Ford’s Mobile Services Contribute to Consumer Satisfaction

Photo Source: Ford

Obstacles arising from backlogged repair shops have created incentives to come up with new ways to ease customer hardships. After all, recent studies indicate that vehicle owners are not delighted about going to dealerships for repairs due to long waits to schedule repairs and to get automobiles back. At first, Ford decided to provide a pickup and delivery service for repairs. That seemed to excite consumers but Ford knew there was more to be done.     

A growing number of drivers whose vehicles require minor repairs are no longer going to the dealership, and instead taking advantage of mobile services. That includes two primary duties: either a technician can go to a customer’s home and repair the vehicle there or, for more challenging tasks, they can pick up a vehicle, drive it to the dealership, complete the job, and return it to the customer. 

Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Ford and Lincoln customers utilizing these remote services quadrupled. In all, Ford and Lincoln completed more than 2.4 million Ford Pickup & Delivery and Mobile Service appointments worldwide in the 2023 model year. Not only that, in March 2024, approximately 375,000 customers took advantage of the product. 

Ford’s Clout

The response resulted in a positive evolution of how automotive repair is perceived. Indeed, not only is the service advantageous for current Ford customers but also for non-Ford customers who bundle repairs when dealers allow it. Building on its dominant market position, Ford aims to accelerate a lucrative customer-focused program that has already proven successful. Unsurprisingly, customers are thrilled by this new development because it means not having to take time out of their day to drive to a dealership and sit in a waiting room. Moreover, they barely need to alter their plans at all because technicians are available to come to the owner’s home or workplace.

It is worth noting that United States customers rate their satisfaction with these experiences, specifically Mobile Service, significantly higher than traditional shop services, with a Net Promoter Score of 84, approximately 15 percent higher than comparable automotive shop service. Elena Ford, Chief Dealer Engagement Officer, explained the carmaker’s motivation to preserve its customers’ peace of mind, declaring, “We want to return to our customers the most valuable commodity in modern life – time. Service appointments should be as simple as booking an appointment with your phone. They should not interrupt a customer’s day.”

Consumer Comfort

Dealers benefit from the service as much as individuals. For example, aside from complying with a customer’s needs, the service can even lead to conquests for the dealerships. Ford dealers claim that mobile services are especially attractive to fleet customers, who appreciate not having to lose a vehicle and an employee for the day every time a vehicle is in need of repair. Eddie Stivers of Stivers Ford in Birmingham, Alabama, recounted an experience with one customer who received remote oil changes on his Ford F-150 and General Motors pickup trucks during a remote visit and valued the service so much that he traded in his competitive model for a Ford. He even relied on Pickup & Delivery for the trade-in process.

It is a key aspect of the automotive landscape that consumer expectations are transforming. Statistics suggest that 90 percent of customers say once they have used Ford’s mobile service, they want to continue to use it. If you support Ford’s acceptance of meeting consumers on their terms, please come visit Sunrise Ford. Do not forget we have remote services available and a trained service team that can help with an online appointment to get started on all maintenance work and repairs. After all, we know what it takes to provide a worthwhile experience.