live chat strategy for car dealers

Why You Need to Join the Mobile Chat Revolution

Written By Ted Rubin

mobile_phone_taking_pic2“Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.” -- Victor Hugo

As the live chat industry grows, chat technology is getting better every day. New ideas are creating new chat features, and it’s important to know what options are out there that make tasks easier for your chat team and your online shopper’s chat experience more helpful.

The Mobile Chat Revolution

Recently, we at ActivEngage decided it was time to raise the mobile chat bar, and so we launched our newly updated mobile chat app with picture-taking capabilities.

This single change in dealer-to-consumer mobile interaction is so important to the customer experience. It provides a way for a dealership’s in-house chat team to offer something to their online shoppers that has never been possible before now.

Real-time pictures.

Now, we all know how powerful images presented on your website can be in driving sales. However, when a dealership’s website isn’t up-to-speed on getting that content posted or when a shopper would like to see an angle or detail about the vehicle that isn’t already shown on the website, it’s extremely helpful to send the requested pictures within a chat conversation in real-time.

More Efficiency. Faster Transactions.

Before we launched our updated mobile chat app, a shopper would request a photo in the chat conversation, and the chat rep would have to follow up via email to send them the photo.

However, by using our mobile chat app, now your team can instantly transfer their conversation from their desktop to our mobile app, and continue to speak with the shopper while they walk out to the lot to take a picture of the vehicle.

This picture-taking capability is particularly helpful in cases where:

  • The vehicle is not shown on the website (the shopper is seeing only a stock image or “photo coming soon” image).
  • The shopper wants to see something specific that isn’t shown in the images already on the website - such as the mileage, the vehicle’s interior color, a scratch or dent, a different angle of the vehicle, etc.
  • The shopper is new to the dealership and would like to know who to look for when they come in for an appointment for a test drive or service repair

Being able to send real-time pictures during a chat eliminates the hassle of an email follow-up and streamlines the sales process by getting the shopper into the showroom immediately!

By giving shoppers the information they need in real-time, they will be more ready to set an appointment for a test drive.

More Transparency = Happy Aftermarket Customers.

vehicle_picture_in_phoneBeing able to send pictures via chat not only streamlines your processes, it also improves your reputation for transparency.

Many service customers can be wary about getting their vehicle serviced and want to know that honest and professional work was done on their vehicle.

Now, in order to appease chatting service customers, chat reps can send “before and after” pictures of a vehicle repair during a chat and show the customer that their vehicle is ready for pickup. They can also show if the vehicle is still being worked on, or discuss additional needed repairs with pictures for visual aid (which means more service revenue for you!).

By providing real-time photographic evidence, shoppers will know you aren’t trying to hide anything. They’ll appreciate the full disclosure, and will be more likely to return to your service bays for additional work in the future.

That’s right - sending pictures of vehicle repairs via our mobile chat app can actually improve your customer loyalty!

The Time for Mobile Chat with Advanced Features is...NOW!

Victor Hugo was right. The time for the idea of mobile chat with picture-taking capabilities has come. And by realizing its power for your automotive marketing strategy, you have the ability to make more money - RIGHT NOW!

And isn’t that we all want? Better results and more money?!

This is why your dealership needs to join the mobile chat revolution! The time is now!

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Ready to discover how ActivEngage helps your dealership succeed?