• Hewlett VW Internet Manager Russell Blackstone sought a cost-effective way to increase lead generation and sales from the dealership website.
• Deployed the ActivEngage full-service live chat solution, ActivConcierge, in December of 2008.
• Live chat website leads now have the highest conversion rate of all lead sources for the dealership.
• First chat that led directly to a vehicle sale was with an 82 year old man who used live chat as sole communication and then drove 86 miles to purchase the vehicle he chatted about.
• ActivEngage live chat virtual sales force is driving in leads for the dealership.
• Dealership website visitors also using live chat extensively for parts and service sales.

“We’re not only using live chat for vehicle sales, but also parts, service, finance, really all dealership profit centers. People can be really impatient and live chat gives them instant gratification. Not all site visitors use the chat, but many of them do and the ones who do have the highest conversion rates. It’s like a gold mine. The service paid for itself in the first month. ActivEngage is a top notch company with a five star level of service, speed and courtesy. I would put them at the top of the list for all vendors we have at the dealership.”

“People are not jaded about chat. When they find out there is a real person who can help them at the dealership website, they are surprised and delighted. Our website visitors just love it. And people who use chat defy stereotypes. All sorts of people chat, not just young, tech-savvy urbanites. It’s also great because sometimes inventory isn’t immediately updated online and the chat agent can tell shoppers exactly what’s available on the lot.”

About ActivEngage (www.ActivEngage.com)

ActivEngage’s proprietary business logic helps automotive dealers meet the needs of shoppers by providing dealerships easy to use, powerful website tools. Advanced live chat services let dealers identify, initiate interaction and communicate with website visitors in real-time. The essential person-to-person Meet & Greet that dealers require at the physical showroom is now possible on the dealership website through ActivEngage. This proactive website engagement decreases abandonment rates and increases website lead generation with the thousands of visitors the average dealership receives each month. ActivEngage provides the edge that dealerships need to engage more customers who browse for information because it starts building a personal relationship with shoppers from the moment they hit the dealership website. ActivEngage offers three tiers of service to ensure that all website visitors' experiences are enjoyable and uncomplicated, thereby increasing the value of dealership websites through better lead generation.

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