NEWS RELEASE

FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATELY

CONTACT:  Maureen Condon

Dealer Communications

508-801-8283

mcondon@dealer-communications.com

Regional Director of sales for ActivEngage  Discusses Live Chat: What Auto Dealers  Need to Know to Get It Done Right 

DETROIT, MI – SEPTEMBER, 2012 – Ralph D. Ebersole, a regional director of sales for ActivEngage, is sharing his expertise with automotive dealers and managers about live chat: what dealers and managers need to know to get it done right.

Live chat on dealer websites is a constant industry topic and the value of live chat is no longer in question. However, with all of the different levels of chat services available, it is no easy feat to figure out which service is right for each dealership. With numerous vendors providing self-managed, partially managed and fully managed chat, the choices can be confusing, to say the least. The right answer for one dealership may not be the best for another. How do dealers and managers effectively allocate their staff? What are the best processes needed to make chat successful? What is the ROI? Is chat only beneficial to the sales departments?

Ralph will answer all of those questions and more. An overview will be given of each level of live chat services available, and their strengths and weaknesses. Ralph will also review the best practices of chat for those who have already implemented a chat service. Dealers and managers can expect an unbiased view of the three types of services available so dealership personnel can make an educated decision about which level of chat service is best for the dealership. Ralph Ebersole is sharing his expertise with dealers and managers.

What will dealers and managers learn and what action items will they take back to the dealership?

1. Learn exactly what live chat is and how effective it can be.
2. Learn which type of live chat service is right for the store.
3. Learn about staffing and best practices for live chat.
4. Learn about the pitfalls of live chat.
5. Learn how live chat impacts all dealership departments.

Ralph D. Ebersole is a regional director of sales for ActivEngage. As a recognized automotive digital thought leader, he brings more than 30 years of automotive industry experience, consulting and training expertise. In his role as director of training at Cars.com, he was responsible for leading the organization’s dealer training program nationally. Combining his in-depth understanding of the automotive Internet consumer with years of dealership training experience, he has taught sales personnel the fundamentals of the Internet and follow up processes once the consumer makes contact with the dealership. In markets across the country, Ebersole has also consulted in-dealership with thousands of sales representatives to optimize traffic and drive more sales.

Ralph Ebersole will be speaking to dealers and managers about live chat: what dealers and managers need to know to get it done right at the 13^th Digital Dealer® Conference & Exposition, October 23-25, at The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV.    For more information about Ralph Ebersole and other speakers, visit:  www.DigitalDealerConference.com

ABOUT DEALER COMMUNICATIONS

Dealer Communications is the leading multi-media information source for franchised automotive dealers and managers.   Connecting with franchised automotive dealers and managers over ten million times per year, Dealer Communications publishes the monthly print and online editions of Dealer magazine and Digital Dealer magazine. Online weekly newsletters include Dealer; Digital Dealer; Dealer Fixed Operations; Dealer Pre-Owned; Dealer F&I, and Dealer Sales and Marketing. Dealer Communications also offers the Digital Dealer Webinar Series, with online presentations throughout the year.  To see all that Dealer Communications offers, visit:  www.dealer-communications.com

Dealer Communications also owns and operates the Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, the premier educational conference and expo dedicated to Internet and technology solutions for automotive professionals. Digital Dealer events deliver the largest array of speakers, peer to peer opportunities, and exhibit hall offerings – all carefully designed to impart cutting edge business strategies. With an audience of the industry’s most progressive dealers and managers and the most innovative conference format, Digital Dealer provides the ultimate learning and networking environment.

The 13^th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition will be held October 23-25, at The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV.   There will be new Digital Dealer Learning Labs, Digital Dealer Innovation Hours,  a new Digital Dealer Peer Networking Roundtables dinner, more than 100 workshops, over 100 specialized technology solutions providers, and many more exciting new benefits.  For more information, visit:  www.DigitalDealerConference.com