Ford Dealer Asking For EV Input

[JoeDimwit]

Awesome feedback so far guys!

@JoeDimwit Having 5-10 MachE service loaners has been a recent conversation. Good to see reinforcement of that being a big value add for people.

To clarify, for me it’s not necessarily that the loaner needs to be a Mach-E, I’d happily accept any Ford EV. It sucks when my car is in for work, and I have to start going to gas stations again. We, the EV owners (for the most part) already have charging sorted, with either home or work charging. Maybe ask service customers if they would prefer an EV or ICE as a loaner when they make appointments. Naturally, if all the EV loaners are out we can deal with ICE for a day or two, but some of us have philosophical issues with going back to ICE. Others of us (Me) just prefer having the power to merge into traffic.. ?

Sponsored

 

[Lloydian]

The communication aspect is paramount, and I suspect engagement in places like this and direct advertising are the solution there.

As far as my purchase experience goes, it was annoying in the way I expect all dealership purchase experiences are annoying. They applied a protective coating that I neither asked for nor wanted, but too bad, it's done, and that'll be another $600. They went hard sell on the extended warranty until they wore me down. I sat down with my salesman, the finance guy and the finance manager who were all thoroughly amazed that I wouldn't want an extended warranty, and ultimately I caved and regret it still. Their argument was, basically: you should buy this car because it's the most awesome thing ever, and you're going to love it, but since EVs are new technology, who knows how badly we've screwed it up? You really need to buy that warranty, because you sure can't count on us to have made this car correctly.

But as I said, that's a gripe of mine that is not limited to EVs. Dealers earn their bad reputations in the same way with ICE vehicles.

My other gripe was in the service department. They did not employ enough certified technicians to do the job. And I can appreciate that they are hard to find. If so, manage your schedule around what you have. My dealer made me wait a week for a service appointment only to tell me when I got there that they wouldn't have anyone to work on my vehicle for another 10 days. If you're that backed up, own it. And don't give people appointments if you can't honor them yourselves.

All that said, maybe I just had a remarkably bad dealer. My econ teacher said that in every transaction, both parties always come out ahead, or the transaction wouldn't happen. Go in with the right motivation, and work to make sure people remain happy after they drive away. And the best tool to achieve that is honesty. That's a worthy goal for any business.

 

[DanCoon]

Hello Eric, I have a Ford dealer 2 miles from my house. I drive to a dealer 45 minutes away for any kind of EV service for these reasons:

-The good dealer has more than one EV technician. If I need service at the other dealer I'm always told it has to be on a specific day because they work on that day only.

-The staff at the good dealer are happy that I've pre-diagnosed problems for them and provide data to back it up. The "other guys" look at my data and argue with me about it. Also, they don't have a 240 volt plug, so they were unable to diagnose a problem I came to them about.

-The staff at the good dealer are always happy to learn about the Mach-E if they don't understand it or haven't seen one yet and ask me questions if they don't know. The staff at the other dealer continually expresses skepticism about EVs and makes negative comments about EVs within earshot, so I only to to them for tire rotations if I have to.

Things that I think would be helpful...

-Have several charging stations set up, or loaner chargers available.

-Advertise their availability on Plug Share, and ask users to rate them on the app.

-Have several 240 volt plugs set up for other EV owners to charge using their own while traveling.

- Have an excellent customer lounge so that EV owners can relax comfortably while they charge for an hour or two. They will remember that, spread the word, and will plan to stop by again while they are traveling.

- Some EV owners don't use apps to check availability, so I would put up a billboard or two 20-30 miles out from the dealer to let EV owners know that they have a place to top off or take a break.

 

[glenthompson]

As mentioned, knowledgeable staff is very important. Also recognize that we are early adopters and expect little annoyances as the technology matures. The dealership needs to be able to deal with those issues.

Regarding loaner cars: look at it as a marketing opportunity. Someone with one EV might be considering a second one. Or maybe a PHEV like the Escape. Providing them something different to drive could expand sales.

