Ford’s fleet and commercial customers are tired of taking their vehicles to mechanic shops and being added to a long list of retail customers and other fleet customers waiting on a vehicle repair, according to Field. They’re also tired of not getting the care and level of service that they expect, he said.
Ford Pro Elite Commercial Service Centers are simply an answer to what Ford’s customers demand. Opening these dedicated facilities puts the commercial customer first and ensures work is completed on time by Ford-certified, highly trained technicians.
“Simply the quick responses, accelerating service footprint, and the dedicated service, specialized service, mobile service, for a commercial service customer is a no-brainer,” Field said.
That customer success takes a village.
Ford Pro would not exist without Ford’s dealer network; however, not every Ford dealer qualifies to build an Elite center. Ford dealers must first be part of Ford’s commercial vehicle service network to establish a Ford Pro Elite center. But even then, Ford only permits certain dealers to establish Elite facilities, Field explained.
“We have about 730 dealers in our commercial service vehicle network, and these Pro Elite are the best of the best with these dedicated facilities,” Field said. “Their focus is on driving uptime, focused solely on the commercial customer, and really driving the loyalty and the repeat service opportunity for those commercial customers.”
Building Elite centers requires dealers to invest in their current shops or develop completely new ones to meet Ford Pro’s Elite center standards. While this investment is significant, Field said it pays off for the dealer and the customer because it increases capacity and, therefore, capabilities.
“Adding this incremental capacity that's dedicated to answer the need of a commercial customer, it also answers the need for a retail customer,” Field said.
Additionally, while not exclusively part of Ford Pro Elite centers, Ford Pro’s mobile maintenance capabilities are another perk Ford Pro customers can expect. This helps ensure that fleet needs are met, whether the vehicle is at the job site or in a remote location, any time around the clock. Field recognizes the mobile service offering as a “game-changer” for meeting fleet expectations.
Growing Elite centers and customer loyalty
While a growth of 18 to 70 service centers in less than 20 months is impressive, putting those extra-wide service bays and extended hours to good use is the ultimate barometer of whether fleet customers appreciate Ford’s efforts. Fortunately, Field said that’s happening.
“We're seeing increased loyalty,” Field said, referencing an increase in repeat order (RO) volume. “We're seeing not only increased RO volume from our Ford commercial base but also an increase in the competitive make, which is very encouraging.”
Field also measures the success of Elite centers by their mix of repair orders.
“The mix of work is what tells me what's happening with that business,” Field explained. “If it's all municipal business one month and the next month I've got municipal plus, I've got some energy company cherry picker trucks in there ... I know that we're starting to really tap into those markets and drive that differentiated experience across many different customers.”
It’s that differentiated experience Field referred to that is the motivation behind Ford Pro’s growth.
Ford Pro is on track to open 14 more Elite Commercial Service Centers by year's end, with a goal to have 125 Elite centers across the U.S. by 2027.
