Early Manager Intervention
Most Dealers know that getting the Manager involved in the deal, as soon as possible, increases closing rates. That second funnel of rapport, trust building and guidance ensure that the customer is happy and on the right page. Of course it also makes that negotiation T.O. easier for everyone and without doubt it sells more cars.
Over the years, smart Dealers have deployed this logic to the Internet Leads by either having the Manager contact every lead or, less effectively, having an automatic email deploy that appears to be signed by the General Manager.
We fail to do this though in one of the most important decision points of the customer journey. The phone call. Many Dealers have a call tracking software in place. Some rely on tools that provide a sea of play buttons that require that they listen to every call and take notes while others invest in their success with the best-in-class solution that uses actual humans to listen to the calls and then provides a short and to the point transcription. At the end of the day though they are tools. It takes process to change behavior.
Extending EMI to the phone up sells cars. It protects CSI, identifies training opportunities and keeps the Manager in touch with what is really going on. It is that important.
To make it successful, time is of the essence. If a sales rep. is on the phone with a customer and they tell them that the car they are interested in is sold and "thanks for calling" then minutes matter! A Manager can put on his cape, fly in and save the deal if he knows about that call in minutes. After a few hours it is difficult. More than that and it is long shot. If it is a day or two later it is nearly improbable.
If the customer calls and is already upset; they were made a promise that was not fulfilled, they already called on the matter, or worse it is a budding problem that a team member is avoiding...time matters. The longer the customer waits, the more upset they can grow. The more they work to find satisfaction. Whether that is purchasing somewhere else, a bad Social Media Review or even a call to the Manufacturer. If a Manager can get involved quickly the situation can be diffused. The customer can be heard, order is restored and I can use that to train the team.
So that means I need to get to the information quickly. I need to be able to know when that call is handled without being over-informed so I get paralyzed by too much data. I can resolved this with a lesser solution and dedicated labor, or I can use a dedicated solution that reduces labor.
Lets look at the first way first. Let's say you are getting 50 phone calls per business day. That is an average of 5 calls per hour, plus out bound calls. You can set email alerts for every connected call that is more than 1 minute. When the call is completed the recording is emailed to you for your review. You receive the call notification, click play and listen to the call and act based on the results. The average latency time, or time from when the call ends until you receive it is 15 minutes depending on the system. You would want to create a log, and track how they behaved on the phone so you can get good statistics.
The second method is to use a tool, like CallRevu's, that not only catalogs the data points but is listened to by a real person, and then transcribed to give you just the simple version of what happened on the call. Then when it is a call that needs a Manager's attention, it is sent to the Manager in minutes so they can respond to challenge when minutes matter. This is sent to the Manager by text or email-whatever method they prefer. The alerts can also be fully customized to the Dealer's preference.
Correcting behavior on an employee level fixes challenges quickly, it shapes their talents and greatly increases retention. This save time and money beyond just the sale at hand.
When a Manager can get the information they need in a timely manner. They can react quickly and move on to the next task at hand. Invest in your Managers, your customers and your team.