I hate car dealers that try to gouge you with ADP. I refuse to pay that for manufactured products. As Jay Leno said years ago in Dorito ads, “crunch all you want, We’ll make more.”

 

[Scorpy2643]

Eric, What a great question. I purchased both my Super Duty and my Mach-E from dealerships more than 60 miles from home, driving past at least two other dealers both times. Here is how I make that decision these days.

1. My first stop is your website. I review vehicles for straight up lies first. If your dealership lists "MSRP" as anything other than the sticker, I'm don't even review that dearlship any further. If they are willing to lie on something so basic, I don't need them.

2. If the dealership tries any of this "we add this $3k in addon's to every vehicle" non-optional bullshit, I'm out. I was helping my Dad with an EV6 purchase and we walked out of two dealerships that pull this crap. I don't need your lojack, I know how to find a clear-bra or ceramic if I need it. I don't need a fake ass "interior protection" package that will NEVER pay anything. If it's not optional, I don't need them.

3. I have walked out of dealerships in the finance room as well. For instance, a dealership here in Iowa says "we're required by law to charge you a $XXX doc fee". That was a lie, they are allowed to by law, not required. Lie to me? I'm out. Walked away from the deal.

4. I talk to the service department. For EV's, I ask how many EV certified techs they have. If the answer is "one", we're done. That dealership isn't serious.

5. Chargers. Install them. You can even charge for the service. Put them where they can be seen, and keep ice vehicles out of the spots. The local Dodge dealer has two level 2 chargers. Both are always blocked by dealer owned trucks. Guess which dealer I took my sister to for a test drive, but then wouldn't buy from? They also broke 1 and 3 previously.

6. Don't waste our time. If I have to sit and wait forever for a test drive, then sit and wait forever for a trade valuation, then sit and wait forever for numbers, I'm done. I'll walk out. I loved the call I received from a dealership "where'd you go?" I sat for 30 minutes with no update on anything, so I walked out. There is a dealer group here in Iowa famous for their "all-day transactions". I bought a van from them. When I showed up I told them I was leaving in 1 hour. It could be in a new van or my old one, but I was leaving in 1 hour. Suddenly, they were able to make a deal in less than 6 hours. They made my Dad wait 2 hours for a trade-in value. I was furious.

7. If we have to negotiate, the person in front of us better have the power to negotiate. If the sales manager is the only one that can negotiate, then his or her ass better be sitting in front of me. I refuse to negotiate with the fucking Wizard of Oz cowering behind a cubicle wall playing keyboard tough guy. I walked out of a deal when the sales manager refused to come out and talk to me. I asked the saleseman if he had the power to negotiate, he said no. "The numbers are up to the sales manager". Great, tell him to come out and talk to me. "That's not the way we do it." I said "ok", stood up, and headed out the door. The sales manager hustled his ass out to the car and caught me, "let's talk". I told him that opportunity evaporated when my driver's door closed.

8. Remember that we don't need you as bad as you need us. Dealers are ubiquitous. There is a reason that people like the Tesla buying experience. It cuts out all the bullshit. I'm an excellent negotiator. I do it for a living. I enjoy negotiating. I would happily pay MSRP just to not have to deal with all the other dealership bullshit.

I will absolutely visit and take test drives at the close dealer and then buy further away. I don't care if it wastes their time. The kind of dealer they have chosen to be is up to them. I have no dealer loyalty. They have to earn my purchase every single time.

 

[stealthytolkien]

Hey All!

My name is Eric and I am a manager at a dealership in Southern California. If any of you have cross-shopped the Bronco, you may know me from the Bronco6G forums.
https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...or-socal-buyers-kearny-mesa-ford.3115/page-95

I believe the experience we're currently offering EV buyers is so-so at best, likely below customer expectations if I'm being critical. We're above average when compared to other dealerships but I still see so much room to improve. So my hope is that I can get some input from you all, the MachE buyers and enthusiasts, as to how dealers should better serve today's EV buyers.

