Page 6 - MIADA-Q1 2020-final031920

How to Use Live Engagement to Give

Your Dealership a Competitive Edge

By Priya Iyer, Chairman & CEO, Vee24

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

4 | MIADA MISSISSIPPI DEALER Q1 2020