customer relationship activity helps the automobile dealership company in gaining the attention of a larger consumer base in the United Kingdom market (Ahmad and Buttle, 2001, p.40; Morton, Zettelmeyer and Risso, 2001, p.503-505). Recommendations to Enhance the CRM at Perrys In the light of the customer relationship activities maintained at Perrys using the internet as an effective tool for marketing its products and offerings to a large consumer base in the United Kingdom market evaluating the level of consumer trust earns priority. Consumers who transact via the online sphere in choosing the product for purchase and thereby proceed to procure the same through availing the different offers and promotions rendered tend to create a different perception. These consumers tend to enjoy a level of comfort while transacting or gaining information via the online sphere. The business companies like automobile dealers in order to sustain such increased level of perception and satisfaction needs to meet the demands of the consumers through acting on the physical plane in rightly delivering the products on time. Moreover the company can also work in effectively addressing the queries and complaints of the different consumers via the online sphere accurately and timely to enhance the company’s relationship aspects with the consumers at large. The level of trust and perception of comfort in regards to the consumers being enhanced would help the company in augmenting its goodwill in the market (Luo and Lee, 2011, p.834-835; Linoff and Berry, 2011, p.7). The dealership function of Perry’s along with other such car dealers can be better enhanced in letting the companies maintain a sustained relationship with the different consumers. Thus the dealership companies should work on the parameters of product, pricing, distribution and promotion other than enhancing the parameters of physical evidence through the use of testimonials and business processes encouraging consumers to transact in an online fashion (Kotler and Armstrong, 2008, p.49). Henceforth the company should effectively work at sustaining a developed product base in gaining automobiles from branded companies. Further in regards to pricing the company needs to render offers and promotions time to time to create excitement among the consumers. The car dealership can also expand its units on a regional basis to help the consumers gain easy accessibility of services. Authorized service centers can be created by the dealership in different regions to render repair and other services both during and after the warranty period. Finally the car dealership also needs to act on several promotional and advertising models both through the online and physical sphere. In regards to the online sphere the company can work in creating a page in the social networking site to gain consumer feedback and interactions and thereby enhance its communication activity with the consumer sphere. Other than acting on the online sphere the company can work in the increase of hoardings and other audio-visual system advertisements with also working to augment the level of print advertisements distributed through newspapers and magazines focusing on automobiles (Peach and Karen, 1996; Foss and Stone, 2001, p.420-421). Conclusion Perrys an automobile dealership operating in the United Kingdom market is found to interrelate with its customers in an enhanced fashion to largely inform them about the different models available with effective offers and packages. The company however is required to sustain the enhanced perception and expectation levels of the consumer through the rendering of products and services on time and also in largely advertising its image both online and physically. Such activities would help the company in effectively sustaining the large volumes of customers which would help it to enhance its competitive and business position. References Ahmad, R., and Buttle, F., 2001. Customer retention: a potentially potent marketing management strategy. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 9, pp.29–45. Boone, L., and Kurtz, D., 2012. Contemporary Marketing, 2013 Update. United States: Cengage Learning. Brink, A., and Berndt, A., 2009. Relationship Marketing and Customer Relationship Management. South Africa: Juta and Company Limited. Clarke, S., 2003. Closing the Deal: GMs Marketing Dilemma and Its Franchised Dealers, 1921-41. Business History, 45(1), pp.60-79. Foss, B., and Stone, M., 2001. Successful customer relationship marketing: new thinking, new strategies, new tools for getting closer to your customers. United Kingdom: Kogan Page Publishers. Genat, R., 2004. American Car Dealership. Hong Kong: MotorBooks International. Kotler, P., and Armstrong, G., 2008. Principles of Marketing, 12/e. New Delhi: Pearson Education India. Linoff, G., and Berry, M., 2011. Data Mining Techniques: For Marketing, Sales, and Customer Relationship Management. United States: John Wiley and Sons. Luo, S., and Lee, T, 2011. The Influence of Trust and Usefulness on Customer Perceptions of E-Service Quality. Social Behaviour and Personality, 39(6), pp.825-838. Mangin, J., Koplyay, T., and Calmes, C., 2008. The Moderator Effect of Communication in Marketing Channels of Distribution; The Case of Car’s Industry in Canada. International Advances in Economic Research, 14, pp.48-64. Mintel Group Limited, 2011. Use of the Internet in Car Buying - UK - May 2011. Mintel. 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