24-hour Chat – YES, You Need It

I am often asked about the necessity for live chat operators to be on call around the clock. Are there really people shopping for cars after hours? Do people really have chat conversations when they know the dealership isn’t open?

The answer is DEFINITELY. That is exactly why CarChat24 offers dealers valuable managed chat service with top-tier operators around the clock. There are 1440 minutes in a 24-hour day, so it’s virtually impossible for dealer staff to be on standby to respond within 10 seconds around the clock. You can see from this graphic from a New York auto dealer that a surprising number of shoppers are online AND WILLING to chat during late night and even early morning hours.

No, customers don’t expect the operator in the middle of the night to have all the answers, but they appreciate having a conversation with a live person who can help them navigate the website and start the sales process for them. This is similar to a customer who the dealership before the sales team arrives would rather leave a message with the receptionist than leave a voicemail in the general mail box.

Adding live chat to dealership websites is a proven method to increase leads and sales, and most dealer groups and performance-oriented stores have some form of chat on their websites at this point. The next step is to implement a live chat service that maximizes the quality sales lead counts around the clock.