Hold the Phone – Or Don’t

Some people might think the phone is so yesterday, but the reality is, many customers still want to actually talk to a person. And picking up the phone benefits dealers, too. In fact, 45 percent of calls into an automotive dealership are from new customers. But what if we told you that 1 in 5 of those calls go unanswered? Missing those calls could mean missing out on a lot of money for your dealership.

According to a recent CDK Global study, 22.5 percent of Service and 22.8 percent of Sales calls go unanswered. Pretty scary, right? But what’s even scarier is what happens when we tie potential revenue to those numbers. Based on the average dealership, missing those calls could mean missing thousands of profit dollars each year.

So, if simply answering the phone could mean so much more opportunity for your dealership, how can you make sure those calls aren’t missed?

Get Mobile

Phones made the jump to mobile a long time ago now, but many dealerships haven’t made the switch. While many individual salespeople at dealerships use their mobile phones to connect with customers, the dealership itself hasn’t made the jump – and that means missed calls and missed opportunities. Instead of letting each salesperson use their personal numbers, enable your dealership’s phone system to route to their mobile phones, utilizing both voice and text. That way, as your teams are on the go, they won’t miss any calls or opportunities to connect with customers.

Get Connected

Use collaboration apps in your dealership’s network to make sure you can direct your customers to the right people quickly. Tools like chat and video allow you to see who’s available, ask quick questions and find the answers for your customers without having to bounce them from person to person. By using collaboration apps, Service will no longer need to walk back and forth to the Parts counter, and F&I Managers can easily communicate with Sales when closing a deal.

Get to the Cloud

From a technology standpoint, embracing cloud-based or hosted IP phone solutions can make all the difference. When phone service is delivered through the cloud, employees can be walking the lot, on a test drive, or on the showroom floor. Suddenly a dealership is far better equipped to deliver the level of service customers need and expect – all while saving time and money that a traditional phone system would cost. So, when it comes to your phones, make sure you’re doing everything in your power to get them answered. Stop missing those calls and you’ll stop missing out on the profit.