It’s the third down with 12 yards to go and, after the quarterback relays the play from the offensive coordinator to the team in the huddle, everyone gets into formation. As the play clock ticks down, the quarterback identifies the defense shift into a blitz formation. He signals the receivers and offensive line to make the required adjustments for their individual routes and protection assignments. He turns to the tailback and lets him know his blocking assignment. With everything set and ready he approaches the center hikes the ball, drops back and hits an open receiver for an easy completion and a nice gain for a first down, not to mention making this entire process look relatively effortless to the casual observer.

The pre-snap read and audible in football is one of the ultimate expressions of teamwork under pressure in all of sports. As fans, we typically applaud the individual, almost instinctive decision the quarterback made — not the effort that went into being able to make the decision. The pre-snap read was the effort of hundreds of hours of film study, coaching and overall preparation by the entire offense. By knowing the play the defense was running, the offense has the advantage, but this opportunity can only be seized if the entire system works together.

Luckily for dealerships we, too, have many opportunities to have an advantage.

However, before I identify these advantages, please understand your customers are not the competition. Your competition is the level of preparation, training and execution of the other dealers with whom your potential customers are also communicating.

Your dealership is receiving calls from a vast array of sources for new vehicles, used vehicles, marketing campaigns and voicemail returns. How can you organize them to go to the right person at the right time so you can diagnose the situation correctly? Before I answer that, you must first understand what “one-call resolution” truly means. It means stop transferring calls, stop paging and stop making people wait. The person who answers the initial phone call must be the best “available” person to handle anything that may surface on the call.  This core value requires a combination of training and technology.

With customer expectations at an all-time high, you need to separate yourselves from the pack by making your dealership’s customer service look effortless. All things being equal, an organization where customers are routed to the right person faster will enjoy higher conversions than one where the customers have to wait — where calls are paged, transferred and put on hold.

1. Marketing Call Tracking — For a single dealership, you should have well over 50 toll-free tracking numbers in use. Each source must have unique ad source assignments. This step is initially a challenge, but if setup correctly, it’s one of the single best ways you can improve your marketing business intelligence. It is also essential for the inbound call pre-snap read.

2. Phone System Call Routing and Skill-Based Logic — Calls can route to the correct person based on logic through an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) phone system. The technology evaluates the source and/or location, then determines who has the highest skill level to handle that type of call who is in an “available” status. By segmenting the calls, the highest performers can receive more calls, the most important calls and the return calls from the voicemails they left previously. In skill-based routing, for example, a rep can be certified to handle specific new or used car questions. Since agents will receive the same type of calls every day, they become increasingly better at their individual focus.

3. Advanced Caller ID and CRM Integration — Thanks to advanced caller ID from a modern ACD phone system, your BDC reps know the advertising source, location, department and the customer’s caller ID information, as well as the previous call history of the customer all before they answer. They can now give a custom response based on each call situation. The BDC rep doesn’t need to ask the source during the call. All the rep needs to add is the additional contact information, appointment and notes. Call logging can now reach nearly 100 percent.

4. Phone Call Handling — Ultimately, your employees need to be trained on how to handle each situation that may come up on their calls. You can prepare for this by categorizing and scoring a sample of your calls. Build an ongoing report of the most common initial questions customers ask, as well as the questions that lead to the wrong call result, whether it be a hang up or no appointment. You should also set up your phone system to dynamically change the phone scripts based on the type of customer and source. Again, this is possible with most modern ACD phone systems.

Jon Berna
Driven Data Consulting

It’s the third down with 12 yards to go and, after the quarterback relays the play from the offensive coordinator to the team in the huddle, everyone gets into formation. As the play clock ticks down, the quarterback identifies the defense shift into a blitz formation. He signals the receivers and offensive line to make the required adjustments for their individual routes and protection assignments. He turns to the tailback and lets him know his blocking assignment. With everything set and ready he approaches the center hikes the ball, drops back and hits an open receiver for an easy completion and a nice gain for a first down, not to mention making this entire process look relatively effortless to the casual observer.

The pre-snap read and audible in football is one of the ultimate expressions of teamwork under pressure in all of sports. As fans, we typically applaud the individual, almost instinctive decision the quarterback made — not the effort that went into being able to make the decision. The pre-snap read was the effort of hundreds of hours of film study, coaching and overall preparation by the entire offense. By knowing the play the defense was running, the offense has the advantage, but this opportunity can only be seized if the entire system works together.

Luckily for dealerships we, too, have many opportunities to have an advantage.