My 2-point question is this: Other than being competitively priced and having the right inventory, is there an experience that a dealer could provide which would make you travel beyond your closest dealer to purchase / service an EV? And part two to that is, how could that dealership communicate to you that they offer that experience?

I'm in the process of ground-up building a dedicated EV team, and I'd greatly value any input you could share! Whether it's about your experience when you bought your MachE, what you're experiencing as a current shopper, or even just your hypothetical ideal dealership interaction. I'm here to listen! I'm also glad to share the steps we're taking internally already for anybody who is curious.

Thanks for your time!

Eric Bunch

Good writeup and you’re on the right track.

Couple of things to know:

1) Owning an EV is a politically sensitive topic today. So, sometimes it is beyond your control and it’ll keep some folks away from it. Not much you can do other than hope that more and more EV run on the streets eventually changing the sentiment.

2) A customer walking into a dealership with an intention to pick up an EV (that’s not a Tesla) or open to test driving an EV (that’s not a Tesla) is a fairly informed customer, generally speaking. So, treat them like one. No BS.

3) Certifying a gas car is not nearly the same as certifying an EV. Want me to buy that MME GT Performance Edition from you? Here are the things I expect at the very least:

a) ALL internal modulere updated via FDRS that the owners cannot do at home. Prevention is better than cure. This includes applying HVBJB update to be on the safer side

b) Car software is up to date.

c) All recalls are addressed.

d) Test vehicles should always be above 60-70% charged.

4) What should your EV team be knowledgeable about? Two topics - why is Ford better over Tesla (your only real competition) and why is an EV a very sustainable vehicle for a household.

a) Ford is factually packing more things than Model Y. Nothing subjective. It has a proper blind spot alert and monitor system. Proper rear cross traffic alert system. A proper driver’s dash screen. And GT Performance Edition will pack better suspension. Better seats. Better brakes. Lastly, Ford’s range estimation is more realistic than Tesla’s.

b) Benefits of EV that are not very obvious:

- Even a RWD EV with snow tires can perform better than a FWD / AWD gas cars with snow tires because it’s easier to do an even weight distribution in an EV (front and rear).
- Additionally, if home charging is possible, the driver wakes up with a solid 200+ miles on the car. No visits to the gas station needed. Electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline.

- It is not always important to take into account 0-60 mph speeds. EV shines in city driving because it is often necessary to go from 0-40. Then decelerate to 20 and then quickly pass by reaching 50 mph. Most gas cars are nowhere near nimble to do these quick maneuvers in that kind of speed. Downshifts and upshifts and turbo lag work against this ability of gas cars. Not EV.

- Oil change isn’t the only maintenance saved. Most EV offer one pedal driving which saves brakes a lot. Most EV have a heat pump so they’re far more efficient in winters as gas cars just burn the engine to heat up the cabin. EV don’t need engine related maintenance. Batteries are 8 year warrantied. No gas car engine is warrantied for 8 years (the core).

What are downsides of EV?

- long term storage is harder because batteries will discharge. It’ll take weeks if not months but it will happen.

- batteries degrade. So do engines. But nothing is permanent.

- Again, EV shines for city driving. If 80 of your driving is road trips and long stretches of highways, you’ll need planning (Ford is going to be able to use Tesla network within a couple of years and non Tesla network is improving daily).

- EV likes to be plugged in. It’s still quite cumbersome to own an EV if you don’t have a charging system in your house or sufficient number of units in your apartment building.

cheers.

 

[Blue highway]

@Blue highway @Logal727 When it comes to knowing the EV product, how much would you want your salesperson to know about the competition? Is it enough for them to be MachE Masters, or do they need to know the context of what the other brands are doing? Also 10/4 about the chargers being public at all times.

A couple of people are mentioning a new Service Experience. Understood about revised rates for software updates. We're currently working on remote pickup and delivery options, and I'm curious what else y'all would expect or want from an EV-Centric service department?

Thanks again for your time and input ?

