Despite the many significant changes in the automotive industry in the last few years, the retail automotive business is still, at its heart, a numbers game. The more leads you have, the more appointments you set and the more cars you sell.
However, the number of quality new leads that can be generated is finite. What matters more than volume is how you handle those leads. That’s where automotive call monitoring solutions make a significant impact. A call monitoring system allows dealerships to track, record and analyze incoming calls, providing valuable insights into customer interactions.
By analyzing call patterns and customer behavior, dealerships can better identify low-funnel leads, understand customer preferences, and tailor marketing and sales strategies accordingly. This allows employees to deliver targeted follow-ups and personalized engagement, leading to higher lead conversion rates.
Here are best practices for utilizing an automotive call monitoring solution to optimize your dealership’s lead conversion strategy.
INTEGRATE CALL MONITORING WITH SALES
Call monitoring offers insights such as:
• how well your team members handle callers
• who answers the phone (and who doesn’t)
• which team members require more training
• how often leads are converted into appointments, caller intent and days/times when most calls occur
This information can be used to focus training sessions, develop new processes and manage the working hours of staff.
Integrating call monitoring data into lead nurturing strategies ensures that each lead receives personalized attention and tailored communication. Additionally, call data can be used in sales forecasting and performance evaluation, providing a comprehensive view of the sales process and empowering managers to make data-driven decisions.
LOG CALL DETAILS IN THE CRM
To deliver a seamless customer experience, it’s essential to log all call details in the customer relationship management (CRM) system. This allows employees to access customer history, prevent redundant conversations and ensure follow-up actions are taken.
Integration of a call monitoring solution with your CRM greatly streamlines this process. Call monitoring solutions can automatically log call details, transcripts and summaries, saving time and ensuring accurate customer data.
A sampling of data that can be automatically captured and stored in the CRM includes the call’s geographic origin, time and length of the call, the caller’s name, location and purchase or service history.
ANALYZE MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
Automotive call monitoring allows marketers to better understand how customers found you. Did they call after viewing a digital ad, a social media post, an email or a billboard? Monitoring data also allows marketers to understand where calls are coming from geographically and where your best customers are located.
Marketers can use this data to design new marketing campaigns that will generate more leads.
DEVELOP AN OUTREACH PLAN FOR ALERTS
One of the biggest problems at dealerships is unanswered calls. Our data analysis shows that 77% of unanswered calls in a month do not leave a voicemail. Forty percent of these calls are directed to sales and 35% belong to service. Every unanswered call is potentially a lost lead, so dealers can’t afford to let this problem continue. Call monitoring software sends real-time notifications whenever a potential lead has been lost.
One mistake that dealers make is not updating their alerts list. Due to staff turnover and technology changes, it’s critical to keep an organized list of managers and staff who receive deal-saving alerts so that they can take immediate action.
In addition to alerts, develop a written outreach plan so that alert recipients know exactly how to handle different situations. The plan should include clear roles, expectations and even scripts, to ensure smooth customer interactions and increase the chances of converting leads.
IMPROVE TRAINING AND PROCESSES
Mishandled calls provide valuable learning opportunities. Dealerships can leverage call monitoring data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Handle isolated incidents with one-on-one training to address specific shortcomings. If calls are frequently mishandled, comprehensive staff-wide training can enhance the entire team’s performance. Use call recordings and transcripts in coaching sessions designed to improve phone skills and deliver exceptional customer service.
In addition to training, automotive call monitoring data can be used to develop or streamline the sales process so that leads are more efficiently handled. If leads frequently slip through the cracks due to a recurring problem, address the situation with the sales team and ask them to help establish a new process.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Automotive call monitoring is a powerful tool to maximize lead conversion rates. Following these best practices will help dealerships enhance their lead-generation efforts and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