However, before I identify these advantages, please understand your customers are not the competition. Your competition is the level of preparation, training and execution of the other dealers with whom your potential customers are also communicating.

Your dealership is receiving calls from a vast array of sources for new vehicles, used vehicles, marketing campaigns and voicemail returns. How can you organize them to go to the right person at the right time so you can diagnose the situation correctly? Before I answer that, you must first understand what “one-call resolution” truly means. It means stop transferring calls, stop paging and stop making people wait. The person who answers the initial phone call must be the best “available” person to handle anything that may surface on the call.  This core value requires a combination of training and technology.

With customer expectations at an all-time high, you need to separate yourselves from the pack by making your dealership’s customer service look effortless. All things being equal, an organization where customers are routed to the right person faster will enjoy higher conversions than one where the customers have to wait — where calls are paged, transferred and put on hold.

1. Marketing Call Tracking — For a single dealership, you should have well over 50 toll-free tracking numbers in use. Each source must have unique ad source assignments. This step is initially a challenge, but if setup correctly, it’s one of the single best ways you can improve your marketing business intelligence. It is also essential for the inbound call pre-snap read.

2. Phone System Call Routing and Skill-Based Logic — Calls can route to the correct person based on logic through an Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) phone system. The technology evaluates the source and/or location, then determines who has the highest skill level to handle that type of call who is in an “available” status. By segmenting the calls, the highest performers can receive more calls, the most important calls and the return calls from the voicemails they left previously. In skill-based routing, for example, a rep can be certified to handle specific new or used car questions. Since agents will receive the same type of calls every day, they become increasingly better at their individual focus.

3. Advanced Caller ID and CRM Integration — Thanks to advanced caller ID from a modern ACD phone system, your BDC reps know the advertising source, location, department and the customer’s caller ID information, as well as the previous call history of the customer all before they answer. They can now give a custom response based on each call situation. The BDC rep doesn’t need to ask the source during the call. All the rep needs to add is the additional contact information, appointment and notes. Call logging can now reach nearly 100 percent.

4. Phone Call Handling — Ultimately, your employees need to be trained on how to handle each situation that may come up on their calls. You can prepare for this by categorizing and scoring a sample of your calls. Build an ongoing report of the most common initial questions customers ask, as well as the questions that lead to the wrong call result, whether it be a hang up or no appointment. You should also set up your phone system to dynamically change the phone scripts based on the type of customer and source. Again, this is possible with most modern ACD phone systems.

Jon Berna
Driven Data Consulting

So what about Aristotle?  Aristotle’s the Art of Rhetoric contains the ‘Three Means of Persuasion’ which are Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

1. Ethos - The moral cause to agree or the audiences perceived character/reputation of you
2. Pathos - Emotional, can be either negative or positive, fear of loss > fear of gain
3. Logos - The logical justification to make a choice, the cold hard facts, figures, specs and data

In most selling situations you will have to rely on all 3.  The trick is finding the right combination that is suited to the person you are trying to convince.  So what about YOUR processes and YOUR management decisions.  How are they made?  How are you persuaded and how do you persuade others?  A Moral Cause / Reputation, Emotion, or Logic.

Let’s use your advertising as an example. 

There are really two sides to consider.  How your advertising persuades the customer and how your organization is persuaded to sell it. Let’s focus on your team, because if they can’t sell it your customers won’t buy it.  Apply the right combination of the 3 means of persuasion to get your team on-board with the right mix to each person.  Think about how each of your employees, employee groups, managers, top managers are persuaded.  Here are some examples.

• Community-driven: food drives, local sponsorships your company can believe in
• A better customer experience: no hassle transparent sales process – your sales people want this
• The competition: who are your current primary competitor? Is everyone in your organization aware of their strategies?
• Honestly cultivated brand advocates: Testimonials from true fans. A clearly visible sterling reputation the customer can feel.
   

• Defining how the current course of action creates a great future of opportunities for everyone
• Allowing your team the opportunity to help in its development.  Give them emotional ownership in its results (intrinsic motivation)
• Explaining the expected result from the plan and how that affects their performance and compensations (extrinsic motivation)
   

• Establishing one version of the truth in your reporting.
• When possible establish your own business intelligence as opposed to relying solely on your vendors.
• Developing an overall advertising dashboard with ALL of your top metrics.
• Sharing all of your metrics with your team, regularly and honestly.
• Installing clean data processes through the sales funnel.
• Automate process where possible and enforce proper technology usage at all levels.
• Flow chart each high value process that effects sales.  Ensuring each person understands them and their role.
   

