Five top automotive brands for customer experience in 2022

Over the last couple of years, we have all begun to value positive experiences and connection even more than we did before. Many things we took for granted were taken away from us, forcing us to re-evaluate our priorities. For companies, this has made customer experience (CX) a critical piece of the puzzle.

What sets automotive brands apart?

Quality engineering, performance, and reliability are a basic expectation for car buyers these days. When you’re choosing a car, you’re not just choosing something that gets you from A to B. You’re buying into a brand that you feel comfortable with, and with the technology available to each brand becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate, the customer experience is fast becoming the secret weapon automotive brands can use to get ahead of the competition.

To assess customer experience, various factors have to be taken into consideration; How brands responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, communication with their customers, the range and quality of services, and how they interact with their community, the environment, and their employees: all these factors impact the customer experience.

But which brands have designed their CX to be something they can be proud of? A customer experience that is the result of careful design, based on what their customers value and need? A customer experience that actually delights customers and exceeds their expectations.

We’ve looked at each of these factors and chosen five of the top Automotive Brands for Customer Experience below:

Five top automotive brands for customer experience

• Mini – Mini has worked hard to minimise the friction of buying. By reducing form-filling and creating a frictionless website experience, Mini captures more customers. They keep their customers updated during the (sometimes lengthy) buying process and their post-purchase strategy aims to create loyal advocates for the brand.
• Hyundai – Hyundai captures data by tracking customers as soon as they start searching for their brand. This enables them to build meaningful relationships and track their customers through their entire journey. As a result, they can offer a more personalised buying experience.

Click here to discover how Engine service design helped design an immersive, culturally inspired retail experience for Hyundai Motor Company.

• Tesla – like Mini, Tesla has removed much of the friction throughout the buying process. Cars can be bought online with less than ten clicks and their pricing is transparent.
• Volkswagen – VW uses a direct-to-consumer sales model and so cross-channel transactions are seamless.
• Lexus – since the 1980s Lexus has understood the value of the customer experience and worked hard to keep their reputation. Amongst other things, their aftercare service is quick and personalised.

The key to a great customer experience is in the detail. It won’t design itself. The top automotive brands have recognised this and used it to their advantage for their services, purposefully designing customer service experiences that enable them to attract and retain loyal customers, in spite of the fast-evolving car buying market.

You can click here to discover more of our automotive client stories.

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