The Handy Family of Dealerships has been around for quite some time. Established in 1952, Handy Automotive actually started out as Handy Truck and Trailer, a tractor trailer dealership. From this investment they were able to open John Deere farm equipment dealerships in Highgate Vermont. With time, they turned that dealership into a number of different car brands—GMC, Oldsmobile, Nissan, Dodge –until they settled on Handy Toyota and Handy Chevrolet.

Chris Dugan, Internet Manager, has been in the automotive industry for three years, “Since I started here in 2010, we have been aggressively pursuing the eCommerce side of our business.  Prior to my arrival, we had a good foothold on Internet operations, however we lacked a dedicated and knowledgeable person with the skill to write content and expand our social presence. Since then, we have attempted to open every avenue for any/all customers to reach us, including live chat, mobile and social.”

The need for reliable chat software

Handy Automotive had adopted live chat as early as 2004 since it was a free service with their website’s package, “It was a horrible program - free or otherwise - and it was unreliable.  Early in 2011, we decided it was necessary to have an actual, pay-for service, and ActivEngage was our initial inclination.”

Although Dugan wanted to go with ActivEngage at first, he did pull quotes and saw demos from other vendors stating, “ActivEngage wins hands down. Their software was by far the most robust AND least expensive, something nobody in our industry (or perhaps anyone, period) can easily swallow due to the nature of business. It honestly confounds me to this day how ActivEngage’s program - reliable chat, insanely robust back-end statistics, and ‘in-your-face’ customer awareness graphics and imagery – perfectly combine to make the best chat product on the market today. And, that stands true for any ONE piece of the aforementioned qualities alone.”

Choosing to Chat In-House

Dugan wanted to keep chat in-house for good reasons, “We wanted it to be an extension of our BDC agents, including up to the minute knowledge of deals and offers that they retain and know more about than even yours truly.”

Reporting and Analytics

“In terms of business intelligence, ActivEngage is second to none.  90% of my reporting comes from the ActivEngage reporting dashboards, as I've noticed a marked enhancement when compared to website providers reporting. Further, the up-to-the-minute reporting is phenomenal and empowers dealers and dealership employees, especially our BDC,” Dugan stated.

Customer Support

Dugan feels that ActivEngage’s Customer Support goes beyond expectations, “I have gotten everything I've needed and then some.  Our Customer Success Manager is exceptional at going over monthly statistics, understanding our needs, relaying any support or other questions and getting timely answers, and implementing holiday-based graphics.”

The Handy Family of Dealerships has been around for quite some time. Established in 1952, Handy Automotive actually started out as Handy Truck and Trailer, a tractor trailer dealership. From this investment they were able to open John Deere farm equipment dealerships in Highgate Vermont. With time, they turned that dealership into a number of different car brands—GMC, Oldsmobile, Nissan, Dodge –until they settled on Handy Toyota and Handy Chevrolet.

Chris Dugan, Internet Manager, has been in the automotive industry for three years, “Since I started here in 2010, we have been aggressively pursuing the eCommerce side of our business.  Prior to my arrival, we had a good foothold on Internet operations, however we lacked a dedicated and knowledgeable person with the skill to write content and expand our social presence. Since then, we have attempted to open every avenue for any/all customers to reach us, including live chat, mobile and social.”

The need for reliable chat software

Handy Automotive had adopted live chat as early as 2004 since it was a free service with their website’s package, “It was a horrible program - free or otherwise - and it was unreliable.  Early in 2011, we decided it was necessary to have an actual, pay-for service, and ActivEngage was our initial inclination.”

Although Dugan wanted to go with ActivEngage at first, he did pull quotes and saw demos from other vendors stating, “ActivEngage wins hands down. Their software was by far the most robust AND least expensive, something nobody in our industry (or perhaps anyone, period) can easily swallow due to the nature of business. It honestly confounds me to this day how ActivEngage’s program - reliable chat, insanely robust back-end statistics, and ‘in-your-face’ customer awareness graphics and imagery – perfectly combine to make the best chat product on the market today. And, that stands true for any ONE piece of the aforementioned qualities alone.”