By Jon Berna
Data Driven Consulting

So what about Aristotle?  Aristotle’s the Art of Rhetoric contains the ‘Three Means of Persuasion’ which are Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

1. Ethos - The moral cause to agree or the audiences perceived character/reputation of you
2. Pathos - Emotional, can be either negative or positive, fear of loss > fear of gain
3. Logos - The logical justification to make a choice, the cold hard facts, figures, specs and data

In most selling situations you will have to rely on all 3.  The trick is finding the right combination that is suited to the person you are trying to convince.  So what about YOUR processes and YOUR management decisions.  How are they made?  How are you persuaded and how do you persuade others?  A Moral Cause / Reputation, Emotion, or Logic.

Let’s use your advertising as an example. 

There are really two sides to consider.  How your advertising persuades the customer and how your organization is persuaded to sell it. Let’s focus on your team, because if they can’t sell it your customers won’t buy it.  Apply the right combination of the 3 means of persuasion to get your team on-board with the right mix to each person.  Think about how each of your employees, employee groups, managers, top managers are persuaded.  Here are some examples.

• Community-driven: food drives, local sponsorships your company can believe in
• A better customer experience: no hassle transparent sales process – your sales people want this
• The competition: who are your current primary competitor? Is everyone in your organization aware of their strategies?
• Honestly cultivated brand advocates: Testimonials from true fans. A clearly visible sterling reputation the customer can feel.
   

• Defining how the current course of action creates a great future of opportunities for everyone
• Allowing your team the opportunity to help in its development.  Give them emotional ownership in its results (intrinsic motivation)
• Explaining the expected result from the plan and how that affects their performance and compensations (extrinsic motivation)
   

• Establishing one version of the truth in your reporting.
• When possible establish your own business intelligence as opposed to relying solely on your vendors.
• Developing an overall advertising dashboard with ALL of your top metrics.
• Sharing all of your metrics with your team, regularly and honestly.
• Installing clean data processes through the sales funnel.
• Automate process where possible and enforce proper technology usage at all levels.
• Flow chart each high value process that effects sales.  Ensuring each person understands them and their role.
   

By Jon Berna
Data Driven Consulting

The phrase “Roll out the red carpet” or “We are going to roll out the red carpet for you” is one of the more common ways we have defined our sales process to customers as different from our competition.  I argue that any person or better yet, organization that is truly going to do this doesn't have to say this to a customer, the customer just feels it!   The term itself directs the dealership down the wrong path for giving a customer the best experience possible.  The customer doesn't want an overly dramatic staged experience, they just want to feel respected, important and most of all they want us to make everything easy for them.  This to me means understanding what they need before they need it as well as avoiding the all-too-common pitfalls we see every day. We tend to look for 'silver bullets' to help us sell cars. Like finding that miracle vendor, ad campaign or product to help us take our business to the next level.  If you wanted to grow your business 25% the best place to start is finding 1% in 25 places.  Each sale can be measured much the same.  I don’t think any one step or person by itself directly causes a sale.  It takes a completely random combination of events executed at the highest level to sell even 1 customer.  Think of each process down the sales funnel: advertising, website, email, phone, pre-visit preparation and finally in-store.  The area of focus in this document is what steps to take to maximize your appointed customers show rate and sold rate.

If you start viewing the down stream stats from the time you receive a lead (overall phone, internet and 3rd Party) you should have the following conversions over a rolling 30 days period:

This gives you an overall 25% appointment to sale rate.  Although benchmarks create false barriers for success this number if combining all sources would be considered healthy.  Sometimes we over-think common sense.  Over the last 10-15 years of the ‘internet-sales person’ versus the ‘old-car-guy’ rift we have seen countless internet sales people enter the business lacking tried and true common sense saleswoman and salesmanship.  All of the best practices you see below are taken directly over the years from nearly 100 sales people of all tenure in the car business.  This guiding document sets the table for what can be done situationally for your customers.

- What would you add?

