OREANDA-NEWS. October 08, 2015. To help dealers encourage customers to return to their Ford service department for regularly scheduled maintenance on their vehicles, Emerging Market Services is introducing a new Service Maintenance Reminder program in Ford’s Caribbean and Central America region.

The program is free to dealers enrolled in Ford’s Global Unified Database, which provides the information EMS needs to contact customers by e-mail and track their service needs.

Emails are sent to selected customers based on their vehicle’s age and service history. Each email is customized to the selling dealership and includes various owner-specific offers while highlighting special dealership services. The program was piloted in Puerto Rico in 2013 with an enhanced version rolled out to the rest of the Caribbean and Central America and Middle East dealers this year.

Wendy Rupp, FCSD Marketing and Customer Satisfaction manager, EMS, says the changes were made with customers in mind. “We initially gave customers 45 days to redeem their e-mail offers. That’s been extended to 60 days. We’ve also increased the number of incentives we offer from three to four.”

Rupp notes that over time, customers may forget to have their vehicles serviced. “We remind them of the need to get their oil changed or their tires rotated, for example. Eventually, the reminders we send out will be tailored to their vehicles, so we can let them know exactly what service it needs and extend an appropriate service offer to encourage them to visit their dealership.”

Rupp says dealers have the ability to select different offers and pricing based on whether the customer returns regularly for service or has not had their vehicle serviced there for some time.

She says the message conveyed to customers is that when it comes to maintaining and servicing your Ford vehicle, your Ford dealer knows what it needs and when, and can provide that service at a competitive price. “We want people who purchase Ford vehicles to return to their dealership for service, and through these offers we are encouraging Ford owners who get their vehicles serviced elsewhere to return to their Ford dealership.”

The program is designed to help dealers generate trust and loyalty, says Rupp, increasing the likelihood that customers will purchase another Ford the next time they are in the market for a new vehicle.

The reminders are designed to engage customers in a light-hearted manner. One depicts the dregs at the bottom of a coffee cup and reads “See us before your oil looks like this.” Another, with the heading, “We’re leaving a light on for you,” reminds Ford owners that “we’re ready, willing and able to keep your car running at peak efficiency.”

Rupp says additional enhancements to the Service Maintenance Reminder program are being studied and will be rolled out as they are finalized.