As you know, text messaging and SMS is quickly becoming the preferred communication method for car shoppers engaging with businesses. In fact, a recent Google study shows that car buyers no longer prefer to call the dealership, send emails, or fill out a form.
Instead, today’s shoppers are increasingly turning to live chat and text to connect with your dealership business directly. No doubt, this is why Google added business messaging. This feature allows you to chat directly with customers who find your car dealership's google business profile on Google Search.
Why Google Business Messages Matter
You might be asking yourself:
“What does adding chat to my Google Business Profile do for my car dealership?”
If you’re familiar with Google’s micro-movements, then you know the importance of addressing the needs of your online car shopper customers, committing to being there for them, and being useful every time your business is accessed to help advance and enhance their unique buying journey.
With modern SEO being a tense and tough race to the top, and with more people than ever using Google to discover a local business and other goods and services, it is absolutely essential that you outfit your Google business profile listing or business app with Google's business messages capability. You'll want all the assistance you can get from the almighty Google algorithm to ensure your business name is visible to all the right eyes.
This is true for both sales and service, but possibly even more so for service; customers are getting service and repairs far more often than buying new cars. And when customers aren't sure where to turn for their routine maintenance and oil changes, they'll be heading straight to Google to look for businesses, guaranteed!
You'll want to be equipped with modern instant messaging capabilities, and a message button right on your Google My Business profile.
By turning on business messages for your local Google My Business listing, you can:
1. Reach and engage more text messaging/desktop chatting car shoppers to get more traffic in your dealership showroom and service department.
2. Increase sales and service appointments for your dealership.
3. Leverage your local SEO efforts to reach car buyers when it matters most, and wherever they are in their unique customer journey.
How Do I Enable Chat on Google Business?
Exciting news! You now have the power to instantly connect and engage with anyone on Google looking for your dealership or similar businesses with ActivEngage live chat. Thanks to our Google My Business Integration, your BDC team (or ours!) can engage mobile and desktop car shoppers right on your free Google listing business account.
With ActivEngage's highly-trained Customer Experience Experts, you can rest assured that great engagement starts extra early by placing our services at the frontline of your discoverable dealership and business profile; before they even get on your business website!
If you’re an ActivEngage customer and Google, turning on the live chat feature for Google Business Profile is quick and easy to do with our dedicated Support Team/Customer Care:
STEP 1: Get your unique SMS phone number for your Google Business Profile from ActivEngage Support.
STEP 2: Go to your Google My Business Profile account, and click Edit number on the right side of the Chat card.
STEP 3: Enter your phone number and notify ActivEngage Support to receive a confirmation code.
STEP 4: Input your Google My Business confirmation code received from ActivEngage Support.
That’s it — you’re ready to rock! If you’re an ActivEngage software customer, you'll be able to leverage all the awesome features of our ultra-stable, web-based console with mobile and desktop shoppers clicking to chat from your Google business listing and using Google Business Messages.
If you’re using our managed chat service, our team of customer service experts will assist your customers 24/7. So sit back, and get ready for some hot, fresh leads from chat on your business listing!
Use the Power of Google Business Profile Chat
Equipping your business profile with ActivEngage's industry-leading live chat/managed messaging services gives you the ultimate headstart and leg up when it comes to engaging local customers with your dealership business or businesses.
Our fully-live managed and co-managed messaging services, and super-stable live chat software help over 14,000 dealerships in the U.S. and Canada engage and empower their car-shopping customers to take action and deepen customer relations.
In addition to those services, we offer a wide array of engagement solutions that can boost your customer experience beyond Google's business messages, like:
- ActivTarget, behavioral offers that engage customers at the perfect time.
- RetailSync, live guidance for complex digital retailing processes.
- MyDrive, virtual test drives and vehicle overviews.
