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Live Chat Software For The Automotive Sector

WhosOn for Automotive manufacturers and dealerships delivers the following key benefits:
  • Improved Conversion Rates
  • Improved Revenue Streams
  • Improved Customer Satisfaction
  • Increased volume of qualified leads and opportunities
  • Improved Agent productivity
  • Improved Service levels
  • Call cost reduction
Automotive manufacturers and dealers in recent years have experienced a fundamental shift in how potential buyers search for their next vehicle. An astonishing 78% of consumers now conduct their initial research online, even before they set foot in a dealership they will already have formulated an opinion on the make, model, features and target price of a vehicle. The internet now makes it easier for consumers to learn more from third party-sites than they would in comparison to talking directly with a dealer. A prospective buyer can now compare specific makes, models, fuel economy, reputation and reliability in an instant.

Automotive dealerships and manufacturers such as Ford, GM, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota, and VW to name a few, as a reaction to this fundamental shift in buyer behaviour, have invested heavily in their online presence in the hope that it will aid the consumers decision making process. Manufacturers now use a multitude of online tools that enable customers to select and customise their preferred vehicle in real-time, gain pricing information, seek finance approval, or view a video or brochure of a particular make and model. Dealerships themselves are taking their online functionality further, enabling customers to order parts online or book a service, for the consumer this increased convenience is a welcome addition.

The development of new online tools have indeed provided consumers with a wealth of information that they would have previously had to refer to in a printed brochure or would have resulted in a lengthy phone call or even a visit to a dealership. However, despite the investment made by the manufacturers and dealerships these online tools still do little to influence the sale, or push the customer further through the sales process, what they lack is personalised assistance. A website visitor may potentially be interested in a particular vehicle but needs to further clarify that they are making the right choice, for example will it be within budget, just how economical is it? or how to organise a test drive? There is little in place to assist these potential prospects to enable them to make a qualified purchasing decision.

Dealers and manufacturers are quickly realising that they have to provide the same customer service experience, online that consumers would expect to receive in a brick and mortar environment. In order to match this experience they need increased visibility of online visitor activity, so they can easily identify those visitors that are looking to make a purchasing decision, they also need the ability to actively engage these visitors as they would in a showroom environment, to help close a sale.

WhosOn is an online engagement solution that enables dealerships and manufacturers to take control of their website by applying live visitor tracking enabling them to target the right visitor at the right time and live chat to enable them to engage with those visitors to guide them through the sales process.

WhosOn monitors specific website events such as number of page views, length of time on site, or specific landing pages, this gives the dealership a unique insight into the visitors online experience and route they have followed highlighting the visitors particular interest in a vehicle and path to purchase. Site visitors can either choose to click to chat alternatively WhosOn enables proactive invitations to be sent automatically to the visitor to enable them to engage via live chat. Once engaged the chat agent can provide the visitor with further information it maybe to compare and contrast different models or ask about finance. An agent has the ability to push a specific webpage to a visitor or they can attach a file or document, or an image, or even send a digital brochure, with further advancements such as remote control and co-browse this gives the dealership the ability, with visitor permission, complete control of the visitors PC, enabling them to assist with form completion.

Agents have the ability to transfer chats so they can redirect to a vehicle specialist or department such as sales, service, parts or accounts further improving the online customer journey and their overall customer satisfaction. This method of website contact is aimed at mirroring the level of service the customer would expect to receive in a showroom.

From a manufacturer perspective WhosOn also provides the ability for a manufacturer to direct a specific enquiry to a specific dealership within their network, improving the online journey for the visitor, providing seamless integration with relevant dealership in order to improve online conversions.

Real time analytics, a standard feature within WhosOn provides manufacturers and dealerships with detailed reporting on entry pages, abandonment points, navigation paths, and campaign performance, enabling them to refine marketing initiatives in real-time.

The custom form feature of WhosOn enables vehicle details (required make/model, year, color etc) to be taken during live chat sessions. This information can then be emailed (along with the full chat transcript) to a given email address (the salesperson or local dealership) and/or posted to a CRM system.

The screenshot below shows a sample automotive live chat in action:
 
A visitor live chat session to be passed to a car dealership
Automotive Live Chat

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