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Originally Posted by Alex Jefferson

It seems like Response Logic attempts to do what we should be training our internet sales staff to do. If we want our sales staff to send out prices on the first email, shouldn’t we train them to do so? If we want our sales staff to send out alternative options, shouldn’t we train them to do so? If we want our sales staff to follow up, shouldn’t we setup our CRM properly and train them to do so?
I may be mis-educated on what the product can do because I have not taken a close look at it but from afar it looks like it is setup for a dealer trying to get their processes together. I could possibly see benefit for dealers that are just getting started in the internet arena.

Even if you can train the staff to quote 3 new cars and 4 used cars there is no way they can do it in under 10 minutes. There are a number of Dealers in the Baltimore area that are using it and the feedback I an getting is it changes the conversation with the customer from the beginning. Instead of it becoming a "beat my price" conversation it becomes a "what car am I buying at XX dealer" conversation

[Jeff Kershner]

Marc, can we get an update on your progress so far with Responselogix?

I recently heard from a few other ISM's that you have to be careful with the incentive data coming from AutoData. For several brands the data is inaccurate.

Have you experienced the same?

I also heard; for some reason the way the system works..it has to send alias/bogus information into your CRM?? Not exactly sure what the deal with that is but I'm curious.

Anyone else using Response Logix since this thread was first started?

[AutoArchitech]

The incentive data from auto data is used as a backup if a Dealer does not update the system, only if you want it to. Make sure the managers update it as it comes in and there will not be an issue. The alias information is if you want the tracking enabled, some do, some don't. If you do, RL does alias the email address and phone number in the CRM fields and puts the actual information in the comments field. There is no other way to track the inbound and outbound emails and calls. As far as the calls go, each customer is assigned a 5 digit code and the sales people dial the same number to make outgoing calls and put in the customers code.

Again, this is only if you want the auto follow up and tracking feature. I would say about 2/3rds of the dealers have it enabled

[Marc McGurren]

Hello all - sorry about not updating my take on ResponseLogix.

The good:

1) Contacting 100% of your customers 100% of the time within 15 minutes.
2) Slick first contact with 2-3 options for customer to see
3) Pipes in used car inventory for similar cars in my inventory with direct links to my website
4) Ease of trackability

The Bad/Cons:

1) Questions aren't answered in the first response to customer - can look like we aren't paying attention. The template is very personable - so looks pretty good like a real person sent it.
2) CRM stores alias email address for customer - not the real one that is put in the comments section. Therefore if you ever leave RL - you will have to manually go back and input that in.
3) My biggest complaint - I don't get a chance to try to call the customer before I send out my first response. There is no chance to sell myself and our dealership.
5) Possibly give the customer all the information they need and then don't contact you. They have their price - why do they need to talk to the salesman????


All that to say - after roughly 3 months we have decided to NOT use RL. It is a great system, great support, but I think it just doesn't even give me a chance to talk to customer prior to sending out a quote. Granted - many times I don't get to talk to customer b/c a phone number is not given or they don't answer - but at least I have a chance of contacting them.

All that to say - it wasn't for us. If you have a department that is overwhelmed with leads and your response times are horrible - this might be for you. I was once asked - why am I going to pay someone to do something that my ISM's should be doing??? That is a great question! I am going to be working with my CRM to create an template similar to theirs that can possibly pipe in used car inventory with pics to the template. That's what I LOVED about their system. It gave the customer 5 used cars that were similar in nature to the car they were inquiring about...STRONG!!!

Hope this helps someone out. If anyone wants to talk further - don't hesitate to shoot me a PM or look me up on our website! Would love to talk more...

[CatherineEdwards]

Marc, thanks for the kudos. As to the right profile of dealer for our product, though, I respectfully disagree. Our most successful customers have excellent internal processes.

Let me give you the example of Toyota Sunnyvale. Prior to using ResponseLogix, they were selling 170 units a month out of their Direct Department, which is where their Internet sales are handled. Not bad, I think you'd agree. After ResponseLogix, they shot up to 260. They have built on that to grow their lead volume, and recently had a couple of months that exceeded 400 units out of that department alone. That department now comprises over 60% of total dealership sales. They will be the first to say ResponseLogix was the key.

The reason is that the quote before phone call changes the phone call. The quote reduces the consumer's defenses and changes the discussion from price comparison vs. competitive dealer to consultation. Does your customer want new or used? Does she want the navigation system or not?

The best dealers on our system get back to the customer quickly with a phone call and use the quote as a tool to engage the customer in a consultative discussion.

[Marc McGurren]

That's great! I know many a dealer's are happy with your product - it just didn't seem to work in our system for whatever reason. I truly think it is a great product and will work for many stores - just not us....

Originally Posted by CatherineEdwards

Marc, thanks for the kudos. As to the right profile of dealer for our product, though, I respectfully disagree. Our most successful customers have excellent internal processes.

Let me give you the example of Toyota Sunnyvale. Prior to using ResponseLogix, they were selling 170 units a month out of their Direct Department, which is where their Internet sales are handled. Not bad, I think you'd agree. After ResponseLogix, they shot up to 260. They have built on that to grow their lead volume, and recently had a couple of months that exceeded 400 units out of that department alone. That department now comprises over 60% of total dealership sales. They will be the first to say ResponseLogix was the key.

The reason is that the quote before phone call changes the phone call. The quote reduces the consumer's defenses and changes the discussion from price comparison vs. competitive dealer to consultation. Does your customer want new or used? Does she want the navigation system or not?

The best dealers on our system get back to the customer quickly with a phone call and use the quote as a tool to engage the customer in a consultative discussion.