With 51% of all car dealer website hits happening between the hours of 7pm and 10pm, the question has been raised “should dealers be moving away from the traditional 9 til 5 opening hours and embracing new technology to enable them to service these evening browsers?”
Research carried out by GForces, reveals that despite the fact more than half of all hits to dealer websites take place ‘out of hours’, just 3% of the UK’s top dealers have any facilities to handle the enquiries. The majority of dealers have no way of providing an instant service to any queries that may come in from potential clients after 5pm.
Product and service providers in this day and age have many ways of dealing with customers and sales enquiries, and at any time of day or night it would seem. It is now possible to have live web chats with customers around the clock, all in the name of instant and immediate service. According to this research, most car dealers do not appear to have embraced such technologies, and as a result are potentially missing crucial leads. Although some more internet-savvy dealers have been testing the waters with this type of service in a bid to boost profits. When Peter Vardy launched the service, the sales staff were starting each day with 15 qualified sales enquiries… not a bad way
to begin the day!
“We live in a 24/7 age. These days you can log on to most supermarket websites and enquire about products and potential orders very late at night. By contrast, car dealers still have a 9-to-5 mindset and they’re missing out as a result. Dealers are failing to manage high volumes of potential sales opportunities because they are ill-equipped to handle even the most basic enquiries outside standard opening hours.” Explains Tim Smith, GForces Commercial Director. Smith also felt that not only were dealers missing out on volume of leads, but also on
quality leads, believing that the conversion rate for those customers browsing later at night is better than that of daytime consumers. He goes on to explain “Many consumers with hectic work lives and higher disposable incomes do not have time to enquire about possible vehicle purchases during their working day. Dealers need to manage these high-value sales prospects more effectively”.
And it would appear that Smith knows what he is talking about. GForces have actually launched a live web chat facility on their own website, meaning their consumers are serviced at any time of the day. Smith concludes “It’s vital that dealers create an effective, well-designed website to entice customers, but too many leave the management of the resulting hard-won sales enquiries to chance. By providing a speedy, responsive lead management service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, dealers will be doing everything in their power to ensure that no opportunity slips through the net”.
Think Insurance, the specialist motor trade insurance provider urge all motor traders to take heed of this advice. Embracing new technologies could make all the difference to the success of your business.