Volvo is finally going to make a pickup! At last, a Swedish rival to the likes of the Amarok, the Ranger and... Oh, wait, I'll read that again. Volvo is to offer a pick-up service for customers, collecting their cars from home or office. Ah.
Volvo Valet service
The new service, called 'Volvo Valet' is part of Volvo's plans to be able to carry on with selling and servicing cars with minimal face-to-face contact. To use Volvo Valet, Volvo owners can either use a smartphone app for iOS or Android, or call a participating retailer to schedule an appointment and preferred pickup time. A retailer will then pick up the customer's car and drop off a loaner vehicle for use while servicing is being performed, and the car will be returned when servicing is complete.
So far, in Ireland, the Volvo Valet service will be available at Spirit Motor Group, Dublin; Johnson & Perrott Motor Group, Cork and Volvo Cars Waterford.
Safety measures at dealerships
In common with other car brands, Volvo's Irish dealers will be re-opening their doors today (May 18th) and have instituted a number of new measures to ensure everyone's health and safety. Those include monitoring the number of people on site at one time; implementing social distancing throughout the site; keeping car keys in a tamper-proof bag to avoid handling; erecting Perspex screens at reception desks and making hand sanitiser readily available throughout the site for staff and customers. After a car is serviced, or after a car is taken for a test drive, all high touchpoints of the car will be disinfected and a Sanity System or equivalent will be used to sanitise the car interior.
For customers wanting to explore their new car options, there's a new live chat service on the Volvo website, sitting alongside the usual online configurator which allows you to pick your model, engine, and extras.
Online finance applications
Volvo Car Ireland says that it will also soon launch a digital finance calculator on its website, giving it the ability to accept finance applications online via Bank of Ireland Finance. This will allow customers to apply for HP and PCP finance options using an embedded BIF Digital Application form on the Volvo Ireland website.
David Thomas, Managing Director of Volvo Car Ireland, said: "Everything we do at Volvo Cars is in the interest of safety. We want to assure customers that as the country begins to reopen, we are taking all necessary precautions to provide a safe environment for car servicing and sales. With the actions taken by our retail partners and our developing digital functionalities, we will continue to provide a seamless consumer experience.