Why 24-Hour Chat is Absolutely Necessary

Depending on who you ask, there are those in the automotive industry who would say that a persistent chat presence is not important. Others would say that it’s imperative. The position of a vendor is often determined by whether or not they offer 24/7 chat.

The reality is this: 24-hour coverage for chat is costly to vendors, cuts into the bottom line, and creates logistics challenges that many simply don’t want to take on for their company. The other reality is this: 24/7 chat is the best thing for your customers and your dealership.

People do not follow any particular schedule. In fact, our extensive research has found that many people prefer to do their automotive research at the end or beginning of their day. They come home from work, have dinner with the family, spend some time with the kids, and then begin the task of exploring various dealership websites in search for their next purchase. In most situations, a customer is willing to wait until the morning to contact the dealership. However, there are instances when having instant information and an avenue to connect with the dealership to answer their questions immediately is a benefit to the customer and a bonus in their eyes for the dealership that is attending to them on their schedule.

Buying a vehicle is an extremely important task. For some people, it’s a life event. They get excited. If they have searched a website and found what they perceive to be the perfect vehicle, their excitement level escalates and they want to get more information now. Will you be their to answer their questions late at night? Is there someone manning the phones or watching for overnight leads? Normally, the answer to these questions is, “No.”

That’s a good thing… for you. With Car Chat 24, we’ll be able to be that point of contact when nobody else is there for your customers. We can answer their questions, collect their information, and have an excited customer ready for you to talk to in the morning. Compare that to the experience they will have with your competitors who are not there late at night for them, who have not demonstrated a strong desire to earn their business by being available on their schedule. You will stand out from your competitors with Car Chat 24.

It’s more than just sales. Service is often a matter of timing. Your customers may realize at night that they need to drop their car off for service in the morning and they may have some questions that they need answered before the store even opens. Having a 24/7 chat service available to them overnight can be the difference between them going to your store in the morning or someone else’s store.

The debate over whether or not to have chat available 24-hours a day or not will rage on until every chat provider follows our lead or until enough dealers are willing to be there for their customers when they need them regardless of the time. Whichever happens first, the conclusion will be the same: 24/7 chat is the only way to truly serve your customers and take advantage of all potential sales and service opportunities.