What’s Right For Your Store: Managed Chat vs. In-house Chat?

Among the classic debates that exist within the retail automotive segment is whether or not you should manage your chat activities in-house or use a managed chat provider?

So, if you’re evaluating a change to your current structure or looking to implement chat as an element within your lead management process here’s a look at both options.

We would love to hear about your experiences – pros and cons of each as well.

Heres are some of the strongest cases for implementing a managed char solution. What’s managed chat? This is when another company manages a dealership’s chat processes by answering the incoming chats either 24/7 or possibly while the store is closed. (Best practices inspired by ActivEngage)

• More Experience: A managed chat provider is going to provide more staff with a higher level of chat experience. They will be amiliar with the chat tool’s functionality, the reporting and most importantly the tracks used to convert conversations to appointments.
• More Bandwith: A managed chat solution won’t disrupt the flow of your sales or BDC staff allowing them to focus on lead management, follow-up activities and other deep CRM activities that are better suited to their skills. Less time will also be spent on bringing your staff up to speed on how to manage these activities. Managed chat staff is only focused on answer customer chat, not multitasking with other activities.
• Higher Service Levels: A managed chat solution will insure your online customers have greater access to communicate with your dealership while also making sure nobody is ever waiting to chat with someone. And just as important is making sure your chat tool is never “off” during normal business.
• Improved Historical Performance: Managed chat outperforms in-house with regards to the response time it takes to answer a chat, the amount of total chat engaged and the total number of leads captured.

Statistics to Consider: 

• According to the 2013 Accenture Automobile Survey, 68% of consumers welcome the opportunity to chat with a dealer.
• In the 2013 Contact At Once! Dealer Survey, 76% of our dealer customers say their shoppers prefer chat over filling out a lead form.
• 60% of Contact At Once! clients say they sell 5 or more cars a month to shoppers who have chatted with the dealership.
• The 2012 R.L. Polk Analysis (commissioned by Contact At Once!) revealed that 1 in 3 identifiable auto shoppers who initiated chats also purchased a vehicle in 60 days or less. The analysis also found that these buyers who chat come from multiple locations:
  • 35.3% purchased from a third-party ad listing site
  • 31.5% purchased from a dealership site
  • 31.6% purchased from an OEM site