Choosing to Chat In-House

Dugan wanted to keep chat in-house for good reasons, “We wanted it to be an extension of our BDC agents, including up to the minute knowledge of deals and offers that they retain and know more about than even yours truly.”

Reporting and Analytics

“In terms of business intelligence, ActivEngage is second to none.  90% of my reporting comes from the ActivEngage reporting dashboards, as I've noticed a marked enhancement when compared to website providers reporting. Further, the up-to-the-minute reporting is phenomenal and empowers dealers and dealership employees, especially our BDC,” Dugan stated.

Customer Support

Dugan feels that ActivEngage’s Customer Support goes beyond expectations, “I have gotten everything I've needed and then some.  Our Customer Success Manager is exceptional at going over monthly statistics, understanding our needs, relaying any support or other questions and getting timely answers, and implementing holiday-based graphics.”

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat providers are using that same terminology to describe their chatting staff.

That’s okay though, because there’s something that ActivEngage’s Virtual Sales Associates have that no other chat provider can match - passion. Passion for the car industry, passion for the art of conversation, passion for creating that very special connection with YOUR customer. Passion that cannot be imitated no matter how hard others try.

Passion cannot be Imitated.
As many of you know, I was a VSA for six months before moving into our marketing department. I came here knowing not a single thing about cars, the automotive industry, or car lingo. I was hesitant in my first chat because everything was new to me. However, with training, encouragement, and a wonderful team structure that provided ongoing support, I made it through and I shined. I shined through the busiest chatting month of the year - December. In a single day, I took 70+ chats. I didn’t miss a detail and it was invigorating! During those days, I received recognition for taking on so many chats and having over 80% of my chats converting to leads for our dealers, over 75% phone numbers acquired, and over 10% appointments set. Passion.

Every Chat, Every Word, Every Time!
The environment I was in created passion. Our Virtual Sales Associates have a motto, Every Chat, Every Word...Every Time. It’s painted on a bright orange wall, to remind each and every VSA what we do and the passion with which we do it.

Although others are naming their chat staff VSA’s, we know who the real VSA’s are and you will too when you read our chats.

I’ll leave you all with a video to let this sink in just a little bit more:
Watch as our Virtual Sales Director, Carol Marshall, describe our Virtual Sales Associates, the training they receive, and what they provide YOUR dealership. No other chat provider does what our VSA’s can do.

What is your dealership passionate about? Let us know in the comments section below!

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I feel that being imitated means the imitator lacks the creativity to come up with ideas on their own.

Virtual Sales Associates (VSA’s) has become a popular title in the chat industry lately. ActivEngage coined this term in 2007 and now other chat providers are using that same terminology to describe their chatting staff.

That’s okay though, because there’s something that ActivEngage’s Virtual Sales Associates have that no other chat provider can match - passion. Passion for the car industry, passion for the art of conversation, passion for creating that very special connection with YOUR customer. Passion that cannot be imitated no matter how hard others try.

Passion cannot be Imitated.
As many of you know, I was a VSA for six months before moving into our marketing department. I came here knowing not a single thing about cars, the automotive industry, or car lingo. I was hesitant in my first chat because everything was new to me. However, with training, encouragement, and a wonderful team structure that provided ongoing support, I made it through and I shined. I shined through the busiest chatting month of the year - December. In a single day, I took 70+ chats. I didn’t miss a detail and it was invigorating! During those days, I received recognition for taking on so many chats and having over 80% of my chats converting to leads for our dealers, over 75% phone numbers acquired, and over 10% appointments set. Passion.

Every Chat, Every Word, Every Time!
The environment I was in created passion. Our Virtual Sales Associates have a motto, Every Chat, Every Word...Every Time. It’s painted on a bright orange wall, to remind each and every VSA what we do and the passion with which we do it.

Although others are naming their chat staff VSA’s, we know who the real VSA’s are and you will too when you read our chats.

I’ll leave you all with a video to let this sink in just a little bit more:
Watch as our Virtual Sales Director, Carol Marshall, describe our Virtual Sales Associates, the training they receive, and what they provide YOUR dealership. No other chat provider does what our VSA’s can do.

What is your dealership passionate about? Let us know in the comments section below!

