Is Chat Scavenging Your Other Website Lead Sources?

THE WRONG CHAT CAN COST YOU MONEY

Much like an automobile customer shopping for a new or used vehicle, there are so many factors to consider when adding a dealership website vendor than just price; and chat is no exception.

The most important metric is “does it sell more cars”. But close behind is the question of whether it is pulling, or scavenging, those sales (and website leads) from other sources, especially contact forms.

Sniper-style chat conversations that ambush the shopper at different locations during the shopping journey may look and sound glamorous, but the reality is that watching a website shopper’s journey through different pages like a leopard stalking a gazelle can take a real (and MEASURABLE) toll on contact form counts.

This scavenging has a substantial effect on both the actual COST of chat, and net sales and lead counts. On numerous occasions we have seen dealers make a vendor change based on a flashy presentation and even a free month of service, only to change back because their net numbers had dropped – a LOT.

How can you tell if chat is scavenging your leads? Here are three quick tips:

• Know your lead sources – it sounds simple, but we are constantly surprised by internet managers who don’t know their lead source counts or how to find them
• Ensure CRM accuracy – the best source for lead and conversion data should be your CRM system. BUT, the data has to be constantly monitored to ensure some measure of accuracy. The old adage, ‘garbage in; garbage out’ definitely applies here.
• Monitor trends in data. It isn’t enough to know your numbers on a monthly basis. Take the time to discover changes month over month, quarter over quarter, and even year over year. This won’t just validate (or discredit) your chat investment, but ALL of your digital ad spend.

Chat may be just one piece of the website lead puzzle, but it is an undeniably critical one for for the rest of this decade and beyond. Keeping an eye on the positive – and negative – impact of this key technology can make the difference between a real increase in sales, or merely a bigger expense.