"...you can't just throw it on there and expect it to generate more sales leads or help you sell more cars"

When the internet began to commercialize in the late 90's, you could throw up a website with a few nice pictures and you were ahead of the competition. Then you had to add your inventory just to be competitive. The same is true with live chat on your website - you can't just throw it on there and expect it to generate more sales leads or help you sell more cars.

Success with live chat requires more planning than you probably put into your website, especially if you plan to self-host instead of contract with a managed chat provider. The good news is that leading chat providers like CarChat24 have the benefit of handling thousands of successful leads from hundreds of dealerships, and can offer a chat success formula, instead of a chat mystery. These five points can help you be a star for both your customers - and your bottom line:

• Include a proactive invite on EVERY landing page
• Ensure response to chat requests is 5-10 seconds
• Train operators to know all the facets of their chat dashboard
• Ensure chat leads end up in CRM - these are warm sales opportunities
• Have a plan for non-sales chat inquiries (CSI / service / parts / collision center)

Auto dealers with live chat on their website join a growing number of businesses that take advantage of the opportunities this technology offers, including retail department stores, travel companies, and the computer industry.  By choosing the right chat partner and carefully planning processes and lead flow, live chat can not only boost your amount of quality leads and increase car sales, but build stronger relationships with your customers.

Tom LaPointe CarChat24 Marketing Consultant

www.carchat24.com/ 24/7 Interactive Automotive Dealer Website LIVE CHAT Solutions Managed Chat, Backup Chat Support, and chat software options 727-638-0195

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Tom has an MBA in Marketing and is an automotive writer and author with nearly 20 years experience in virtually every aspect of the retail auto industry. He has been involved with the internet from the beginning, building websites at Johns Hopkins University in the 90's, and has been a performance leader in nearly every dealer role, from sales and service, to BDC / internet sales and viral marketing.