Sales-

• If you are selling against Kia/Hyundai/Tesla/GM etc - you need to have first hand knowledge.... Customers will be largely enthusiasts for the next couple of years. (take your sales guys to a demo/track day with EVs.)
• The sales person needs to know first hand what life with an EV is like...
  • you charge at home, and why you need a level 2 charger for this... it is not gas station thinking.
  • you need to know what to expect in terms of real world range down the highway (less than EPA for all EVs) and that range changes with seasons to set expectations
  • You need to be able to demonstrate things like the charge schedule and why this matters

Service-

• I'd really prefer an electric loaner over the usual gas cars. I have an EV, I'm set up for that in terms of charging, daily life etc.
• have an EV service advisor (person you deal with for service) that has actual experience with an EV. I'm tired of dealership people that don't even know that they don't know...
• For the time being, service = software (mostly). Please, find a tech to do FDRS updates... I spent the $grand on the equipment and I do these myself after some maddening experiences with the dealer, saying it "wouldn't take" because they didn't follow directions and put the car on a power supply.

 

[Deleted member 16048]

Others have already pointed out a lot of the points that should be hit. The biggest thing I want to echo is that sales staff need to actually understand the product inside and out. They need to not just know the specs of the vehicle. They need to know everything about EVs in general. Not just the car, but charging station experiences, at home charging installation questions, Expectations for weather, and how you drive can effect range.

They should know the experience outside the vehicle. Then on top of that, they should know the competition and how they compare down to the fine details. At the end of the day, customers will expect you to know everything.

I know there are people here that want all the modules updated prior to the vehicle driving off the lot. However, I actually disagree with this. It's better to educate the customer on how software updates actually work, and that it's normal for it to take time to update. The vehicle will get itself up to date. I would expect Ford corporate would agree here as it may help their rollout process function the way it should. Interfering with it might cause you more trouble than it's worth for the end customer.

This is a small thing, but makes buying a better experience. The sales team should be excited about the move to EVs. Actually have interest in it, and encourage the transition. This creates positive enegery with customers and improves their experience.

I applaud your efforts, and wish more dealers in this area would see the benefits to what you're attempting to accomplish here.

 

[bp99]

There are many generic things a dealer can do to improve customer experience (regardless of car type), but they all require money, resources (such as shop space to push updates to cars), or just a change in the sales model.

BEV specific, have staff that know the cars inside and out. They need to know the competition as well. Be prepared to give tips to new BEV owners on things like charging, impacts on range, etc. Educate new owners so they don't sour once they see things like winter range reduction (less of a concern in Southern Cal). Work with a local/regional, trusted electrician for home EVSE installations where owners might get a bit of a bulk discount. For many people, trying to find a trustworthy electrician for a small job at a reasonable rate can be very difficult. Have multiple trained techs so that BEV owners don't have to wait weeks for the one or two to have a slot open/not be on vacation. And make sure the service department doesn't put BEV owners on the generic service mailers/calls offering ICE services like oil changes.

I could care less about having chargers available at the dealer. Unless I'm out in the middle of no where and the dealer is the only option within driving range, a dealer is about the last place I want to go and wait for my car to charge.

 

[Mach-Lee]

My 2-point question is this: Other than being competitively priced and having the right inventory, is there an experience that a dealer could provide which would make you travel beyond your closest dealer to purchase / service an EV? And part two to that is, how could that dealership communicate to you that they offer that experience?

#1 - 100% Non-negotiable pricing that is guaranteed down to the dollar before buying, including any fees. No markups, add ons, extras, or sneaky business at the time of sale. Online checkout process through Ford at delivery with Ford Credit financing. I literally show up, you check my ID, and you hand me the keys, done in 5 minutes. I also want a guarantee you will hold the vehicle for at least 5 business days upon delivery no matter what, and not sell it to anyone else until the 5 business days have elapsed and you've made a good faith effect to contact me (>3x phone calls and emails over at least two days, documented, manager verifies and signs off that salesman actually attempted to contact customer, and records of said calls/emails provided to customer upon request). If you can guarantee the transaction will go exactly as I expect and you have the reviews to support it, then I'll travel for it.

