One point of contact
ONE POINT OF CONTACT
Over the past year, some dealers have been contemplating the advantages of the One Point of Contact sales model as a way to improve the customer experience. The model is different than the traditional sales model in that one person, typically a sales manager, takes the customer through all steps in the buying process rather than handing off to a specialist in each phase. When the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses to close to the public, an increasing number of dealers expressed interest in this model due to the single,limited-contact structure.
Customers reached out to Zurich for support in adopting the new model and in response, Zurich introduced a comprehensive One Point of Contact training program to educate associates about the process, including certification of the dealer’s staff to deliver it. Mike Zuniga, Senior Business Development Training Consultant, says, “When groups decide to go to one-touch, they have already done their research and have made changes to their sales process. Zurich customizes our selling system around their one-touch sales approach with a focus on maximizing their success.”
Scott Gagne, Zurich Area F&I Manager, says, “One of our customers told us they wanted to train their entire team to learn and be certified to deliver the One Point of Contact model. Zurich’s training team quickly began working to customize a training experience that would work with the dealer’s sales process and we ended up training and certifying all 300 of their associates.”
A critical component of delivering the training was that it had to be done entirely virtually. Zurich's experience with virtual and online training was ideal preparation for this initiative. Zurich University, an interactive video-based training platform, is one example of how Zurich Direct Markets has incorporated remote learning.
“For this customer, we separated 300 people into two groups. We held a kickoff meeting, led by the dealer. All of the training was done virtually, with the presentation facilitated by Zurich. At times, we broke into smaller groups to allow the training to be more interactive, assign homework, and check in with individuals to assess their progress. But each dealership operation is unique. They have their own approach, their own technology, and each has a different sales processes. Zurich has been so effective because of our ability to adapt,” Zuniga explains.
Many dealerships are still not fully open to the public or to Zurich team members, so continued follow-up, team meetings, and progress-tracking remain important. When training is not face-to-face it can be challenging to assess how associates are progressing. As with any process, it is important to evaluate and offer additional training when needed.
Gagne says, “Stores that will do well with One Point of Contact will be those that have strong leaders and trainers.
13 DEALER PRINCIPAL