Starting Monday, Ford is expanding FordPass Rewards program by making it available to all of its 8.5 million members nationwide.
The automaker is also strengthening its FordPass Rewards program by adding tiers — blue, silver, and bronze levels — to reward and recognize its most loyal customers. Members in the top two tiers, blue and silver, will be eligible for annual complimentary pickup and delivery services.
In the early days of the pandemic, some Ford dealerships started offering pickup and delivery service to allow customers across the U.S. to get their vehicles serviced. As a result, dealerships saw a rise in customer satisfaction scores.
“With remote services proving critical during the pandemic, we’re now making it widely accessible to Ford owners,” says Elena Ford, chief customer experience officer at Ford. “It’s our job to look after our customers, and being flexible, respecting their time and giving them peace of mind through services like pickup and delivery is one way we can do that. Coupled with tiers, which provides yet another way to engage with the FordPass Rewards program, we are helping to ensure the value of owning a Ford vehicle gets better over time.”
Since March 2020, Ford has delivered around 100,000 pickup and delivery services in the U.S. The process is straightforward — customers call their local dealer to schedule an appointment and request an at-home or at-work pickup. On the day of service, customers receive updates via phone, text, or e-mail to keep them informed of their vehicle’s progress, and it’s delivered back the same day, or as soon as the service is complete.
Expanding pickup and delivery is part of the company’s aspiration to be the industry leader in remote services by the end of 2021. With more than 3,100 dealers in the U.S., Ford is the only full line auto brand to offer pickup and delivery at scale to millions of customers.
Other offerings include the ability of customers to move up through the tiers by achieving certain milestones such as buying or leasing a new Ford vehicle, which is 50 milestones, purchasing a Ford Blue Advantage used vehicle, 25 milestones, retail service activity at the dealer, 25 milestones, and being an active FordPass Rewards Visa cardholder, and more.
FordPass Rewards members who have earned 200 milestones or more since January 2021 will be put in the blue tier and those with 120 milestones or more will be silver. All other members will be automatically moved into bronze. Milestones have no redemption value, they are accumulated to achieve status only, while points accrued by members can be easily redeemed and used for future service visits, dealership purchases such as accessories, or as a down payment on a member’s next Ford vehicle.
The higher the tier, the better the rewards and points-earning potential:
- Blue members earn 10 points per dollar spent on Ford services, plus a 10 percent bonus on points earned. They get access to exclusive partner offers, as well as two complimentary pickup and delivery services per year silver members earn 10 points per dollar spent on Ford services, plus a 5 percent bonus on points earned. They get access to exclusive partner offers, as well as one complimentary pickup and delivery service per year bronze members earn 10 points per dollar spent on Ford services. They get access to exclusive partner offers, and are eligible for access to a pickup and delivery service for 10,000 points
- While pickup and delivery is a primary benefit of the tiers addition to the program, members also get access to exclusive partnership offers and discounts with Costco, TaskRabbit, Ford Performance Racing School, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“FordPass Rewards is a unique relationship-building tool for both our customers and our dealers, as it offers flexibility and drives ongoing business to our stores,” says Ford. “Tiers is not only a foundational way to increase engagement with our customers throughout the ownership period of their vehicle, but also a platform to launch new services such as pickup and delivery — bringing great experiences to our most loyal customers.”
The FordPass Rewards section of FordPass, one of the app’s most frequently used features, goes together with the loyalty program, allowing customers to easily check their tier status and points balance and access their benefits. The app gives customers access to remote command and control features, information on Ford Credit and recalls, Vehicle Health Alerts, and emergency services — all at no cost.
“The FordPass app is an integrated tool that allows you to tap into the full benefits of being a Ford customer,” says Ford. “From FordPass Rewards to vehicle features, it delivers the always-on experience we want to bring to our customers.”
In related news, Ford this week announced it has entered into a strategic agreement where Ford connected vehicle data can be available to U.S. auto insurers via the LexisNexis® Telematics Exchange. Ford and Lincoln customers with an eligible 2020 model year or newer vehicle can opt in to participate in usage-based insurance (UBI) programs, which has the potential to save customers money through more personalized insurance offerings.
“We’re excited about this agreement with Ford,” says Adam Hudson, vice president and general manager, U.S. Connected Car, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “As a trusted steward of data for more than 20 years, LexisNexis Risk Solutions continues to bring the insurance and automotive industries together with market-leading solutions to provide consumers with a better experience during insurance shopping and renewal. We want to continue delivering on our mission of providing unparalleled driving-related insights and benefits to insurers, automakers and their drivers.”
LexisNexis Risk Solutions manages connected car data through its data platform, the LexisNexis Telematics Exchange, to create driving behavior insights for U.S. insurance carriers to use within their existing auto insurance workflows. This enables insurers to more accurately segment risk, while providing consumers the opportunity to reduce the overall cost of vehicle ownership by taking advantage of good driving behavior.
By leveraging data sourced through the Telematics Exchange, insurers can have an easier path to access driving behavior data for point of quote, underwriting and renewal, whether or not they have an existing insurer-led UBI program.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions works with 95 of the top 100 U.S. auto insurers. Its U.S. Connected Car business offers telematics solutions and advanced analytics, including LexisNexis Telematics OnDemand and its next-generation LexisNexis® Drive Metrics scores, which allow insurers to seamlessly leverage driving behavior insights during the insurance shopping process at the point of quote, as well as at underwriting and renewal. Click here for more information on LexisNexis® Telematics.
“Ford owners who opt-in to usage-based insurance have the potential to reduce their total cost of vehicle ownership through more personalized insurance offerings and be rewarded for good driving habits,” says Kari Novatney, general manager, connectivity strategy and partnerships at Ford. “LexisNexis Risk Solutions is helping Ford customers more easily pursue the advantages of their vehicle’s connectivity for potential insurance benefits.”
