Virtual services and chat software have been growing in popularity in recent times. Businesses have been taking advantage of virtual secretarial services to give 24-hour support to their customers, and start-ups are using virtual offices to create an impression of size and professionality.

Live chat software has also been adopted by many businesses to give customer satisfaction around the clock. It is Asia Pacific that dominates the live chat market according to Business Wire. Regardless, a look at the industries that are using live chat, shows that one stands out though.

Realtors, ecommerce businesses, online healthcare, and others are enjoying the benefits of live chat on their websites, but it is car dealers who are surprisingly making use of this software to help sell vehicles.

What is the link between digital car retail and chat software?

Car dealers have been using digital retail to help sell more vehicles for some time, and it is starting to take a piece of the overall automobile retail market.

It would be too simplistic to say that live chat puts a salesperson online to convince customers to buy a car. Live chat adds many benefits to the customer experience while browsing for cars online.

Digital car retail sites can display a number of models and vehicle types. They can show transparent pricing, allow the visitor to search for a particular car, and then even set up financing. But without assistance online, the sale could fall flat very quickly.

There is a very high bounce rate on websites in general, so having live chat to assist the visitor is critical in converting visits to sales. Visitor Chat software puts a live operator with knowledge about automobiles right on the webpage, and therefore, in the customer’s home.

Why don’t car dealers use chatbots instead of live chat?

Chatbots would no doubt be cheaper than using live operators, and they do have their place. Chatbots can be used to gather information that is then passed over to sales teams to follow up with. This can help to retain customers and increase sales revenue.

However, there are other ways that live chat can help you to grow a business that chatbots cannot. A live operator who is actually experienced in the appropriate field will be able to answer detailed questions that a chatbot cannot. They can also potentially upsell, or pass the conversation over to a sales representative for the car dealer.

How does chat software help car dealers to sell digitally?

There are a number of ways in which chat software can help car dealers increase their sales. While it may seem that live chat is primarily there to help with digital sales, it can also increase the turnaround of stock in showrooms.

Not every conversion happens online. Some visitors will be persuaded to purchase a car through the website and the assistance provided by live chat, but they may still prefer to visit the showroom to finish the purchase.

Here are some ways that live chat can help with increased sales online, and off.

Instant response and feedback

One of the most significant things that consumers talk about is being able to get an instant response. Patience can run thin when browsing the net, and today, consumers expect things to occur much quicker than in the past. A quick response to a question may make all the difference in the consumer’s choice to make a purchase or not.

Improved customer service

It has been reported that live chat has improved customer satisfaction according to Forbes. It is also reported that around 40% of consumers actually expect to find a live chat window when they visit a website. Customer satisfaction and support are vital for making sales online, and especially for creating loyal returning customers.

Live chat can provide assistance, answer queries, listen to feedback, and help with any complaints a consumer may have.

Improves trust online

Chatbots may have their place, but live operators can instill trust while the visitor is online. Knowing that there is a real person on the other end of the conversation can certainly bring trust into the equation. After all, buying a car is a big purchase, there will be questions to ask, and trust is vital in this area. 

Helps turn leads into conversions

Live chat operators may not take a visitor all the way through the sale, but they can hand leads over to the showroom at the right time. The online assistance that live chat brings can help with a higher conversion rate.

Reporting on call center management

Live chat can also provide the car dealer with full reporting. Various call center tech can offer different services, and reports can offer valuable key insights into the whole digital sales process.

Summary

Companies as diverse as Toys R Us and Harvey Norman are employing live chat software now to great effect. The modern car dealership needs to look at digital retail to head into the future, but this can’t be done successfully without some human input.

Live chat can help to provide such assistance to visitors online that conversions will grow, and digital car retail will take an ever-growing chunk out of the maret.