iChongqing Title

How New Energy Car Sales Are Shaping the Role of Dealers

By TAN XINYU|Jan 21,2025

Ji Qiao, left, delivers a new vehicle to a customer at Xinpaifang store of Harmony lntelligent Mobility Alliance at Bescar in Chongqing on January 8. (Photo by Bai Lin/Visual Chongqing)

Chongqing - Ji Qiao, the general manager of the user center of Harmony lntelligent Mobility Alliance at Bescar in Chongqing, has over 2,000 active WeChat groups on her phone, most of which are for new energy vehicle owners.

Every morning, the first thing she does upon waking is scroll through the groups to see what the car owners are discussing and what issues need to be addressed or followed up on.

In the fuel-powered car era, the main concern was how to promote the vehicles, Ji explained when comparing the sales of the two types of cars.

"Now, selling new energy vehicles, our focus is on promptly and thoughtfully addressing customer inquiries. We're not just selling cars; it's more like managing a fan community for a tech product."

From sales push to fan economy

On the morning of January 7, Ji sat in her office at the Xinpaifang store with a steaming cup of coffee. To enhance customer experience, the store had specially purchased an Italian coffee machine, offering a variety of coffee that even exceeded the selection at Starbucks stores.

After 15 years in traditional fuel-powered car sales, Ji transitioned to the new energy vehicle sector in 2022. Over the past two years, there have been endless changes in work details and management systems.

"In traditional fuel-powered car 4S stores, the end of the month felt like a battlefield," Ji admitted. To meet targets, sales consultants often contacted customers late at night with discounts. "The rule was simple: increase sales and reduce inventory."

However, after switching to new energy vehicles, the atmosphere at dealerships changed drastically.

From ordering to waiting and post-delivery communication, everything is now done online. Many sales consultants have transformed into online customer service specialists, each with thousands of customer groups on their phones, constantly buzzing with information. Any information posted by customers in these groups must be responded to within 10 minutes; any issues raised that cannot be solved immediately must have a solution within two hours.

Ji explained that in the era of fuel-powered cars, 4S stores typically only contacted customers for maintenance and had minimal interaction with them otherwise.

Once a customer has paid the deposit, the store begins creating customer groups to share order updates, such as production schedules, whether the vehicle has rolled off the production line, and shipping progress. Even after the vehicle is delivered, customers, often overwhelmed by the advanced features of new energy vehicles, continue to have questions that need to be addressed in the group.

On Ji's desk sits an old fuel-powered car sales training manual, and the traditional scripts and processes seem outdated in the new energy era.

She noted that today's customers are highly internet-savvy, with some even becoming quite knowledgeable in various car enthusiast groups before stepping into the store. This presents a significant challenge for sales and service staff in terms of knowledge and expertise. "Now, being able to answer any questions about new energy vehicles fluently is a real skill."

Customer satisfaction first

All the changes stem from a shift in the value logic of new energy vehicles.

Ji explained that in the traditional fuel-powered car system, sales policies were straightforwardbusiness policies and sales rebates for dealers were directly linked to the number of vehicles delivered, invoices issued, and targets met.

However, in the new energy system, the core indicators for sales rebates have fundamentally changed. They are no longer tied to sales volume but emphasize customer satisfaction, for example, whether customers understand and are interested in vehicle technology explanations and the quality of the test drive experience.

In other words, staff with professional skills and high-quality customer service can earn full rebates.

During one morning meeting, Ji, sticking to her old habits, asked the sales manager about the monthly target progress. However, the customer service manager quickly spoke up, presented her with a customer feedback report, and said, "This is the most important thing now."

"Now, what we talk about most is customer satisfaction," Ji said. The store evaluates customer satisfaction at every stage: welcoming customers, inviting test drives, order placement, delivery, and after-sales service. These satisfaction scores are directly linked to manufacturer rebates and performance-based rewards and penalties.

At first, Ji was not accustomed to this new sales model and felt that sales would stagnate without proactive marketing, like in the fuel-powered vehicle era.

"Guess what? Our customer groups now generate tens of thousands of positive product recommendations each month, and the conversion rate is even higher than our proactive marketing efforts. Since our Xinpaifang store switched from fuel-powered cars to new energy vehicles, monthly sales have increased two to three times," Ji shared.

Integration of production and sales management

The new model not only brings new sales growth to dealers but also creates real value for consumers.

Ji said that in June, a customer discovered a small defect in their new energy vehicle. Although the manufacturer's warranty didn't cover the issue, the customer had high standards and was concerned about the problem. Ultimately, the store decided to cover the cost and replace the vehicle's parts.

Ji then reported this case to the manufacturer, and within days, the manufacturer began piloting a program in 10 cities nationwide, giving stores some flexibility in handling non-standard claims like this.

Another example occurred last year during the Spring Festival, when some owners of AITO vehicles who had driven to Hainan were unable to leave the city. The manufacturer, through the dealership, offered free vehicle transport services, allowing the owners to simply drive their cars to the local user center and leave.

Ji believed that such situations would almost be impossible in the traditional fuel-powered vehicle system.

"Fuel vehicle manufacturers often set policy guidelines for dealers at the beginning of the year, and any changes would have to wait at least six months. It's even possible that they know the strategy is flawed but still choose not to make any changes."

The ability to provide such efficient, high-level service is due to the flat, deeply integrated management structure adopted by the manufacturer and the dealerships.

At every store under Ji's management, there is an office for the manufacturer. Provincial heads, sales managers, and managers from the delivery, service, customer care, and technical departments work on-site, and any customer issue can be addressed immediately.

Recently, an older customer mistakenly operated the smart driving system after picking up the vehicle, causing a scratch. Legally, this was the owner's responsibility, but Ji still had the staff visit the customer.

What happened next surprised her: Upon hearing about the incident, the manufacturer's national after-sales manager immediately invited Ji to visit the customer together and spent a long time discussing the issue.

Ji asked why the manufacturer paid so much attention to such a small incident. The manager explained that the issue was quite typical, and they needed to understand the potential challenges older drivers might face.

"Every small change in our work over the past two years has profoundly influenced the attitudes and approaches of my colleagues and me," Ji said. Looking ahead, she will continue to uphold a user-centered philosophy, ensuring that every owner enjoys the convenience of new energy smart vehicles, Ji added.

(Bai Lin, a reporter from Chongqing Daily, contributed the Chinese version of this report.)



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