Today’s auto dealers employ dozens of technologies and services to run their dealerships. Dealers widely recognize automotive call monitoring as one of these essential solutions, as it allows dealers to capture more opportunities, gauge the customer experience and streamline processes.
With so many technologies in use at one time, it can be difficult to ensure that every solution is being used to its fullest extent. What is the best way to ensure that you get the most out of your call monitoring partnership? Here are seven strategies to maximize the ROI of your automotive call monitoring solution.
1. Choose a scalable solution. Even if you don’t anticipate growing your business, choose a solution that can be easily scaled up or down according to call volume and staffing needs. Scalability ensures that the solution can be effective regardless of changes at your dealership or fluctuations in the business cycle.
2. Set clear goals and objectives. When onboarding with a call monitoring provider, make a list of goals that you want to achieve. There was a reason you needed this solution; was it to improve customer satisfaction, capture more leads or make more sales? Once you have a list of your goals, you can tailor your monitoring solution to meet them. Additionally, a list of objectives serves as a guide for which metrics to prioritize.
3. Get buy-in from your team. The success of your call monitoring solution depends on cooperation from your employees. Many people believe that call monitoring solutions are used as a micro-management tool instead of a performance improvement tool. Make sure your team understands the benefits of call data and how it will ultimately help them achieve their career goals and make more money.
4. Use data wisely. The data collected by your call monitoring solution is only valuable if you use it to make informed decisions. Track key metrics to see if your call performance is improving. Use the data to coach staff and enhance training programs.
5. Make data accessible to everyone. If you want to change behavior, transparency is the best strategy. The data collected by your call monitoring solution should be accessible to everyone who needs it, including executives, managers and employees. This helps everyone get on the same page regarding the team’s goals and what they need to do to reach those goals.
6. Track ROI. One way to attach a monetary ROI to your call monitoring investment is to integrate the solution with your CRM. Link call recordings with deal data. This way, you can see if higher sales correlate to certain words, phrases or even times of day that calls were made. Additionally, analyze your team’s conversion rates from call to sale. If some salespeople are converting calls at a higher rate than others, their phone strategies can be shared and replicated.
It also helps to segment call data by source of lead, such as web, referral or email campaign. See if calls from certain channels convert better and optimize marketing strategies appropriately.
7. Provide ongoing training and support. Dealers know that the more their staff uses a technology solution such as a DMS or CRM, the more accurate the insights and the more effective the solution becomes. Call monitoring is no different. The data it provides must be analyzed and used in order for the solution to be effective. Schedule regular training sessions and involve your team in discussions about metrics, phone behaviors, role-playing and customer-facing communications skills. These seven strategies will ensure your dealership achieves maximum performance from its automotive call monitoring investment.
