Ford Credit kicked off two pilot programs in April aimed at easing the lease-end experience for customers by unifying communications between Ford, Ford Credit, and Ford dealers. The pilots include personal assistants for customers in two key markets and online offers aimed at the likely wants and needs of individuals.
“We continue to look at ways to improve this process and to also ensure that we’re not only making it easier for customers to renew into that next vehicle, that we’re building anticipation around what that next vehicle could be — and that we’re also driving loyalty back to Ford, Lincoln, and our dealers,” said Ford Credit Director of Customer Experience Krista Conyers.
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Ford Credit’s lease assistant pilot consists of focusing on around 1,000 leasees in Philadelphia and New York who are four months away from the expiration of their lease. The assistants work in groups to focus on the needs of individual customers, simplifying communications and further encouraging the customers to stay on with Ford.
The personalized offer platform goes by the name “Drive New. Now” and emphasizes introducing leasees to vehicles that may appeal to them and providing estimates on payments. The vehicles selected are not just close to what the customer wants, they’re also vehicles that are available at the dealership where the customer leased their current vehicle.
“We’re not showing you an F-150 that you could go build,” said Conyers, “we are showing you a real-life vehicle sitting in your dealer’s inventory.”
The objective of both pilots is to make the lease-end process better for customers and for dealers. The net effect would be capturing customers for longer periods of time, encouraging them to re-up with Ford when their lease expires every two to three years.
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