Car Dealers! Have you heard of the term, “Showrooming?” It’s basically a customer that comes into your dealership to look at vehicles while looking online on their smartphone at your competitor’s pricing. Annoying, right? So how do you combat these “show-roomers?”

One thing you can do is create a loyalty program. For loyalty programs to have the desired effect, you must consider these anti-showrooming strategies:

1. Your prices have to be in the same ballpark as those of your competitors.
2. Customers make every purchasing decision independently. You can't expect them to take long-term loyalty rewards into account as part of the buying decision unless those customers are explicitly prompted to do so.
3. Buying decisions often take place in a matter of seconds, which means that any anti-showrooming strategy needs to be executed in near real time to have any effect.

According to Marketingprofs.com  there are five tactics that are worth exploring when showrooming is a problem:

1. Closing the price gap. When customers in a loyalty program receive discounts, the distance between the in-store price and the competitor's online price diminishes. Dealers must find a way to communicate the "effective price" (the current price minus the points-based discount) quickly and clearly: for example, "With your Valued Customer discount, the effective price of this [item]  is $14,999!" Customers can't be expected to do the math themselves.
2. Bonus points. When showrooming is a problem with specific items, retailers can offer increased discounts or points on those items to further mitigate the price difference.
3. Free accessories. Dealers can offer free items that complement the purchase, such as a a bobble head for the car or some cool sunglasses to wear with the customer’s new ride. Often, such items have a perceived value that's significantly higher than their actual dollar value.
4. Bounceback offers. If a customer's behavior indicates the potential for a lost sale, dealers can transmit a bounceback offer, either with a discount or some other incentive. To be effective, however, the bounceback needs to happen in near real-time and it must relate very specifically to the customer's interests (Ex. free window tinting with vehicle purchase).
5. Pushed coupons. With today's technology, retailers can offer instant discounts and special cross-sell or up-sell opportunities; they can even reward customers simply for entering the store. The value of so-called push technology is that it gives customers a reason to make an in-store purchase. For example, ActivEngage, thanks to an integration with Hooklogic, offers ActivShow, which brings customers into your showroom by offering great incentives like a $25 prepaid MasterCard or $25 incentives to popular stores like Starbucks® or Target®.

What do you think of these tactics? Do you have any strategies in combating showrooming?

Car Dealers! Have you heard of the term, “Showrooming?” It’s basically a customer that comes into your dealership to look at vehicles while looking online on their smartphone at your competitor’s pricing. Annoying, right? So how do you combat these “show-roomers?”

One thing you can do is create a loyalty program. For loyalty programs to have the desired effect, you must consider these anti-showrooming strategies:

1. Your prices have to be in the same ballpark as those of your competitors.
2. Customers make every purchasing decision independently. You can't expect them to take long-term loyalty rewards into account as part of the buying decision unless those customers are explicitly prompted to do so.
3. Buying decisions often take place in a matter of seconds, which means that any anti-showrooming strategy needs to be executed in near real time to have any effect.

According to Marketingprofs.com  there are five tactics that are worth exploring when showrooming is a problem:

1. Closing the price gap. When customers in a loyalty program receive discounts, the distance between the in-store price and the competitor's online price diminishes. Dealers must find a way to communicate the "effective price" (the current price minus the points-based discount) quickly and clearly: for example, "With your Valued Customer discount, the effective price of this [item]  is $14,999!" Customers can't be expected to do the math themselves.
2. Bonus points. When showrooming is a problem with specific items, retailers can offer increased discounts or points on those items to further mitigate the price difference.
3. Free accessories. Dealers can offer free items that complement the purchase, such as a a bobble head for the car or some cool sunglasses to wear with the customer’s new ride. Often, such items have a perceived value that's significantly higher than their actual dollar value.
4. Bounceback offers. If a customer's behavior indicates the potential for a lost sale, dealers can transmit a bounceback offer, either with a discount or some other incentive. To be effective, however, the bounceback needs to happen in near real-time and it must relate very specifically to the customer's interests (Ex. free window tinting with vehicle purchase).
5. Pushed coupons. With today's technology, retailers can offer instant discounts and special cross-sell or up-sell opportunities; they can even reward customers simply for entering the store. The value of so-called push technology is that it gives customers a reason to make an in-store purchase. For example, ActivEngage, thanks to an integration with Hooklogic, offers ActivShow, which brings customers into your showroom by offering great incentives like a $25 prepaid MasterCard or $25 incentives to popular stores like Starbucks® or Target®.