Post-Appointment Checklist

Prior to Arrival -------------------------------------------------------------------

• Confirm Appointment
  • Confirmation phone call
    • Fact Find, confirm vehicle(s) of interest, broaden
    • Ask what vehicle they will be driving to the store today
    • Add Notes to their CRM profile
    • Send email w/ video (if not already sent)
• Confirmation Text Message (if applicable)
• Vehicle Prep
  • Find the vehicle
  • Find all sets of keys
  • Make sure there is plenty of fuel
  • Make sure you have plates
  • Do a walk around to make sure the interior & exterior are clean.  Don’t forget the trunk, under the hood, dash lights and the wheels & tires.
  • Hang tag / sign with customer’s name
  • Either physically or mentally choose back-up vehicles
  • Paper work:
    • Carfax
    • If certified, inspection sheet and/or RO
    • Any current Incentives & Rebates on new vehicles
    • Pull vehicle(s) up front – this means you’ve started the car

After Arrival -----------------------------------------------------------------------

• Direct to VIP Parking / VIP Check-In Area (if applicable)
• Check In / Register (Mark them ‘shown’ in the CRM)
• Strong, friendly greeting followed by…
  • Brief tour of dealership
    • Sales Manager introduction
    • Make sure customer is ‘checked in’ in crm
    • Get copy of driver’s license
• Provide beverage & snack remove consumer guilt (just provide it anyways)
• Don’t forget to point out the restrooms
• Full walk-around of vehicle
• Test drive
  • Interview
  • Trial Close
• Park vehicle in ‘sold row’
• Back at your desk
  • Gather additional contact info
  • Add notes
  • Make it happen

By Jon Berna
Founder Driven Data Consulting

The phrase “Roll out the red carpet” or “We are going to roll out the red carpet for you” is one of the more common ways we have defined our sales process to customers as different from our competition.  I argue that any person or better yet, organization that is truly going to do this doesn't have to say this to a customer, the customer just feels it!   The term itself directs the dealership down the wrong path for giving a customer the best experience possible.  The customer doesn't want an overly dramatic staged experience, they just want to feel respected, important and most of all they want us to make everything easy for them.  This to me means understanding what they need before they need it as well as avoiding the all-too-common pitfalls we see every day. We tend to look for 'silver bullets' to help us sell cars. Like finding that miracle vendor, ad campaign or product to help us take our business to the next level.  If you wanted to grow your business 25% the best place to start is finding 1% in 25 places.  Each sale can be measured much the same.  I don’t think any one step or person by itself directly causes a sale.  It takes a completely random combination of events executed at the highest level to sell even 1 customer.  Think of each process down the sales funnel: advertising, website, email, phone, pre-visit preparation and finally in-store.  The area of focus in this document is what steps to take to maximize your appointed customers show rate and sold rate.

If you start viewing the down stream stats from the time you receive a lead (overall phone, internet and 3rd Party) you should have the following conversions over a rolling 30 days period:

This gives you an overall 25% appointment to sale rate.  Although benchmarks create false barriers for success this number if combining all sources would be considered healthy.  Sometimes we over-think common sense.  Over the last 10-15 years of the ‘internet-sales person’ versus the ‘old-car-guy’ rift we have seen countless internet sales people enter the business lacking tried and true common sense saleswoman and salesmanship.  All of the best practices you see below are taken directly over the years from nearly 100 sales people of all tenure in the car business.  This guiding document sets the table for what can be done situationally for your customers.

- What would you add?

Post-Appointment Checklist

Prior to Arrival -------------------------------------------------------------------

• Confirm Appointment
  • Confirmation phone call
    • Fact Find, confirm vehicle(s) of interest, broaden
    • Ask what vehicle they will be driving to the store today
    • Add Notes to their CRM profile
    • Send email w/ video (if not already sent)
• Confirmation Text Message (if applicable)
• Vehicle Prep
  • Find the vehicle
  • Find all sets of keys
  • Make sure there is plenty of fuel
  • Make sure you have plates
  • Do a walk around to make sure the interior & exterior are clean.  Don’t forget the trunk, under the hood, dash lights and the wheels & tires.
  • Hang tag / sign with customer’s name
  • Either physically or mentally choose back-up vehicles
  • Paper work:
    • Carfax
    • If certified, inspection sheet and/or RO
    • Any current Incentives & Rebates on new vehicles
    • Pull vehicle(s) up front – this means you’ve started the car

After Arrival -----------------------------------------------------------------------

• Direct to VIP Parking / VIP Check-In Area (if applicable)
• Check In / Register (Mark them ‘shown’ in the CRM)
• Strong, friendly greeting followed by…
  • Brief tour of dealership
    • Sales Manager introduction
    • Make sure customer is ‘checked in’ in crm
    • Get copy of driver’s license
• Provide beverage & snack remove consumer guilt (just provide it anyways)
• Don’t forget to point out the restrooms
• Full walk-around of vehicle
• Test drive
  • Interview
  • Trial Close
• Park vehicle in ‘sold row’
• Back at your desk
  • Gather additional contact info
  • Add notes
  • Make it happen

