Page 6 - CIADA-Winter2020

How to Use Live Engagement to Give

Your Dealership a Competitive Edge

By Priya Iyer, Chairman & CEO, Vee24

Auto dealers already have robust websites. customers. As many as 54 percent of peo- quickly help point shoppers to the informa-
A large majority of consumers start their car ple say they would prefer to buy a car com- tion they are seeking. BOTs can help shop-
buying journey with online research, so it’s pletely online, without having to leave their pers with all sorts of tasks including com-
essential that dealerships have easy-to-nav- home. Many people still want to test drive a pleting forms and paperwork. AI-based
igate sites with plenty of information. The car or see it in person before a purchase, but ChatBOTs are very efficient at qualifying
key to success, though, is to engage with there is no doubt that the majority of the customers and routing them to live agents
online customers and offer the same kind car buying process can be done from the for assistance when the time is right. These
of personal, responsive service that’s avail- comfort of home. are some of the very basic features most
able inside the dealership. Many dealers al- auto dealers are using today, but there is so
ready use AI, chat, and BOTs to strengthen Eighty-seven percent of car shoppers are much more that you can do to refine the
their online service. Those businesses that starting their car buying journeys online, customer experience and help build brand
are going to dominate in this auto market- and these customers are looking for a loyalty via live engagement.
place are the ones that also leverage live en- smoother, more intuitive and flexible buy-
gagement on their websites to provide the ing experience. Live engagement can help Shoppers who are connected with a live
most comprehensive personal service to auto dealers bring the “personal feel” of agent can get an up-close look at a specific
prospective customers. customer service to the online experience, vehicle. The agent can use a mobile camera
while still allowing the customer to shop to conduct a guided tour of a vehicle, fo-
CAR SHOPPING HAS EVOLVED from the comfort of their couch. cusing on the elements that are important
to the customer. This is useful in new car
While consumers previously visited an ENGAGING CUSTOMERS ONLINE sales, but even more impactful for used car
average of seven car dealers before a pur- sales. The customer can see the condition
chase, car buyers now average 1.6 dealer- Customers come to a dealership’s website to of the car live without needing to go into
ship visits. So, it goes without saying that see what cars are on the lot, look at detailed the dealership. This live engagement feature
consumers are doing more and more of the specs on various models, or to get a sense transforms the online car shopping experi-
legwork to research their auto purchase on- of what the price of specific vehicles will be. ence by bringing the vehicles to life for the
line, and auto dealer websites have had to At this point, many dealerships use BOTs customer.
evolve to serve the needs of these potential on their sites to answer easy questions and

5 | FRONT LINE | CIADA.ORG WINTER 2020