What do you think of these tactics? Do you have any strategies in combating showrooming?

Does your dealer live chat provide the ability to chat in different languages? Can you speak at least two different  languages? It is no surprise that due to globalization and the Internet, human beings are more interconnected than ever. It is simply not just a perk or advantage that you know another language, it is becoming a must!

At ActivEngage we provide dealer live chat that translates into 16 different languages, from Arabic, to Catanese, and French. It doesn’t stop there either, 37% of our employees are proficient in at least two different languages with Spanish being one of them.  Why is this important? Spanish is the country’s unofficial second language. With more than 40 million Hispanics in the US today and an estimated annual growth rate of 4.65, the Latino community will add 1.7 million people to its population every year. In addition, being bilingual has its advantages:

• Being able to learn new words easily
• Being able to use information in new ways
• Coming up with solutions to problems
• Good listening skills
• Connecting with others easily and quickly

Probably, one of the most important aspects of being bilingual is that we are better at multitasking. As Ellen Bialystok a cognitive neuroscientist states, “There’s a system in your brain, the executive control system. It’s a general manager. Its job is to keep you focused on what is relevant, while ignoring distractions. It’s what makes it possible for you to hold two different things in your mind at one time and switch between them.”

Why partner with a dealer live chat provider that doesn’t offer the ability to translate a conversation into different languages or outsource to a dealer live chat provider that doesn’t meet the demographics you need in order to communicate with your site visitors without a translator? You wouldn’t refuse to hire a salesperson that’s fluent in Spanish if you live in an area where a majority of Hispanics reside, would you? Then why is it not the same case with your dealer live chat? Partner with a dealer live chat company that can meet your dealership’s needs and expectations.

Does your dealer live chat provide the ability to chat in different languages? Can you speak at least two different  languages? It is no surprise that due to globalization and the Internet, human beings are more interconnected than ever. It is simply not just a perk or advantage that you know another language, it is becoming a must!

At ActivEngage we provide dealer live chat that translates into 16 different languages, from Arabic, to Catanese, and French. It doesn’t stop there either, 37% of our employees are proficient in at least two different languages with Spanish being one of them.  Why is this important? Spanish is the country’s unofficial second language. With more than 40 million Hispanics in the US today and an estimated annual growth rate of 4.65, the Latino community will add 1.7 million people to its population every year. In addition, being bilingual has its advantages:

• Being able to learn new words easily
• Being able to use information in new ways
• Coming up with solutions to problems
• Good listening skills
• Connecting with others easily and quickly

Probably, one of the most important aspects of being bilingual is that we are better at multitasking. As Ellen Bialystok a cognitive neuroscientist states, “There’s a system in your brain, the executive control system. It’s a general manager. Its job is to keep you focused on what is relevant, while ignoring distractions. It’s what makes it possible for you to hold two different things in your mind at one time and switch between them.”

Why partner with a dealer live chat provider that doesn’t offer the ability to translate a conversation into different languages or outsource to a dealer live chat provider that doesn’t meet the demographics you need in order to communicate with your site visitors without a translator? You wouldn’t refuse to hire a salesperson that’s fluent in Spanish if you live in an area where a majority of Hispanics reside, would you? Then why is it not the same case with your dealer live chat? Partner with a dealer live chat company that can meet your dealership’s needs and expectations.

As more consumers are using the web to research and communicate with dealerships before they decide to purchase a vehicle, it is important to understand the value of live chat and the power behind establishing a relationship between the chatter and your dealership. Keep in mind that although your potential customer has access to countless forms of information online, one thing hasn’t changed: until someone gets in a car and drives it, they can’t be sure of their purchase.

There is plenty of literature on the Web that establishes the best practices of live chat for automotive dealers. Watch out for these articles, if they are not from credible sources! Here are some common misconceptions that are found online about live chat and the real facts to help your dealership master the art of chat.