By Jon Berna
Founder Driven Data Consulting

This is the 4th article in the series Managing Your BDC Like a Call Center:

Ok your BDC is receiving calls from a vast array of sources, for new vehicles, used vehicles, marketing campaigns, voice mail returns (call backs) how can you organize them to go to the right person at the right time?  Before I answer that you must first understand what 1 call resolution truly means.  It means stop transferring calls, stop paging, stop making people wait!  The person who answers the initial phone call must be the best available person to handle anything that may surface on the call.  This core value requires a combination of training and technology.  Customer expectations are at an all time high, that requires that you separate yourselves from the pack by making your customer service look effortless.  All things being equal, an organization where customers are routed to the right person faster will convert higher than one where the customers have to wait (calls are paged, transferred, on hold etc).  This should be common sense. So how much does this impact the customer experience?  

I will pose the answer in the form of a very recent personal example:

While building a website for a client, I had to contact their domain registrar to setup additional web hosting.  I couldn't complete the full transaction online so I was forced to call.  I called their sales line and the person that answered was awesome, they helped with all of my questions, gave me a concise recap in an email and directed me to all of my next steps.  Unfortunately, I needed a very specific piece of information from my client to complete the transaction.

When I called back the next day after going through 5 prompts (sales had 0 by the way) the person that answered had no clue what I was talking about. They transferred my to another department and the previous agent didn't tell them a single iota of the 7 minutes I had explained previously.  After taking them through what I need (in cliff notes now) they were able to determine I needed to become an approved user on my clients account before I could call support.  According to this person I would have to have my client call them and give my information.  Keep in mind I already have my own account as an admin on my clients profile on the site.  I explained this and was told of their protocols etc.  At this point I am furious.

The package we are purchasing is expensive and they are not letting us buy from them unless we jump through 10 hoops backwards and on fire.  I ask to speak to the sales agent I originally spoke to and the caller tells me that's impossible because I am not approved!  The next day my client calls and they tell them we didn't need to take that step as I was listed as an admin, my client tell them to call me to complete the transaction.  The original sales agent calls me and we finish in less 2 minutes.

Think of the last time you called a call center and had a bad experience, everyone has one if not tons. A common theme was the time it took to get you the information you needed to get you to whatever the next step was.

We can break these down into the following root cause categories:

• Unable to quickly pull up the customers information.  Ever heard the, "My computer is acting up" line?
• Poor product knowledge.  You get the sense it is their first time hearing your question.
• Had to transfer you to another department, subsequently you have to repeat your whole story (sometimes multiple times).
• Takes zero ownership of the customers needs.  Their focus is on getting off the call as quickly as possible.
• Their goals are not aligned with the business goals.  They let a sale walk because of misinterpreted rules or lack of common sense.

Your customers journey from inquiry to sale requires that you plan to avoid these pitfalls and here is how. Below are 3 situations with two accompanying flow charts.

Click to View Larger Image:

Basic call routing: Call is answered by the operator.  They attempt to transfer to the BDC rep the customer asked for.  If they are not available she will most likely blind transfer to the BDC phone tree.  From here it rings all phones until the quickest BDC rep answers.  If the intended BDC rep is available they transfer, otherwise they make the customer repeat their request and attempt to handle the call.

Advanced Call Routing:  Call automatically routes to the BDC rep.  This is done a couple ways.  The phone system identifies the CRM assignment and automatically routes the call based on the assignment.  Customer calls a specific routing number assigned to the BDC rep.  Before the call is routed the phone system evaluates if the agent is available.  If they are not the call routes to a designated person or team.  On their computer screen it shows them the call is for the original agent (who is either on the phone or gone).  They quickly inform the customer they work directly with the other agent and immediately pull up the customers record all while following the appropriate script for this situation.

Basic call routing: Call is sent to the BDC phone tree ringing every phone in the department.  The quickest BDC rep answers the phone call.  The agent is unaware of the callers information, the source or location the call is for so they must handle this by asking the customer questions.  If they handle multiple departments or locations they have to answer generically, "Thank you for calling ABC Auto Group, this is Steve how can I help you?"  This 'first impression' puts the prospect on defense and lengthens the total call time.  Sourcing is based on if the BDC rep asks and if the customer gives it (they may not even know).  Contact information collection is also based on if the BDC reps ask and if the customer gives it.  The logging of the call is up to the rep and the managers ability to cross check multiple reports.

