What the Big Game Means to Your Dealership

The Big Game is the most watched television event of the year, and it’s just a few weeks away. Of course, OEMs are spending millions of dollars in television advertising dollars during commercial breaks. In fact, 25% of commercials during the Big Game are automotive.[1]

Thanks to this huge investment, calls to dealerships the day after the Big Game have seen an average increase of 513%.[2]

A complete phone system fully equipped to take on this increase in traffic can help you make the most of the increased opportunities you receive in a few ways:

1. Instant customer information. Before you even pick up the phone, you should know name, address, phone number, vehicle information, and appointment, service, and deal history – just to name a few. The more background information you have on a customer, the smoother the conversation will go and the faster you can meet the customer’s needs.

Here’s another example: marketing activity. Especially after the Big Game, customers will be browsing your website for inventory and prices. Your phone system should tie to your website so dealership personnel are aware of the customer’s interactions. If the customer was looking at VIN 3C6UR5DJ1KG579495 ten minutes ago, the employee answering the phone will know right away.

2. One click away functionality. Customers calling your dealership after the Big Game are likely calling about a specific vehicle and wanting to make an appointment. Your phone system should be able to schedule appointments (in both sales and service) and have the customer’s profile transfer automatically to the appointment in your CRM or DMS. You should never have to rekey information. Not only is this wasted time, but you could be transferring information inaccurately. You wouldn’t want a customer to show up for an appointment you weren’t ready for…

3. Status availability. Most dealership calls run through a receptionist, who is largely responsible for directing call traffic. Your receptionist should have a view of other employees currently logged in, on another call, or away from their desk. Perhaps the receptionist transferred to the wrong salesperson, but realized her mistake seconds after selecting the wrong one. She should have the option to retrieve the call instead of waiting for it to come back around in the queue. Small things like this help speed up processes and improve the customer’s experience.

4. Call forwarding. How often are your salespeople actually at their desks? Your phone system should enable call forwarding to mobile devices so salespeople never miss a call. The more unanswered calls in your dealership, the more likely it is customers are going to call someone else. Call forwarding helps keep customers where you want them – doing business with your store.

Bonus point: Consider implementing a BDC. Not only will a BDC help you manage calls during high traffic seasons, but it will help you year round. Salespeople can focus on the customer in front of them or the task at hand while BDC personnel can manage appointments and follow-up.

If your phone system crosses these t’s and dots these i’s, you won’t need to worry about bribing your staff with snacks, drinks, or prizes the morning after the Big Game when calls are expected to be heavy. Their job will be easy and seamless from the get-go. That’s what it’s all about – creating an effortless experience the moment the phone rings.

[1] Marketing Charts

[2] Auto Remarketing

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