Thanks to the new mobile chat function on Cars.com, which has now been made available to all dealers using the website, an Alabama auto dealership experienced increased ROI–proving mobile as an indispensable marketing tool in the workplace.
Phil Amason, a sales consultant at Buster Miles Chevrolet Dealership in Heflin, Alabama, said in a release that his company experienced a rise in business after he began testing the new mobile chat enhancement. “I was able to accept two chats last month that I would not have been available for if it weren’t for mobile chat. I know this resulted in two sales. They were two hard, trackable sales,” he said.
Mobile also seems to trump other forms of communication, even digital messages like email, between car-buyers and car-sellers. That’s probably because of the instantly-gratifying nature of mobile. “In my experience, appointment rates are higher with live chat compared to traditional email and phone appointments. There seems to be a better quality interaction because of minimal delay in response,” Amason said.
Dealership employees join other professionals who, we’ve reported earlier, are willing to respond to mobile communications even during non-business hours, or while they’re doing other tasks. “Mobile chat allows salespeople to be more responsive to shoppers’ inquiries, even if they’ve stepped away from their desk,” said Michael Page, Cars.com vice president of advertising products.
Page added, “Dealers can respond at shoppers’ convenience, giving them the information they need to take the next step toward a purchase. With the popularity of smartphones in the store, dealers can use this capability to enhance their customer service and sell more cars.”
Perhaps a good bonus for top auto salespeople would be a new smartphone. Even better, perhaps dealerships can provide these phones to them free of charge, as a perk–and an invaluable sales tool.