Is there a month in the car business that goes by in which you don’t look at your return on investment for web services and software? With the variety of software that keeps a car dealership ticking like a Swiss watch, there would have to be a compelling reason to add website live chat software to the mix – and there is! What if you could make a phone call to your website visitors the moment they land on your website; wouldn’t that start the sales process quicker and increase your odds of making a sale? That is essentially what live chat software offers.

Today, most dealers have a comprehensive web marketing strategy that includes Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and an overt effort to promote your website in all your ads. An effective live website chat software option ensures you are taking every measure to turn website visits into leads, and ultimately into sales.

Live chat software and hosted live chat offer flexibility

An effective dealership website live chat software implementation is not a one-size-fits-all or all-or-nothing option. For some dealers, hosting their own software and responding to chat inquiries with in-house staff is the best fit, while other auto dealer groups and dealerships see more value with a hosted option that features round-the-clock operators responding with carefully refined chat scripts.

Still other automotive general managers and sales managers like the idea of a hybrid or backup option that combines both in-house staffing and vendor operators when the BDC or sales team is offline. That way they retain control over most of the process and still have backup when the dealership is closed. A proven live dealership website chat option should be able to turn more than 60 percent of chat inquiries to leads.

Not only does this result in more leads, but they tend to be higher quality and more complete than just the 5-line website form that has been the mainstay contact method for many dealerships and dealer groups.

Live chat leads to higher quality car sales leads

Beyond the obvious benefits of more sales leads and higher quality leads, a quality live website chat software option also aids the sales process by seamlessly integrating with CRM, as well as provide an invaluable benefit with regard to CSI and incremental sales for the parts and service departments.

The greatest thing a customer wants when they have a problem or if something has gone wrong with their vehicle is someone to listen. A live chat operator likely won’t be able to resolve a concern during the chat session, but they can hear the concern and be the first line of care. The same goes for the service and parts departments. At least service or parts inquiries get an immediate response to their request for a part or service appointment, rather than an autoreply when they submit their form.

Stand apart from the auto sales pack

As the auto industry gets progressively more competitive, automotive dealerships and dealer groups have to find smarter and more creative ways to grow market share and sell more cars, and a website live chat software option is one of the best ways to achieve this.

Take a quick moment to laugh at this simplistic reality of most people on the road.

Check out Jeff Sterns, CarChat24 VP of Sales and Business Development, at AutoCon 2013 in Las Vegas

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Tom LaPointe
CarChat24

Interactive Media Manager / Industry Analyst

www.carchat24.com/
24/7 Interactive Automotive Dealer Website Chat Solutions
Hosted or In-House Options – FREE web chat software
727-638-0195

Tom has an MBA in Marketing and is an automotive writer and author with more than 15 years experience in virtually every aspect of the retail auto industry. He has been a performance leader in everything from sales and service, to web development and viral marketing.

www.facebook.com/CarChat24 / https://twitter.com/CarChat24 / bit.ly/CarChat24GooglePlus

I was having this debate with a car dealer friend the other day who was content having his CHAT NOT AVAILABLE icon show after hours on his dealership website. We live in a world in which people want what they want - and they want it NOW. Here are three reasons after-hours support can be critical to your business:

• The sales process and rapport-building can begin immediately and result in more auto sales leads
• It can generate a lead that results in a sale. If they had affordable, trained staff to greet visitors on the lot around the clock, most dealers would do it. Why not in the virtual world?
• It can prevent a CSI issue in sales OR service from costing a survey, incentive money, or (most importantly) the loss of a valuable customer - as well as the buyers they influence. Maybe all three

Why is 24/7 important? We all come to our positions in the modern business world from different paths. Mine has primarily been the luxury car arena. Off and on for a decade and a half, I have spent the bulk of my time in luxury dealerships and as a broker. In THAT market, buyers are often halfway around the world when they are calling, filling out query forms, or emailing about a sales or service matter. But even during my work with mainstream brands like Chevrolet and Dodge, we had leads coming during all hours of the day from shift workers and (VERY often) deployed military contacting us from all over the world - Germany, Japan, Afghanistan. They often don't have affordable access to a phone (especially when store staff is awake), but a 'live' chat conversation is a HUGE step toward creating a sales relationship.

Plus, our years of data providing software and service at CarChat24 shows us that this service is one of the best for ROI that you can include in your online marketing mix.

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Tom LaPointe
CarChat24

Interactive Media Manager / Industry Analyst

www.carchat24.com/
24/7 Interactive Automotive Dealer Website Chat Solutions
Hosted or In-House Options – FREE web chat software
727-638-0195

Tom has an MBA in Marketing and is an automotive writer and author with more than 15 years experience in virtually every aspect of the retail auto industry. He has been a performance leader in everything from sales and service, to web development and viral marketing.

www.facebook.com/CarChat24 / https://twitter.com/CarChat24 / bit.ly/CarChat24GooglePlus

An article in Automotive News today hardly seems like an April fool’s joke, but as surely as Justin Bieber is facing charges for spitting, U.S. and Japanese automakers probably wish it could be a joke. The Korean manufacturer has been on fire in recent years, with impressive designs and enough quality and warranty coverage to chip away at market share in the auto and SUV segments.

Surely, the company has had their eye on the truck market since it launched here in the 1980’s with its disposable cars, but Hyundai VP in charge of international sales, Hee In-cheol indicates it is in the works.

"We are studying that one very hard -- what kind of pickup truck we should produce, if we have to. Is it a big-size pickup truck like in the United States or a small kind of pickup truck?" Lee told Automotive News.

Hyundai has marketed a compact pickup before, selling their Pony Pickup in South America, Europe, and the Middle East during the 1980's and 1990's. This youtube video shows one that is still in running condition.

Word is they could look at bringing a truck into the U.S. market once the so-called “chicken tax” expires, or launch a small truck in emerging markets. If they choose to come here, they face an uphill battle similar to that of Toyota and Nissan, BUT, Hyundai’s tendency to position its vehicles on price could REALLY cut into the U.S. Big Three of Ford, Ram (Dodge), and Chevrolet / GMC. They have the powerful V8 engine from the Genesis vehicles, and plenty of R&D from their off-road racing ventures, so the pieces are in place to launch a full-sized truck.

With the inevitable rise of fuel prices, the U.S. is also ripe for a true compact pickup again. Most compacts today have more power than full-size pickups a decade ago, and similar-sized cabins. I remember when Chevrolet’s Luv pickup was all the rage, and the Nissan pickup was actually a small truck. Subaru’s recent attempt to revive the Brat was a dud, but Hyundai’s market savvy and design abilities give it a real shot at biting at the heels of the other truck makers.

Tom LaPointe
CarChat24
Interactive Media Manager / Industry Analyst
http://www.carchat24.com/
24/7 Interactive Automotive Dealer Website Chat Solutions
Hosted or In-House Options – FREE web chat software
727-638-0195

Tom has an MBA in Marketing and is an automotive writer and author with more than 15 years experience in virtually every aspect of the retail auto industry. He has been a leader in everything from sales and service, to web development and viral marketing.