If you’ve been in the business long enough, you know that despite the best reconditioning and the best inventory selection, you’re bound to run into vehicles that encounter issues after the sale. When this happens, it’s your reputation on the line. How these fragile situations are handled can have long-lasting impacts on your reputation in your market.

Partnering with a service contract provider that has the tools in place to take care of your customers the way you’d want them treated is perhaps the most important thing you could do to protect your reputation when your customer’s experience if out of your control. That’s why you need to know some specifics about what your service contract provider has to offer so you can be sure your customers are in good hands after they drive off your lot.

Coverage Lookup. A simple online coverage lookup tool is a great way for customers to learn details about their contract on a moment’s notice. Whether it’s start or end mileage, expiration dates, component coverage or a look at the contract itself, having this in place helps customers know exactly how they’re covered.

Find A Shop. A customer’s nightmare is a mechanical breakdown far away from home. A nationwide network of service facilities is one thing but being able to easily find a shop in an unfamiliar area is another. This online application takes the worry out of an out-of-town breakdown.

Quick Answers. These days, consumers demand answers, and they demand them quickly and on their terms. Having a service contract provider that allows customers to submit questions via online forms, live chat or social media gives customers multiple options, so they can get answers in whatever way suits their busy schedules.

Good Reviews. Online reviews in today’s automotive industry are vital to success. The same goes for service contract providers. Stick to trusted sites like Google (sometimes hidden in the maps section), Facebook, or Consumer Affairs and look beyond just star ratings. While overall ratings are important on the surface, looking at how often a service contract responds and the frequency with which customers leave reviews will give you a sense of how that provider cares for your customers.