It’s a fact that more and more people in the UK are browsing and buying their cars online, which is naturally generating an ever-increasing number of digital enquiries for car dealerships. This new era of the digital car showroom is upon us, with consumers often conducting their online car searches out of normal business hours.
Many expect quick and helpful responses to their queries, irrespective of the time of day or night. The longer the time lapses, the higher the chance they will look elsewhere. It’s why conversational AI, working day and night, can be such a powerful sales and customer service tool, especially in the competitive automotive retail sector.
Auto-dealers who can engage with customers without delay are more likely to turn a digital enquiry into a credible sales lead, and ultimately, a sales conversion. Similarly, existing customers are more likely to stay loyal if they are having their queries and requests answered efficiently. It underlines the importance of embracing digital opportunities, and the increasing need for around-the-clock customer service support.
AI Driven Live-Chat for Around-the-Clock Customer Support
AI-powered online live-chat, especially platforms using the latest generative AI technology, is proving beneficial for automotive dealerships looking to optimise efficiencies and the management of their digital enquiries. Generative AI, using advanced machine learning tools, can be trained to respond to a huge range of questions with a high level of accuracy, in lightning speed.
That’s great, but a real boost for many car dealerships is a new-found ability to converse and engage with customers on a 24/7 basis. So potentially, a dealership can be taking enquiries, recommending and supplying product information, as well as funnelling other queries to relevant departments without any initial human intervention.
AI is still evolving in the UK. There are those who welcome it and those who remain wary. And it’s also true to say, that there are standard chatbots in existence that are far from helpful. (Most of us will have experienced those dull, very robotic responses!) They shouldn’t be confused with the latest AI-driven chat platforms that operate with accuracy and efficiency. Some offer a superior level of intelligence that any Dealer Principal would be proud to have on their team!
EasiChat – a Gamechanger for Car Dealerships
Solutions such as EasiChat have been described as a gamechanger for car dealerships in the UK. The software development team behind EasiChat have a deep understanding of the benefits that AI technology can bring, especially in the retail sector. Realising that AI adoption in the UK needs nurturing, they set about developing a platform that would serve as a hybrid (human-AI) online live-chat solution. They combined this with over four decades of experience in the automotive industry, to develop EasiChat- AI powered live-chat for automotive dealerships. The goal being to provide a versatile platform that offered the best of both worlds: automation when wanted (especially out of normal business hours) and human control when needed.
“Significantly, EasiChat has been developed primarily to blend in, and operate in conjunction with human teams, not replace them. Adopting EasiChat means a business can harness the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve communications, while driving efficiencies through the existing business,” explains Matt Stone, Founder and CEO – EasiChat.
EasiChat has since been implemented by many car dealerships including Sandown, Invicta Motors, and Grange to name a few. The feedback has been excellent, without exception … exceeding expectations in many instances, and transforming the way they connect with customers. Easy onboarding and ease of integration with existing OEM /CRM dealership systems being other areas of praise.
Tailored AI, Accurate ‘Human-Like’ Responses to Digital Enquiries – Day and Night
One of the fundamental differences between EasiChat and other AI offerings is how the AI is tailored to suit the workflow and needs of individual dealerships. Dealerships have the reassurance that the customised AI is not going to generate those irritating chatbot responses. EasiChat will respond quickly and intelligently to many different digital queries, and then workflow those that need further follow up to the relevant departments or human teams as necessary. The unique hybrid platform smoothly allows for AI to drop in and out as required providing a seamless customer journey.
Matt Stone says: “Replicating that human-service experience has been a priority for EasiChat. Dealerships need to be able to trust how AI is responding, no more so, than out of business hours. We know from our clients just how transformative it has been for them to offer 24/7 digital support, turning online conversations into credible sales leads, given that around 30% of enquiries are submitted out of business hours. It’s why we place so much emphasis on the tailored AI, using human-designed chatbots with smart AI-powered features that replicate, even sometimes surpass, human responses.”
Enhance productivity and efficiency for better customer experiences
Today’s dealerships have enquiries and requests coming in from multiple sources, asking a wide range of questions about products and services. It presents a common and testing challenge for many car dealers especially during peak times. Managing them efficiently and swiftly, and prioritising those that need more urgent attention, is imperative for any dealer to optimise sales and provide the best customer experiences.
“Busy contact centres are notoriously prone to bottlenecks. Dealerships can miss out on valuable business due to slow, or non-responses, or even lose existing customers due to poor aftersales support, so it’s imperative that a business constantly reviews efficiencies. EasiChat assists in multiple ways. With EasiChat, a contact centre agent can handle up to 10 conversations at any one time, so it really is a platform that offers tangible value, day and night,” explains Matt Stone.
If you would like to enhance your car dealership’s customer engagement and potential for lead generation, then please request a free, no-obligation EasiChat demo using this link: https://easichat.co.uk/contact