The automotive industry is more than just new car dealerships and used car lots. And, car buyers aren’t driving around looking for the best deal or being lured in by one of those 5-story tall, skinny inflatable, green, wobbly wind sock people anymore. Car buyers are shopping online for their cars. They’re getting served advertisements on the platforms they spend the most time on like Facebook and Instagram, and they’re using those platforms to get tons of data before committing to a purchase. They’re doing things like getting reviews from their peers, getting recommendations from previous buyers who’ve shopped at your dealership, and more. To get ahead in the automotive sales game, you need to expand your live engagement from “I hope they stop in” to “If they’re trying to reach our dealership on any channel, we’re there with bells on.”

Current Hot Services in Call Center Outsourcing

Your customers are online, which means any high pressure “What do I have to do to get you into this car today” speeches aren’t going to work. Your customers are research animals, and your job should be to be there to answer questions when they have them. Following are what we’re seeing as communication channels opened up by automotive businesses and managed by the call center, as well as the distribution of contact from each.

Live Chat Support

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their live chat channel: 23%

Best used if:

• Customers want to talk to a representative without having to call
• Customers want to search the website while they’re chatting

Facebook Messenger

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their Facebook channel: 13%

Best used if:

• You’re active on Facebook and encourage customers to reach out on social channels.

Twitter Direct Messaging

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their Twitter channel: 8%

Best used if:

• Your sales team monitors your Twitter feed for leads.

Telephone Engagement

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their inbound telephone channel: 97%

Best used if:

• Customers want to receive immediate support
• Customers want to speak to a live voice

Email Inquiries

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their email channel: 24%

Best used if:

• Customers want to casually inquire about a vehicle
• Customers  don’t mind waiting for a response back

Text Message

Percentage of our automotive customers having us manage their text message channel: 37%

Best Used if:

• You advertise a phone number on your website that customers can text.

What are prospects and customers contacting you about?

Here are the top 10 questions that our call center representatives get asked on any support channel:

1. “I’m looking online, but don’t see a specific model. Do you still have it available?”
2. “Can I come in any time to speak with a sales person or do I have to make an appointment?”
3. “I spilled coffee on my seats. Is that covered under my Maintenance package?”
4. “I got this letter in the mail regarding a recall. Can you tell me more about it?”
5. “Can I schedule a service appointment?”
6. “How long are your holiday sales going on for?”
7. “My lease is ending soon. What are my options?”
8. “I’m wondering what my trade-in value is. Can you help me?”
9. “I came in to test drive a car the other day. Can you send me more information about it?”
10. “Do you sell parts at your location?”

Opportunities Open Up With Live Response

Let’s face it, there are a lot of car dealerships in a customers purchase radius that are able to sell a car at basically the same price. If you have a new car for 22k, I can get that same car for 22k from a dealership that’s a few miles up the road. What is going to sell your dealership is the customer service and responsiveness you’re able to deliver – and call center outsourcing is how it’s done in today’s marketplace.

The consumer needs to know that after the sale, you’ll be just as responsive if they need service. You’ll be there if they want to add that warranty onto the car after the drove it off the lot. You’ll be there to answer any questions they have about how to work their autopilot system. With a call center, you can be there for your customers when your in-house employees have all checked out for the night. Responsiveness opens up opportunities for:

• Referral business: When your customers know that you’re available 24/7, they’ll be quick to refer your company to their friends and family.
• Warranty work: Call centers can help answer general questions about warranties or access internal systems to pull up specific warranty information.
• Repairs and oil changes: Call centers can help schedule appointments for service like repairs, inspections and oil changes.
• Positive reviews: Utilizing a call center that offers 24/7 live support and that can assist your callers with scheduling appointments, answering questions and processing payments will encourage customers to leave positive reviews about your business.

Check out our automotive call center outsourcing page to read more about what SAS can offer car dealerships like yours.