Advanced Call Routing:  Call routes to the BDC rep based on logic.  The system evaluates the source and location then determines who has the highest skill level to handle that type of call that is in an available status.  By segmenting the calls the highest performers receive the most important calls / more calls etc.  Since we are using skill-based routing, as an example the rep can be certified to handle the manufacture for that location and trained on handling specific new or used car questions. Since agents will receive the same type of calls every day they become increasingly better at their focus.  Your BDC performs like dozens of mini assembly lines where agents are specialized to perform their jobs.  BDC reps know the advertising source, location and caller id information before they answer.  They give a specific response, "Thank you for calling the pre-owned department at ABC Motors, this is Steve how can I help you?  The BDC rep doesn't need to ask the source and when they ask for contact information they already have the name and number from caller ID.  Data entry for inbound calls can now automated via http post integration with your CRM.  All the rep adds is the additional information, appointment and notes.  Call logging goes to near 100%

Basic call routing: The BDC uses either their number or a generic number that goes to the BDC phone tree.  When the customer phones the number the call is answered by the quickest rep.  They ask the customer for their information.  Keep in mind customer forgets the name of the person that called them nearly half the time.  This requires the BDC rep to search in the CRM to find who most recently called the customer and what they were calling about.  The customer tries to explain what they may need and the BDC rep either transfers to correct rep or handles on their own.  If the BDC rep left their personal number and the customer called after they left the call goes to voice mail where hopefully the rep contacts them back the next business day.

Advanced Call Routing: The customer calls back an individual number assigned to the specific BDC rep.  This number is in all of their emails, voice mails and customers caller ID (on their phone).  When the call hits the phone system it determines if the agent is available, if they are the agent gets the call.  Before they answer they know the customer's information and that the call is call back from a voice mail.  The agent answers the phone, "Good afternoon, Stacey, this is Steve thank you for calling me back..."  If the BDC rep is not available it routes to a designated roll-over team.  "Good afternoon Stacey, this is Sara, Steve informed me you would be calling and we work on the same team..."  Calls do not go to voice mails in this system, everything is handled live by agents that are trained.

Thank you for reading my 4 part series on Managing your BDC like a Call Center.  With 10 years of experience in call center operations both outside the auto industry and within, these tips I have learned the hard way.  Effective communication is at the foundation of progressive companies.  

Comment below with your feedback!

This is the 4th article in the series Managing Your BDC Like a Call Center:

Ok your BDC is receiving calls from a vast array of sources, for new vehicles, used vehicles, marketing campaigns, voice mail returns (call backs) how can you organize them to go to the right person at the right time?  Before I answer that you must first understand what 1 call resolution truly means.  It means stop transferring calls, stop paging, stop making people wait!  The person who answers the initial phone call must be the best available person to handle anything that may surface on the call.  This core value requires a combination of training and technology.  Customer expectations are at an all time high, that requires that you separate yourselves from the pack by making your customer service look effortless.  All things being equal, an organization where customers are routed to the right person faster will convert higher than one where the customers have to wait (calls are paged, transferred, on hold etc).  This should be common sense. So how much does this impact the customer experience?  

I will pose the answer in the form of a very recent personal example:

While building a website for a client, I had to contact their domain registrar to setup additional web hosting.  I couldn't complete the full transaction online so I was forced to call.  I called their sales line and the person that answered was awesome, they helped with all of my questions, gave me a concise recap in an email and directed me to all of my next steps.  Unfortunately, I needed a very specific piece of information from my client to complete the transaction.

When I called back the next day after going through 5 prompts (sales had 0 by the way) the person that answered had no clue what I was talking about. They transferred my to another department and the previous agent didn't tell them a single iota of the 7 minutes I had explained previously.  After taking them through what I need (in cliff notes now) they were able to determine I needed to become an approved user on my clients account before I could call support.  According to this person I would have to have my client call them and give my information.  Keep in mind I already have my own account as an admin on my clients profile on the site.  I explained this and was told of their protocols etc.  At this point I am furious.

The package we are purchasing is expensive and they are not letting us buy from them unless we jump through 10 hoops backwards and on fire.  I ask to speak to the sales agent I originally spoke to and the caller tells me that's impossible because I am not approved!  The next day my client calls and they tell them we didn't need to take that step as I was listed as an admin, my client tell them to call me to complete the transaction.  The original sales agent calls me and we finish in less 2 minutes.

