Revving up efficiency: how Aussie auto dealerships use Uber for Business

During a challenging period for the global economy, the cost-of-living impact on Australian consumers had a knock on effect on our local automotive sector’s growth, which has been turbulent over the last few years. For automotive brands, dealerships and dealer groups, even though the market is now recalibrating, managing your outgoing costs and ensuring you are investing in the right parts of your business is more important than ever.

For any business, it’s important to understand the upfront costs associated with each decision you make. That transparency is a cornerstone of the automotive partnerships Uber for Business has across ANZ. We have successfully worked with our partners to reduce unseen costs like sending employees out to drop-off or collect customers, standing costs of shuttle buses and the use of stationary loan cars. With Uber Central, Uber for Business users leverage the largest mobility network in the world to request pick-up and drop-off rides for customers – even if they don’t have the Uber app.

Read on for a real world example from one of our case studies, information about the Uber for Business Uber Central proposition, and insight on how Uber for Business can help you boost operational efficiency, cut costs and improve customer service.

How Youi gave customer experience a lift with Uber for Business

Youi, the Sunshine Coast-headquartered insurer, enhanced its customer claims experience by integrating Uber for Business into its repair network, allowing customers to conveniently book rides to and from smash repairers via Uber Central.

This innovation removed the hassle of transport arrangements and reimbursements, leading to improved customer satisfaction, as shown by surveys indicating higher positivity among customers using Uber rides. Approximately 90% of Youi’s repairer locations now use the platform, benefiting customers, repairers and Youi alike through streamlined processes, seamless billing and minimal technological disruption.

The initiative sets a new benchmark in insurance claims service, with further expansion of Uber for Business benefits planned for internal teams. Read the full case study here.

Uber Central: Your team deserves the best tools

The automotive industry relies on Uber for Business to help their customers, employees and parts get where they need to go. In Australia and New Zealand alone we partner with over 500 automotive businesses, from individual dealerships and dealer groups to parts suppliers, distributors and service and repair shops.

We have aligned our services to the industry’s values of reliability, efficiency and customer-convenience, through our Uber Central solution, which:

Provides customer mobility to and from your service centres
Streamlines operations and relieves disruptions, helping customers get back on the road faster.
Works with our partners to reduce or supplement loan cars and shuttles.
Increases foot traffic to dealerships, showrooms and even new vehicle launches.
Allows for same-day parts delivery, increasing vehicle throughput and overall efficiency.

The Central dashboard allows coordinators to request Uber rides so customers can enjoy a flexible, familiar way of getting home or to the office. They don’t need the Uber app or even a smartphone – once a coordinator requests a ride, the customer receives a text or phone call with their ride details.

Staff members use one dashboard to request one-way or round-trip rides for customers, control pick-up and drop-off locations, select ride type, monitor usage and spend, and more.

Finance teams gain full control with Uber Central, including management of spend in all services, setting maximum travel distances, allowance of premium car options, streamlined reporting, quicker invoicing and comprehensive analytics.

Invest in tech-enabled tools to increase operational efficiency

There have been major shifts in auto-related consumer trends over the last few years, including the growing uptake of EV and hybrid vehicles. Our automotive partners who have been consistently successful have invested in tech-enabled tools to not only keep up with this shifting landscape but still increase their operational efficiency.

At Uber for Business, we work with our partners to provide customer service tools, real-time tracking, centralised billing and reporting tools to enhance your customers’ mobility. These tools not only help your dealership deliver exceptional customer experiences, but also help your employees feel more satisfied and productive on the job.

No wonder 80% of Uber for Business customers recommend Uber Central*, which has been developed with operational efficiency, cutting costs and customer service in mind.

Increase visibility into spending and cost controls

Our automotive clients find that improvements in operational efficiency often also drive significant improvements in cost control.

We know from working with automotive partners throughout the many challenges the 2020s have brought how important it is to be able to make adjustments in real time. Being able to be flexible with offerings and adapting to your budget is a key factor in succeeding in this competitive landscape.

Having visibility into your investment and understanding your cost per customer is also incredibly important. We use these factors when discussing online sales with terms like ‘cost per lead’ – investing in customer satisfaction and retention should work the exact same way.

Indeed, 67% of dealership respondents surveyed agreed that using Uber helped cut down costs by controlling fees related to courtesy rides alone.**

Provide an exceptional customer experience

Different customers will have different preferences and expectations based on the type of vehicle they drive or service being provided. However, the same factors come back as key drivers of a great customer experience:

Trust and reliability: The automotive industry can be quite transactional. Building trust with your customers is what keeps them coming back
Convenience: This includes reducing wait time spent at a service centre or dealership and reducing how long a customer has to wait before having their car serviced. Our on-the-ground experience has seen that partnerships which relied solely on shuttle buses with fixed routes and timetables often didn’t meet their customers’ needs.
Ease of use: Broadly, automotive brands should always consider how easy it is for customers to engage and use auto services.

80% of our dealership respondents agreed that providing courtesy rides with Uber has helped them retain customers.** This is particularly compelling in this market where more and more consumers are choosing to go online rather than to the dealership to buy a new car.

*Based on a September 2023 Uber-commissioned survey, 80% of clients (out of 1,958 total) who have used Uber Central within 6 months of the survey would likely recommend Uber Central

**Based on responses from 79 current Uber for Business customers. Results not guaranteed and may vary depending on your use of the platform.