Ford’s Pickup & Delivery and Mobile Service is Bringing Customers Back

In today's fast-paced world, where time is a precious commodity, providing convenient vehicle service is invaluable to customers and a growing competitive edge for Ford, differentiating the brand in a crowded marketplace.

Ford is the only full-line automaker that offers the following two ways for customers to service vehicles at their convenience:

• Pickup & Delivery: the dealership picks up your vehicle from work or home, takes it to the dealership for service and drops it back off to you at no extra charge.
• Mobile Service: a service technician comes to your home or work and services your vehicle on-site at no extra charge. 

By making vehicle maintenance easier and more accessible, Ford wants to capture customers such as those with older, out-of-warranty vehicles, who don’t typically return to the dealer network and instead turn to independent service providers.

“It’s all about improving our service retention and driving longer-term customer loyalty,” explained Rabourn. 

Ford Pickup & Delivery is complimentary. When you need service, your Ford dealer will pick up and return your vehicle.

The strategy appears to be working.

According to Ford data, customers who utilize mobile service have significantly higher Net Promoter Scores (a key metric of customer satisfaction). Additionally, a study of 40,000 consumers conducted in April 2024 revealed that customers who had a remote experience ranked the availability of future remote experiences as influential in their purchase decision as the safety and technology of the vehicle. The study also found that customers who had a remote experience were approximately 20% more likely to purchase another Ford vehicle.

“We know that every auto manufacturer is trying to build great products with good styling, safety, technology, and all those things you have to do to be competitive in the market,” said Rabourn. “But the OEMs that will win are the ones that can provide experiences for their customers that keep them coming back.”

Pre-COVID Beginnings and COVID Acceleration

Lincoln paved the way for Ford's Pickup & Delivery program, starting its own service in 2016, giving Ford an opportunity to learn from Lincoln before expanding the service to the Ford brand. 

Lincoln started Pickup & Delivery service in 2016.

The seeds of both Pickup & Delivery and Mobile Service programs were sown before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We started looking at convenience... ways to make it easier for our customers to do business with us," said Rabourn.

A small mobile service pilot began in September 2019, but it was the onset of COVID in March 2020 that triggered the rapid scaling of both Mobile Service and Pickup & Delivery.

Today, around 2,000 out of 2,800 (71%) Ford dealers participate in the Mobile Service program, giving Ford the largest mobile service fleet in the industry. Most dealers identify on their website if they are participating.

“Our mobile service network now includes over 4,200 mobile service units,” said Rabourn, dwarfing competitors like Tesla, which has an estimated 1,800 units. “Last year in the U.S., we did over 3.8 million remote experience repairs, leading the industry by quite a margin.”

Service Details

If you would like to service your Ford vehicle using complimentary Pickup & Delivery, simply request Pickup & Delivery when you schedule your appointment online or via phone. 

Ford Mobile Service technicians can perform routine maintenance items, such as: oil and filter change, brake services, batteries, tire rotation, wipers, fluids, filters, lamps and bulbs, and software updates.

Any Ford or Lincoln customer can take advantage of Mobile Service for maintenance and light repairs, such as oil changes, tire rotations, and cabin air filter replacements. In some cases, competitive makes of vehicles can also be serviced, particularly for fleet customers. Customers can schedule an appointment with participating dealers, many of whom are working to make online scheduling available.

“If a mobile service technician discovers a more serious issue during a service appointment, they will either attempt to repair it on-site, schedule a follow-up service, or arrange for the vehicle to be brought into the dealership,” said Rabourn.

Competitive Edge

While other automakers are beginning to explore mobile service options, Rabourn said Ford has a significant head start. General Motors (GM) recently launched a similar program, but it is smaller in scale and charges customers for access.

“We’ve got a clear leadership position and want to continue to drive that,” he said.

Next Steps

Looking ahead, Ford plans to make its mobile service operations even more efficient and customer friendly. The company is developing a platform called Ford Service Reservation+ (FSR+) and Lincoln Service Reservation+ (LSR+) to streamline scheduling and create a more consistent experience for customers.

If you are a Ford Employee in the SE Michigan area and would like to schedule Mobile Service or Pickup & Delivery at your home or workplace at a Ford Campus Building in Dearborn, click here for more information and a list of participating dealers.

NOTE: Management Lease and other company vehicles in the SE Michigan area must continue to utilize the company garage for service.  However, if you are a Ford Employee with a personal vehicle in the SE Michigan area and would like to schedule Mobile Service or Pickup & Delivery at your home or workplace at a Ford Campus Building in Dearborn, click here for more information and a list of participating dealers