Create an Automotive Digital Experience that Sells

Whether or not the auto dealership is dead, what’s certain is that dealerships need to evolve to address the changes in how customers research and buy cars. More people are starting their car journey process and buy higher-end products traditionally sold in stores online. Some dealerships have even begun using online platforms to provide a more robust shopping experience for their customers.

This change is happening because your customers are looking for a smoother, more intuitive, and flexible buying experience. Some 90 percent of customers want an online buying process for cars. If you’re using traditional e-commerce tools and methods, it just isn’t possible to sell a product as in-depth as a car online. When you begin using live engagement, you can bring the in-person experience online, meeting your customers where they are.

How to create a buying process that sells

Understanding that your customers want to have access to search for automobiles online. If you want to create a seamless online experience for your customers, here’s what a live engagement strategy could look like:

• Your customer is first approached by a ChatBOT to get the online search process started. The BOT could ask questions like:
  • What kind of car/truck are you looking for? 
  • Do you have any specific needs (i.e. SUV, family car, sports car, truck, etc.)
  • Are you looking for a specific brand?
  • What year are you looking for?
• When your customer is ready to speak to a customer service representative and begin focusing in on the nuance of buying a vehicle, your ChatBOT will seamlessly transfer them to a representative.
  • Do you have any kids?
  • What’s the weather like where you live?
  • Do you have any specialized needs (off-road usage for instance)?
• Both your BOT and customer service representative can use co-browsing to take your customers to the car or category of cars/trucks they are looking for and making their options accessible to them, so they can search together, online.
• Once your customer service representative and BOT have narrowed down the cars your customer is looking for, you can use video chat to really dive into the details. For example, with video chat, your customer service representative is able to give your customer a virtual in-depth tour of the car, showing them all of the fine details, down to the stitching, creating a virtual showroom.
• Your customer service representative can then use co-browsing and co-form filling, which is when your representative and customer simultaneously fill out a form while using two different devices. This helps your customers see if they financially qualify for the vehicle they want.  
• This process streamlines the journey from web visitors, to sales by also giving your customer service representative the opportunity to schedule a test drive. Creating an experience where the customer gets all their questions answered online, drives the car, and closes.

Whether the dealership is dead or not is up for debate, the world is evolving, and the automotive industry needs to evolve with it. Your customers are demanding an online experience and you need to bring your dealership online to take advantage of the change. To learn how you can bring your dealership in line with the 2020s demands, sign up for our webinar and learn how to use live-engagement to power up your dealership.