For service, you need to offer online or phone appointment booking, and actually stick to the schedule if you do that. No calling after the fact saying we actually can't get you in, we didn't know you had an appointment because you made it online, our EV tech is too busy so you need to park it for several extra days, etc. You automatically provide a free loner for services that take more than a full day, or if my service was delayed for any reason. It's not fair to expect customers to reschedule work, appointments, and vacations in their lives because you didn't have the car ready on time.

Offering easy software updates via FDRS is also a big thing that would attract service customers. "Does your Ford need software updates? We can take care of that with same-day service. We have a technician that specializes in doing software updates."

Other than that, make sure you are fully compliant with Ford Model e Certified and your DC fast charger is available and works. Charge up customer EVs when they're done so we can make the trip home.

It would also help if I deal with sales and service personnel that only work with EVs. Having a separate EV salesman or EV service desk would be nice.

#2 - Advertise/post a customer bill of rights on your website stating the above. It needs to be backed up by multiple independent reviews before I'd consider it. The reviews need to speak for themselves, and I better not see any bad reviews about doing shady things. Accountability is a bitch, but that's key to being a trusted dealer.

 

[RedStallion]

Build an EV team that doesn’t treat EVs like foreign concepts and know everything about them. Require people spend time on the forum (pay them for it) to learn about the quirks and info from the insiders. We need more knowledgeable Ford EV techs!

I like the idea paying employees to spend time on forums. I think they will like it. ?

 

[RedStallion]

After spending decades in software development I came to the conclusion that there is no better approach to quality engineering than what's called "eating your own dog food."
What it would mean for Ford and dealerships is to require the upper level management to drive their own cars. So I would start with buying Mach-E for personal and family use.

 

[Mach1E]

Awesome feedback so far guys!

@AtomicInternet Totally right about having extra chargers. Are you an advocate for 24hr access or just normal business hours okay? We just installed a new bank right up front. Now we just need our power company to supply us with more juice!

@JoeDimwit Having 5-10 MachE service loaners has been a recent conversation. Good to see reinforcement of that being a big value add for people.

@VegasWeezy @ChasingCoral This is definitely what I expected to hear the most. The base level of training that Ford provides salespeople just isn't enough. Right now we're taking all salespeople on test drives to teach them how to better demonstrate BlueCruise in a real-world setting.

While it’s fine to take “all salespeople” on test drives, all salespeople shouldn’t sell EVs. Should be a dedicated team.

 

[Guss-E 2021]

@Blue highway @Logal727 When it comes to knowing the EV product, how much would you want your salesperson to know about the competition? Is it enough for them to be MachE Masters, or do they need to know the context of what the other brands are doing? Also 10/4 about the chargers being public at all times.

A couple of people are mentioning a new Service Experience. Understood about revised rates for software updates. We're currently working on remote pickup and delivery options, and I'm curious what else y'all would expect or want from an EV-Centric service department?

Thanks again for your time and input ?

They should be knowledgeable about all BEVs. This is no different than trying to sell an F-150 against a RAM or Silverado. You have to know what separates your product from the others.

Also, I would say along with the knowledge, the right attitude is also just important. If start getting or hearing snarky or disparaging comments about electric cars (particularly if it is myths and inaccuracies), I'm out of there. Having Ford dealer staff put down the Mach-E or Lightning in anyway is not a good look, at all.

I like my dealership (in NH) well enough but I still get the underlying sense they are just not on board with supporting Ford's transition. How is that supposed to get a potential buyer excited about buying from them? Make sure your EV staff believes in the product or it will show and you will lose sales.

I can guarantee you the staff at Tesla and Rivian believe in the products they sell. I know they don't use dealerships but there is still human interaction involved when purchasing a vehicle from either company. Heck, you guys should shop the competition and see what the experience is like.

 

[Guss-E 2021]

After spending decades in software development I came to the conclusion that there is no better approach to quality engineering than what's called "eating your own dog food."
What it would mean for Ford and dealerships is to require the upper level management to drive their own cars. So I would start with buying Mach-E for personal and family use.

Hell yes!

Sponsored