The pandemic has caused a great deal of Americans to seek out used vehicles instead of riding public transportation, which means it’s a wonderful time to be operating a used car lot. That being said, just because used cars are in high demand, doesn’t necessarily mean that your dealership is prepared to meet that demand. Having the right staff members and tools can go a long way in helping to ensure that you’re able to give to best service to your customers.
One of the biggest pieces of technology you may want to adapt while more consumers are looking for a cheap car for sale is a piece of call center software to help your customer service department. Of course, you might not even be sure how important a customer service department is for your dealership in the first place; however, it’s generally accepted that these sorts of call centers can be incredibly beneficial for sales departments in particular. Here are a few things to keep in mind about the benefits of customer service agents and your used car business.
Customer service departments are your first line of connection to potential customers.
When a buyer is interested in a new car, they usually come in to see what’s on the showroom floor. However, when a consumer is interested in buying a used car, they likely have an idea already, regarding what they’re interested in purchasing. As a result, they’re more likely to check out trade ads and online listings before they come to visit a dealership. Many times, a customer service department can initiate contact with these potential buyers via email, text, phone, or live webchat.
Being able to talk to customers once they’ve visited your website, or called and spoken with a call center agent about your flexibility with a certain price point, is a major assist for if you want to close a deal. Remember that used car buyers are ultimately looking for a great condition but for the lowest price possible, so learning everything that you can about their wants and needs can keep them shopping with your dealership instead of another.
Outbound call agents are just as important as inbound call agents.
Having a customer service team, or customer experience department, to manage your outbound calls as well as your inbound calls makes for a more successful customer service ecosystem. This is, in part, because different customer service representatives will have different specialties, and partly due to the wide variety of claims and calls you may need to process in a given week. For example, some people may be calling to see if their financing has gone through, while others will just want to know what sorts of Hondas or Toyotas you have in stock. After getting their contact information, being able to follow up on past visitors who’ve yet to make a purchase, is thus just as important as fielding inquiries you receive in real-time.
The right software platform has features that can boost agent productivity.
So, how do you expect your customer support agents and customer service representatives to successfully manage all of these roles, and still give a quality customer service? The answer, unsurprisingly in the year 2020, comes down to software. Customer service call center software offers a host of powerful features that make it easier for your customer service agents to do their work. Whether that’s routing specific queries to agents who’re best-equipped to handle these requests, or offering omnichannel support so customers can engage with you via the communication platform that is most convenient for them, the right call center software solution can improve both agent and customer satisfaction.
Another key feature of many call center software suites is integration with your existing Customer Relationship Management (or CRM) database. Whether you use Salesforce or a different platform, being able to have your agents quickly reference what email communications or previous customer calls has been made to your dealership, can go a long way in offering the personalized and exceptional customer service which is guarenteed to make a sale.
