We've seen a rise in website chat for car dealers where fancy gadgets are popping up to "disrupt". Without exception, they are more bark than bite.

Should dealers handle their own chat or should they use a chat service? There are compelling reasons for both options.

A fast food hamburger patty and a prime New York Strip are both beef, but that doesn't mean that they're the same thing. This principle holds true for dealership chat providers.

Are there really people shopping for cars after hours? Do people really have chat conversations when they know the dealership isn’t open?

As much as we'd like to say every car dealership in North America should have chat on their website, we realize that it's not the right fit for everyone…

One thing is certain: there are still plenty of dealers out there missing out on the low-hanging fruit when it comes to website enhancements.

This isn’t a new topic of discussion by any means but it’s a question that keeps popping up, so we’ll answer it a little differently this time. Chat should be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Even with the best-designed mobile chat interface that is continuously updated, we continue to adapt to the changing mobile phone marketplace.

If you're like most dealers, you've seen a decrease in the number of leads that your website is generating. The perplexing thing is that sales are, in general, increasing. Does this mean that lead generation is dying?

Is a bad looking suit better than no suit? Is a bad paint job better than no paint job? Is bad chat better than no chat? The answer to all these questions is a resounding NO!