Don’t Let The Phones Keep Ringing

A strong online presence usually means a higher call volume. This means you need to work the phones better than ever. Questions you should be asking:

• When a customer calls the dealership, where does that call go? Make sure your associates in-store are prepared to respond accordingly.
• If your BDC is currently working from home, are calls routed to their personal phones?
• What happens if a customer has service needs? Can you accommodate them at their home, or can a technician offer some tips?
• Is your team set to text prospects?

The digital workforce depends on phones. Make sure your sales department has one or more active sales routing options to capture people’s interest and turn them into sales.

For those customers shopping from home, invite them to speak with a member of the sales team to discuss buying and delivery options on new and pre-owned inventory.

Get Some FaceTime

Consider taking to video. Do all you can to help simulate the car-buying experience from a virtual setting.
Don’t shy away from being creative. Here are some ideas to think about:

• Use your service scheduling tool to make FaceTime appointments to discuss inventory and delivery options.
• Record more vehicle walk-throughs and feature demos on video. (Video test drives are not recommended.)
• Consider going live on a social media platform to open a Q&A on financing options, test drive deliveries, at-home vehicle service, or other ways your dealership is adapting to current concerns.

Be aware, the purpose of these calls may vary greatly right now, based on circumstance. These calls could range from the “discovery/information-gathering” phase, where prospects are early in the buying process, to the “buy now” phase, where customers are looking for convenience and immediacy for vehicle purchase and delivery.

Buyers still value face-to-face interaction. If you can’t get in front of them all in person, be creative and use technology.