CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog
CarChat24 Blog
Our live chat experience at CarChat24 helps us understand the best practices for live chat success. Photo: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
On the surface, it seems only logical to have the sales team take live chat conversations during business hours. After all, they are familiar with your products and generally skilled at getting people in the door and closing deals. HOWEVER, when it comes to chat there are a few probable pitfalls that await if you throw your team on a chat console and have them start chatting with customers every day.
If you’re thinking about using your sales team here are a few considerations:
How are they with phone ups? If you listen to your inbound phone calls, how would you rate your staff on a scale of 1-10? If it’s not a 7 or higher, maybe a BDC or managed chat is a better choice. Little things, like trying to sell the car through a chat, avoiding appointments off shift, and weak commitment to process when a shopper mentions major negative equity or a low beacon score, can become big obstacles to generating a lead or scheduling an appointment.
Are they REALLY going to handle chats for the Service and Parts departments? Oftentimes a sales team handling chat conversations will give less than 100% when it comes to representing the parts and service departments – critical when as many as half the chat conversations are NOT for the sales department.
Mastering the software – how did it go (or is it still going) trying to get the sales team to become functional with your CRM? While taking chat conversations isn’t necessarily rocket science, it is yet another tool for your team to master. Additionally, even a well-engineered chat tool will have a learning curve, especially if it includes key resources such as CarFax integration, Edmunds Data, pre-written responses, and a knowledge base, as our CarChat24 console does.
Keyboard skills – Have you watched your salespeople type out an email lately? Are they touch-typing at a brisk pace or more prone to hunt and peck? What about reading their emails? Are you satisfied that their grammar and punctuation are accurate enough to be conversing with clients in real time. And don’t forget TYPING IN ALL CAPS! That is a cautionary tale all of its own.
Implementing an effective live chat strategy can be a daunting task without a knowledgeable corporate partner like CarChat24. We have had more than a million live chat conversation and can help dealers minimize the roadblocks and maximize the opportunities to generate more leads and increase sales. Call now for a free live chat review.