Misconceptions of automotive live chat:

1. Dealers can sell a vehicle during a chat conversation.

• FACT: The notion that you can turn a chat into a sale right then and there is ridiculous. Carol Marshall, Director of Virtual Sales at ActivEngage states, “Unlike other commodities, like shoes and clothing, a car is something people need to drive and to ‘experience.’ This cannot be achieved online.”

     2. Asking for contact information too early in the chat

• FACT: By asking for contact information (full name, email, phone number..etc) too early in the chat you are basically, “closing too early.” And as all Sales Managers know this can be detrimental in the sales process. Instead, you need to be proactive in understanding what the chatter wants as well as their preferences.

    3. Never ignore questions

• FACT: Around 24% of shoppers online actually buy the vehicle they inquired about. Many questions aren’t black or white and neither are the answers. Ask to clarify the questions instead so your salespeople, the experts, can answer them. Marshall added, “We make them aware of their need to come to the dealership through relative questions. We ask questions in order to get clarification on their request and then, when appropriate, go for a tentative appointment.”

     4. Be persistent by offering promotional materials, direct mails of offers, or by calling them.

• FACT: Online customers do not want to be bombarded by promotional materials. They want to be contacted to get answers to their questions. By ignoring what they are truly asking for, you are ignoring the customer and negating the 9 + min conversation they had with your online assistant, the VSA.

     5. While chatting, watch your tone in your responses.

• FACT: Its about grammar, professionalism, and the length of responses that create the “tone.” Every word matters in a chat conversation.

We view our live chat services as more than just a lead providing machine, so we task ourselves with building a relationship with the customer for your dealership so that visitors feel tied to your dealerships. “We are handling the ‘meet and greet’ and some needs analysis, allowing the dealership to do what they do best - sell cars,” Marshall commented.

As more consumers are using the web to research and communicate with dealerships before they decide to purchase a vehicle, it is important to understand the value of live chat and the power behind establishing a relationship between the chatter and your dealership. Keep in mind that although your potential customer has access to countless forms of information online, one thing hasn’t changed: until someone gets in a car and drives it, they can’t be sure of their purchase.

There is plenty of literature on the Web that establishes the best practices of live chat for automotive dealers. Watch out for these articles, if they are not from credible sources! Here are some common misconceptions that are found online about live chat and the real facts to help your dealership master the art of chat.

Misconceptions of automotive live chat:

1. Dealers can sell a vehicle during a chat conversation.

• FACT: The notion that you can turn a chat into a sale right then and there is ridiculous. Carol Marshall, Director of Virtual Sales at ActivEngage states, “Unlike other commodities, like shoes and clothing, a car is something people need to drive and to ‘experience.’ This cannot be achieved online.”

     2. Asking for contact information too early in the chat

• FACT: By asking for contact information (full name, email, phone number..etc) too early in the chat you are basically, “closing too early.” And as all Sales Managers know this can be detrimental in the sales process. Instead, you need to be proactive in understanding what the chatter wants as well as their preferences.

    3. Never ignore questions

• FACT: Around 24% of shoppers online actually buy the vehicle they inquired about. Many questions aren’t black or white and neither are the answers. Ask to clarify the questions instead so your salespeople, the experts, can answer them. Marshall added, “We make them aware of their need to come to the dealership through relative questions. We ask questions in order to get clarification on their request and then, when appropriate, go for a tentative appointment.”

     4. Be persistent by offering promotional materials, direct mails of offers, or by calling them.

• FACT: Online customers do not want to be bombarded by promotional materials. They want to be contacted to get answers to their questions. By ignoring what they are truly asking for, you are ignoring the customer and negating the 9 + min conversation they had with your online assistant, the VSA.

     5. While chatting, watch your tone in your responses.

• FACT: Its about grammar, professionalism, and the length of responses that create the “tone.” Every word matters in a chat conversation.

We view our live chat services as more than just a lead providing machine, so we task ourselves with building a relationship with the customer for your dealership so that visitors feel tied to your dealerships. “We are handling the ‘meet and greet’ and some needs analysis, allowing the dealership to do what they do best - sell cars,” Marshall commented.