Orlando, Florida — (June 02, 2009) ActivEngage (www.ActivEngage.com), the automotive industry's premier provider of proactive live chat with business intelligence for dealer websites, today announced the release of the Live Chat Buyers' Guide, a new eBook for automotive dealers. Eleven Key Questions to Ask any Live Chat Provider before You Buy helps educate dealers about the most critical requirements for live chat success and details the questions dealers should discuss with any chat vendor. As consumers increasingly use and expect live chat on dealership websites, and more options become available, it is more important than ever for dealers to make the best decision for their dealership needs.

The new eBook guides dealers through the discussion they need to have with chat vendors to ensure success and addresses the best in class technology, service and support capabilities that chat vendors should offer dealerships. The main focus of the Buyers' Guide helps dealers determine whether a chat vendor merely offers IM technology, or a true chat application with business intelligence. Business intelligence enables the most effective live chat because it allows dealers to leverage knowledge about the customer's behavior, before they engage them in conversation, and it facilitates a high level of personalization that IM technology does not allow. This is key for increased website lead generation. Other questions are designed to help dealers assess how much experience chat vendors have with meeting the unique needs of dealerships, another important determinant of success. The questions also allow dealers to gauge how progressive providers' technical capabilities are and how adept vendors are at integrating chat with other communication channels, in addition to the dealership website.

“Increasingly, dealers now realize the benefits that live chat can offer to enhance customer service and qualified lead generation at the dealership website,” commented Todd Smith, ActivEngage co-founder. “We created the eBook Buyers' Guide to help all dealers make the most well-informed purchase decision, based on their particular dealership needs. Effective live chat is not about putting a “click-to-chat” button the website and it's not just about the technology. The best vendors will also offer dealers the business intelligence and services that can easily double or triple website leads when used properly. Live chat is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to increase first-party leads, and that is more important than ever today.”

Download the Live Chat Buyers' Guide at http://www.ActivEngage.com/DealerLiveChatBuyersGuide.shtml

About ActivEngage: (www.ActivEngage.com)
ActivEngage’s proprietary business logic was designed in dealerships to meet the needs of sophisticated automotive shoppers. It laser targets each website visitor with the exact right message at the exact right time to get them to take action. The system has been strenuously tested for every type of dealership. It works because the company founders have over 30 years of retail automotive and technology experience, giving ActivEngage a true 360° understanding of the needs of automotive shoppers. Partnering with ActivEngage increases lead generation and offsets the increasing marketing costs associated with the sale of new and pre-owned automobiles. 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.