Automated messages are the free money of email marketing. You set up a trigger that’s based on highly relevant rules that executes every day. You get to come into the office and see that you made revenue yesterday without pushing the button! Mercedes-Benz vehicles attract customers with a high demand for quality and customer service, so they insist on nothing but exceptional customer service from its dealers. Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City uses a series of triggers to successfully gauge customer satisfaction in order to meet service guidelines. During this session, learn about actionable strategies around 8 different types of automated or triggered email marketing programs as well as a real world success story from Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City.

1. THE MAGIC TOUCH
HOW A CUSTOM SURVEY
PROVIDES EXCEPTIONAL
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City
& emfluence

2. PRESENTERS
Kris Nielsen
eCommerce Manager
Soave Automotive Group
kris.nielsen@SoaveAuto.com
Twitter: @MercedesKC @KrisNielsenKC
Jessica Best
Digital Marketing Evangelist
emfluence
jbest@emfluence.com
Twitter: @emfluence @bestofjess
#DMAwebcast

3. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Welcome Email/Series
• White list request (Add us…)
• Balance text and images
• Set expectations for frequency
and content

4. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Welcome Email/Series
• Sent immediately (or ASAP)
after a subscriber signs up
• Reiterate the value of the
subscription
• Cross promote
• Social media
• Shop now

5. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Abandoned Cart Emails
• Sent a few days after a subscriber
leaves items in their cart
• Copy should be “helpful”
• Reiterate the value of the product
and/or answer common objections
• Doesn’t have to be offer based
• Offer helpful similar suggestions

6. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Transactional Emails
• High open rates
• Cross-sell and upsell with the
“receipt”

7. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
New Customer Bounceback Email
• Sent a week or two after a new customer’s
first purchase
• Thank them
• Offer suggested similar or complementary
products

8. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
New Customer Bounceback +
Survey
• Offer a coupon in exchange for a quick
feedback survey:
• You’re listening to them
• They’ve earned it, so they use it!

9. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Referral Campaigns
• Offer for you, offer for me
– win-win
• 9-13% conversion rate

10. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Inactive Win Back Campaign
• 6, 9 or 13 months without activity
• No opens, no clicks, no log-ins, no buys
• Subject line and copy should be clear
• First email in this series will reactivate
the highest rate
• If they don’t reactivate, move them into
a separate file (or remove them)

11. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Product Refill Reminder
• Refill suggestion: when the product
is about to run out
• Offers are optional

12. #DMAwebcast
AUTOMATION ESSENTIALS
Harvesting the low-hanging fruit with common automation campaigns
Product Review Email
• Review request: after adequate time to
use the product
• Use as a form of quick follow up
customer service

13. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The Customer:
• Affluent
• Informed & rational
• Quick to offer an opinion
• Demand perfection, from themselves
and therefore, from the products and
services they buy

14. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The Challenge/Goals:
• Provide excellent customer service
• Resolve issues, preferably before the
manufacturer’s survey (7-10 days after
sale or service)
• Could lose incentives up to 4% in
margin on new vehicle sales
• Generate more public online reviews
• Make it easy for a busy customer

15. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The Strategy:
• Create an automated survey/email
to customers 2-5 days after service
• Survey is one-question:
Would you recommend us to a
friend, family member or colleague?

16. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
1-question
survey
Email reply to
Positive
reviewers
Email reply to
Moderate
reviewers
Call & Email to
Negative
reviewers
Batched email
from Service
Advisor

17. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Initial Service Follow Up:
• An email 1 day after the customer’s car
has been serviced
• Looks like it comes personally from the
Service Advisor
• Quick email linking to a quick
1-question survey

18. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Replies to Disappointed (1-6):
• An email that looks like it came from the
Business Dev Manager, asking for
more information or how can he help?
• An alert is sent to the GM who calls the
customer to correct any disappointment
• NOTE: If it’s a disappointed customer,
it’s often a 1. There’s no middle ground.

19. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Email to Indifferent (7-8):
• “From” the Business Dev Manager
• Gauge what could have been better

20. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Email to Satisfied (9-10):
• “From” the Service Advisor
• Copy makes it one-click easy to
share a review on Google and Yelp

21. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Similar set up has been
added for new sales:
• If it works for the service department,
why not do it for sales?
• Tested different variations of the
creative to find what works best
• Versioned by service/sale, they have
16 automated emails running

22. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The Results:
• A 58%+ open rate on the Sales
follow up email; 44%+ on Service
• An increase in customer reviews
on all review sites
• A peek at the happy customers
(the majority!) for the MBKC team
• Their average score is a 9.09!
Net Promoter Score is 71%

23. #DMAwebcast
NET PROMOTER SCORE
A one-question customer happiness index
Promoters – Detractors = NPS
• Promoter gave a 9-10, someone who
would tell their friends they liked you
• Detractor gave a 1-6, someone who will
tell their friends they didn’t like you
• Moderate (7-8) doesn’t impact your score
• Mercedes-Benz of KC has a net promoter
score of 70.9%, extremely high

24. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The REAL Results:
• A chance to make unhappy customers
happy, even turn them into promoters
• … before they receive the
manufacturer’s survey.
Robert,
I had a bad experience with my
service. I was not given any
information on what service was
performed. My car was supposed to
be cleaned before returning to me. It
was a mess: Lint fibers all over the
front and back windshields, dirt all
around the car. I was sold a certified
pre-owned which was not, which I
plan to take to Mercedes Benz corp.
The service department is always friendly and efficient, and they give me
complimentary loaner Mercedes whenever my car is being serviced…

25. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
The REAL Results:
• Improved ratings across Yelp, Dealer
Rater and Google reviews

26. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
Lesson Learned:
• Use clear markings on the survey, to be
clear that a 10 is GOOD and 1 is BAD.

27. #DMAwebcast
MERCEDES-BENZ OF KC
A custom survey for exceptional customer service
What’s Next:
• Sync with the auto group’s software to
automate import
• What could they do for non-openers/
non-responders?

28. #DMAwebcast
SMART AUTOMATION
Including all the touch points for the best experience possible.
Integrated Automation:
• Call center: If you mark a “1,” should
you just get an email?
• What are your ties to social? If they
rated you a “10” what other places
would they want to connect with you
(or tout you)?

29. #DMAwebcast
SMART AUTOMATION
Including all the touch points for the best experience possible.
Integrated Automation:
• Try SMS for a higher open rate?
• NOTE: you better have permission
• Step 1: How do you want us to notify
when your service is ready?
• If SMS, Step 2: Would you like us to
send service notices and offers via
text as well?

30. #DMAwebcast
THANK YOU!
Kris Nielsen
eCommerce Manager
Soave Automotive Group
kris.nielsen@SoaveAuto.com
Twitter: @MercedesKC
Jessica Best
Digital Marketing Evangelist
emfluence
jbest@emfluence.com
Twitter: @emfluence