Think of the last time you called a call center and had a bad experience, everyone has one if not tons. A common theme was the time it took to get you the information you needed to get you to whatever the next step was.

We can break these down into the following root cause categories:

• Unable to quickly pull up the customers information.  Ever heard the, "My computer is acting up" line?
• Poor product knowledge.  You get the sense it is their first time hearing your question.
• Had to transfer you to another department, subsequently you have to repeat your whole story (sometimes multiple times).
• Takes zero ownership of the customers needs.  Their focus is on getting off the call as quickly as possible.
• Their goals are not aligned with the business goals.  They let a sale walk because of misinterpreted rules or lack of common sense.

Your customers journey from inquiry to sale requires that you plan to avoid these pitfalls and here is how. Below are 3 situations with two accompanying flow charts.

Click to View Larger Image:

Basic call routing: Call is answered by the operator.  They attempt to transfer to the BDC rep the customer asked for.  If they are not available she will most likely blind transfer to the BDC phone tree.  From here it rings all phones until the quickest BDC rep answers.  If the intended BDC rep is available they transfer, otherwise they make the customer repeat their request and attempt to handle the call.

Advanced Call Routing:  Call automatically routes to the BDC rep.  This is done a couple ways.  The phone system identifies the CRM assignment and automatically routes the call based on the assignment.  Customer calls a specific routing number assigned to the BDC rep.  Before the call is routed the phone system evaluates if the agent is available.  If they are not the call routes to a designated person or team.  On their computer screen it shows them the call is for the original agent (who is either on the phone or gone).  They quickly inform the customer they work directly with the other agent and immediately pull up the customers record all while following the appropriate script for this situation.

Basic call routing: Call is sent to the BDC phone tree ringing every phone in the department.  The quickest BDC rep answers the phone call.  The agent is unaware of the callers information, the source or location the call is for so they must handle this by asking the customer questions.  If they handle multiple departments or locations they have to answer generically, "Thank you for calling ABC Auto Group, this is Steve how can I help you?"  This 'first impression' puts the prospect on defense and lengthens the total call time.  Sourcing is based on if the BDC rep asks and if the customer gives it (they may not even know).  Contact information collection is also based on if the BDC reps ask and if the customer gives it.  The logging of the call is up to the rep and the managers ability to cross check multiple reports.

Advanced Call Routing:  Call routes to the BDC rep based on logic.  The system evaluates the source and location then determines who has the highest skill level to handle that type of call that is in an available status.  By segmenting the calls the highest performers receive the most important calls / more calls etc.  Since we are using skill-based routing, as an example the rep can be certified to handle the manufacture for that location and trained on handling specific new or used car questions. Since agents will receive the same type of calls every day they become increasingly better at their focus.  Your BDC performs like dozens of mini assembly lines where agents are specialized to perform their jobs.  BDC reps know the advertising source, location and caller id information before they answer.  They give a specific response, "Thank you for calling the pre-owned department at ABC Motors, this is Steve how can I help you?  The BDC rep doesn't need to ask the source and when they ask for contact information they already have the name and number from caller ID.  Data entry for inbound calls can now automated via http post integration with your CRM.  All the rep adds is the additional information, appointment and notes.  Call logging goes to near 100%

Basic call routing: The BDC uses either their number or a generic number that goes to the BDC phone tree.  When the customer phones the number the call is answered by the quickest rep.  They ask the customer for their information.  Keep in mind customer forgets the name of the person that called them nearly half the time.  This requires the BDC rep to search in the CRM to find who most recently called the customer and what they were calling about.  The customer tries to explain what they may need and the BDC rep either transfers to correct rep or handles on their own.  If the BDC rep left their personal number and the customer called after they left the call goes to voice mail where hopefully the rep contacts them back the next business day.

Advanced Call Routing: The customer calls back an individual number assigned to the specific BDC rep.  This number is in all of their emails, voice mails and customers caller ID (on their phone).  When the call hits the phone system it determines if the agent is available, if they are the agent gets the call.  Before they answer they know the customer's information and that the call is call back from a voice mail.  The agent answers the phone, "Good afternoon, Stacey, this is Steve thank you for calling me back..."  If the BDC rep is not available it routes to a designated roll-over team.  "Good afternoon Stacey, this is Sara, Steve informed me you would be calling and we work on the same team..."  Calls do not go to voice mails in this system, everything is handled live by agents that are trained.

Thank you for reading my 4 part series on Managing your BDC like a Call Center.  With 10 years of experience in call center operations both outside the auto industry and within, these tips I have learned the hard way.  Effective communication is at the foundation of progressive companies.  

