AM today announces the launch of a brand new conference for 2016. The first ever AM Customer Service Summit will provide expert insight so dealers can develop a strategy which exceeds consumer expectations.

Taking place at Whittlebury Hall Hotel, near Silverstone in Northamptonshire, on April 14, the conference will include best practice guidance from some of the industry’s top performers as well as viewpoints from retailers in other sectors where the approach to customer experience has evolved much more rapidly.

Already, AM has secured Linda Moir, who led the front-of-house event services team at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Delivering customer service to remember for the 9 million spectators from a team of 15,000 volunteer ‘gamesmakers’ means Moir’s take on how to create the best customer experience will be both insightful and tangible. In her keynote speech, Moir will also draw on her five years working as director of in-flight services for Virgin Atlantic which included responsibility for 5,000 cabin crew who achieved the highest recorded customer satisfaction scores. Moir will also act as the conference’s moderator.

As the key differentiator in today’s highly competitive market, for many motorists, the decision on where to service a car or buy their next vehicle is made on the service delivered. Often consumers make decisions according to the experience of others, utilising web reviews or comments in online forums. Car buyers researching online will also make snap judgements on the experience they expect to receive face-to-face from the ease of website navigation and the length of time between making an enquiry and gaining a response.

With vast amounts of choice and disruptors springing up in the digital space on a regular basis, the full customer experience now fulfils a more vital role in the decision-making process than it ever did in the past. Meanwhile, as manufacturers pull out all the stops as they chase bigger market share, customer retention forms a crucial part of a dealer’s customer experience strategy.

AM editor-in-chief Stephen Briers said: “Customer experience has to be an integral and natural part of the job with all employees seeking to deliver a first class service. But while dealers recognise the need to create a customer-centric culture, the practicalities of putting that in place can be more challenging. Our conference will look at customer service in all parts of the business, whether in the digital sphere or in the dealership itself.”

To better reflect the way the industry itself is moving, AM has revamped its events calendar to realign its focus away from specific departments to a more holistic position.

Briers added: “We continually evolve our programme of events according to market developments and dealer requirements. Last year, our dealer feedback showed a major area of concern was how business departments still operate in silos, which is completely out of kilter with our multi-layered and highly integrated world. As such, AM has focused its forthcoming events on issues which affect all areas of a dealership for a more rounded approach.”

Tickets are available to dealers and manufacturers, to book please click here or contact Nicola Baxter on 01733 468289, email nicola.baxter@bauermedia.co.uk