Ford Subsidizes Dealers’ Mobile Offerings

DALLAS –Todd Rabourn, Ford’s North America Regional CX Director, wants dealers to know that the company’s growth plans include setting them up for success.

That’s one reason the automaker is expanding and subsidizing complimentary remote services – Pickup & Delivery or Mobile Service – for all dealership customers.

Rabourn expects dealers to see higher profits and customer satisfaction when the programs are in place, just as early adopters report. There are currently 850 mobile service vans across about 630 Ford dealerships today, Rabourn says. Ford plans to have 1,400 vans at 1,000 dealerships by the end of the year.

“What we’ve seen is customers returning more frequently when they are out of warranty,” he tells Wards at the company’s recent meeting with dealers during the 2023 NADA Show. “So we see this program driving business back to the dealership, even some customers we haven’t seen in years.”

Here is how Ford representatives say it works:

When customers opt for Ford Pickup & Delivery, a dealership representative comes to a customer’s home or place of business, picks up the vehicle and returns it when the repair is complete.  If a customer visits the dealership, the managers can arrange transportation to take them home or to work and back when the service is complete.

For light repairs and routine maintenance such as oil changes, the dealer can dispatch a Mobile Service van with a Ford-certified and -trained technician to perform service at an agreed-upon location. Light recall work can also be handled this way to minimize disruption to owners’ daily lives. Pickup and delivery by the dealership are available for more extensive recall work.

Ford representatives say the automaker covers costs for up to six daily repair orders for each mobile unit. It will also offset costs for all pickup and delivery services. Rates are based on various factors, including each store’s warranty labor rates.

“We see advantages to those in metro areas. It’s convenient for people with busy schedules, whether we pick them up and deliver them to their homes or work or even (provide) mobile service to customers,” Rabourn says. “And a lot of our rural dealers already provide the service to customers to make it easier for them to come in. They may also offer mobile service, too.”

Ford’s data shows millennials and other young buyers expect these services. He says demand will grow in the next few years as millennials account for about half of the car-buying market.

“The message coming out of today’s meeting is that it’s a year of growth,” Rabourn says. “Whether that’s sales or service, we want to evolve and grow and be there for the customers in new and different ways.”