Comment below with your feedback!

This is the 3rd article in the series Manage Your BDC like a Call Center:

The decision of what type of phone system to secure for your department requires an understanding of the options and features available.  This article will present the current options as well as define the reporting needs that are essential for dialing in your department. The reporting capabilities of phone systems contain vast differences.  I will cover some of these and shed some light on how you may not need a overly expensive solution and still get all you will need for years to come.  Nearly all of your telephony costs are up front however your improved consumer experience will continue to get better as you drive efficiencies.  After you review the features review how you can leverage your new found data in the section near the bottom. Here is a list of common features your BDC will need:

With an ACD and the correct surrounding BDC Phone Systems and Reporting you can now correctly staff your BDC based on data instead of guess work.  Here's how...  

The 6 metrics below are all pulled directly from the call data in reports that should be very easy to pull on-demand.  The first metric you need to understand is setting your Service Level Agreement (SLA).  This is a stated benchmark of anticipated performance.  For example 90% of your calls being answered in 20 seconds or less.  To figure this out you sum the number of calls with a ring time under 20 seconds divided by the total number of calls.  If you fall below this target you are either under-staffed or inefficient.  You can determine your efficiency by reviewing your call center occupancy.  This percentage can be expressed at an individual level but is more commonly used to review the entire department.  This number is the total time on the phone and doing after call work divided by the time staffed.  If your under your SLA and have high occupancy you are most likely understaffed. The other factors that can hurt your SLA are high Average Handle Times (AHT) and aggressive outbound dialing.  Your BDC is what is called a blended call center meaning it both takes and makes calls (versus inbound-only or outbound-only).   Every time and agent dials out it makes them unavailable.  Since there are gaps between calls usually this isn't a problem.  However when 2 agents are on break, 1 is sick and 3 are at lunch you have to be careful not to overdo it.

These 6 metrics are the driving force behind both daily and long term strategic planning. Having these at your disposal affords a BDC Director or eCommerce Director the intelligence they need to move the needle forward.  If a regular BDC runs at 60% effectiveness a well run Call Center BDC will run in the mid 90%s.

Next up, I will dive into how call routing impacts customer service with tips how you can route calls more effectively in your dealership or you can get a sneak peek here

This is the 3rd article in the series Manage Your BDC like a Call Center:

The decision of what type of phone system to secure for your department requires an understanding of the options and features available.  This article will present the current options as well as define the reporting needs that are essential for dialing in your department. The reporting capabilities of phone systems contain vast differences.  I will cover some of these and shed some light on how you may not need a overly expensive solution and still get all you will need for years to come.  Nearly all of your telephony costs are up front however your improved consumer experience will continue to get better as you drive efficiencies.  After you review the features review how you can leverage your new found data in the section near the bottom. Here is a list of common features your BDC will need:

With an ACD and the correct surrounding BDC Phone Systems and Reporting you can now correctly staff your BDC based on data instead of guess work.  Here's how...  

The 6 metrics below are all pulled directly from the call data in reports that should be very easy to pull on-demand.  The first metric you need to understand is setting your Service Level Agreement (SLA).  This is a stated benchmark of anticipated performance.  For example 90% of your calls being answered in 20 seconds or less.  To figure this out you sum the number of calls with a ring time under 20 seconds divided by the total number of calls.  If you fall below this target you are either under-staffed or inefficient.  You can determine your efficiency by reviewing your call center occupancy.  This percentage can be expressed at an individual level but is more commonly used to review the entire department.  This number is the total time on the phone and doing after call work divided by the time staffed.  If your under your SLA and have high occupancy you are most likely understaffed. The other factors that can hurt your SLA are high Average Handle Times (AHT) and aggressive outbound dialing.  Your BDC is what is called a blended call center meaning it both takes and makes calls (versus inbound-only or outbound-only).   Every time and agent dials out it makes them unavailable.  Since there are gaps between calls usually this isn't a problem.  However when 2 agents are on break, 1 is sick and 3 are at lunch you have to be careful not to overdo it.

These 6 metrics are the driving force behind both daily and long term strategic planning. Having these at your disposal affords a BDC Director or eCommerce Director the intelligence they need to move the needle forward.  If a regular BDC runs at 60% effectiveness a well run Call Center BDC will run in the mid 90%s.

Next up, I will dive into how call routing impacts customer service with tips how you can route calls more effectively in your dealership or you can get a sneak peek here