(December 8, 2010) DETROIT — It has often been said that the first rule of good business is take care of your customers, or someone else will. And the second rule is you can’t take care of your customers if you haven’t taken care of yourself first. Buick and GMC dealers know you can’t do one without the other, and the customer survey results show it.

    • “This is the best GM dealership I’ve ever been to.” – Linda S.
    • “It’s been an extremely pleasant experience.” – James P.
    • “We will only buy from this dealer.” – Karen M.

These and other recent customer comments speak to the success of a revitalized Buick and GMC premium dealership experience, with new and renovated facilities providing a higher standard of customer convenience and service satisfaction.

Nanuet, N.Y., dealership

Visit a recently upgraded Buick and GMC dealership and the difference is immediately apparent: An inviting exterior façade with updated signage; a bright and airy showroom featuring a customer greeting station, and a comfortable customer lounge offering free wireless Internet access and in some cases, a café or salon.

“Positive person-to-person interaction will always be the hallmark of the Buick and GMC dealership experience, but our new and improved facilities, services and amenities certainly help make time spent at our dealership more enjoyable and productive for our customers,” said Sam Slaughter, dealer principal, Sellers Buick GMC in Farmington Hills, Mich., and chair of the Dealer Council Customer Experience committee.

The effort is paying off. According to J.D. Power and Associates, Buick is ranked among the top mass market automotive brands in both customer service ratings and sales satisfaction.

Buick-GMC waiting area

As part of the “Experience Buick” and “Experience GMC” ownership initiative, the newly enhanced Courtesy Transportation program provides customers with a Buick or GMC loaner vehicle while their car is in for warranty service. The program began at participating dealers last month.

“The Buick and GMC Courtesy Transportation programs were developed in conjunction with our dealers so they provide their customers with a Buick or GMC while their vehicle is being serviced,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick & GMC Sales and Service. “Customers can easily bring their vehicle in for service and receive a courtesy Buick or GMC vehicle similar to their own without inconveniencing their daily routine.”

Mike Bowsher, co-chairman of the national dealer council for Buick & GMC and president of Carl Black Automotive Group in Kennesaw, Ga., has a customer courtesy program and says his customers appreciate avoiding having to arrange for a rental car.

“Customers are very pleased to get a courtesy vehicle, especially when they were not expecting it,” Bowsher said. “The new Courtesy Transportation program puts us in total control of the courtesy vehicle experience, and lets us get customers into the newest Buick and GMC vehicles, like the Buick Regal and GMC Terrain.”

The impromptu test-drives allow consumers to spend an extended amount of time with a Buick or GMC vehicle to evaluate performance, fuel economy and technology features that they typically could not do with a standard test drive.