Do you have a BDC?

[ajholland]

Our current set up consists of me managing a team 7 Internet Consultants. Through some discussions with our owner, it looks like I am getting the green light to set up a dedicated BDC that will handle all incoming phone calls (internet, non-internet, and service), internet lead follow-up, post sale follow up, etc. Does anyone have a really good organizational model?

I was thinking of having a team of 3 receptionists to handle incoming calls. 3 internet appointment setters with appointments going round robin to sales consutants that are above goal based on a 3 month rolling average. 1 full time photographer since we do photos in house. 1 person to handle post sale duties and creating a monthly newsletter.

Any suggestions?

 

[Alex Snyder]

Sounds like you're at a point I lived through a few years ago. Laptop + car = no way to manage an Internet department. It was amazing how quickly our results grew when we consolidated everything into one office! I'm excited for you. I wish I could relive that because it was a lot of fun building a centralized department......maybe I'm just sick.

We didn't/don't use any receptionists. Most of our calls are service-related, so the agents on our service side take the initial call. They work in the same office with the sales Internet team, so the transfer to sales is very quick.

This is how we're setup:

Director of eCommerce - me
BDC & Phone System Manager - Steven Finnel (also on these forums)
eMarketing Coordinator - creates online videos, handles social media, SEO, and is basically my right hand
Inventory Marketing Coordinator - takes the photos of our cars, prints stickers, and writes comments
3 Customer Care Center team members on the sales side - basically Internet Sales Managers
11 Customer Care Center team members on the service side - handle inbound calls and service appointments

It has taken us about 4 years to get to this point. We've had numerous other staffing structures, but this is what is working for us right now. We're talking about making some minor changes in 2010, so this structure is in no way ever set in stone.

The question you're asking is very personal to your dealer group and will take some time to figure out. My advice is not to get yourself locked into something, but be flexible. Be ready to make a change and condition your people. Tell them that they're the ones who are shaping the department and their advice/input is critical to its success. If you actually believe that and live it, you'll find them to be the ones who drive the positive changes that ultimately build you something for the long run.

Don't be afraid to experiment and listen to everyone's input - General Managers, Sales Managers, Service Writers, Sales People, and even your lot attendants. Welcome everyone!

 

[ajholland]

Sounds like you're at a point I lived through a few years ago. Laptop + car = no way to manage an Internet department. It was amazing how quickly our results grew when we consolidated everything into one office! I'm excited for you. I wish I could relive that because it was a lot of fun building a centralized department......maybe I'm just sick.

We didn't/don't use any receptionists. Most of our calls are service-related, so the agents on our service side take the initial call. They work in the same office with the sales Internet team, so the transfer to sales is very quick.

This is how we're setup:

Director of eCommerce - me
BDC & Phone System Manager - Steven Finnel (also on these forums)
eMarketing Coordinator - creates online videos, handles social media, SEO, and is basically my right hand
Inventory Marketing Coordinator - takes the photos of our cars, prints stickers, and writes comments
3 Customer Care Center team members on the sales side - basically Internet Sales Managers
11 Customer Care Center team members on the service side - handle inbound calls and service appointments

It has taken us about 4 years to get to this point. We've had numerous other staffing structures, but this is what is working for us right now. We're talking about making some minor changes in 2010, so this structure is in no way ever set in stone.

The question you're asking is very personal to your dealer group and will take some time to figure out. My advice is not to get yourself locked into something, but be flexible. Be ready to make a change and condition your people. Tell them that they're the ones who are shaping the department and their advice/input is critical to its success. If you actually believe that and live it, you'll find them to be the ones who drive the positive changes that ultimately build you something for the long run.

Don't be afraid to experiment and listen to everyone's input - General Managers, Sales Managers, Service Writers, Sales People, and even your lot attendants. Welcome everyone!

Alex,
Do your Internet Sales Managers set the appointment and sell the vehicle? Most of our locations are within 5 minutes of each other but we do have one that is about 30 miles away.

 

[Alex Snyder]

All of our locations are also within 10 minutes drive, but when I had an ISM at each location they weren't being managed when I wasn't there. No, our people only set appointments. We used to handle leads "cradle to grave".

 

[ghen]

We have no BDC. Something I hope to remedy once we are allowed to actually market again with Vinsolutions over Higher Gear :P

 

[ajholland]

Anyone have a pay plan that they are using for their BDC that they really like? I am trying to put together one for the coordinators who will be handling the leads and appointment setting?

 

[Bruce Novicky]

I don't know if this is the best thread for this... move if it isn't...

I am trying to gather info on BDC's for my dealership...

We are looking into a CRM... we are approaching the 400+ internet lead range and I think it might be time for one...

I am just kind of lost on how we can adapt into one.

Our current setup...

All calls go to a receptionist... she pages sales or service and it is a footrace for sales

All emails get responded to by "Overnight BDC" and then I give them out to sales people

I would like to get all calls ringing into a BDC sales and service... but where does that leave my two receptionists?

We also have a CSI specialist in service...

Any insight is appreciated... sorry if that came out jumbled...

 

[DanH]

Your idea sounds similar to our current setup on a smaller scale.

 

[ajholland]

So I am giving this thread a bump and I am really hoping to gather some advice from the experts on this forum. About a 18 months ago we attempted to start a BDC with two coordinators handling about 500 leads total. Goal was for them to set appointments or in certain cases, turn the lead to a Consultant.

The budget I was given to hire these two coordinators didn't let me hire the caliber of coordinator I desired and thus the BDC wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I ultimately changed their responsibilities and have leads being handled by floor consultants. Responses are good, but as expected, our response times are now suffering.

I have considered dedicated internet consultants who handle leads cradle to grave, but some stores don't create the lead volume to suppport this structure. We have 6 stores that last month created the following lead volume: 56, 48, 146, 101, 81, and 120. I could combine some stores, but then it gets tricky as to where I house them, do they miss walk-ins, etc. Also, who is answering leads if the consultant is off, on vacation, etc?

I'm sure many of you have faced a similar problem and maybe (hopefully) some of you have found solutions. I need to find a system that maximizes our closing % and responds to our customers immediately. Unfortunately, one answer I can give right now is...No, they won't let me try a BDC again with a bigger budget.

Thanks to all that read and post!

 

[john.quinn]

So I am giving this thread a bump and I am really hoping to gather some advice from the experts on this forum. About a 18 months ago we attempted to start a BDC with two coordinators handling about 500 leads total. Goal was for them to set appointments or in certain cases, turn the lead to a Consultant.

The budget I was given to hire these two coordinators didn't let me hire the caliber of coordinator I desired and thus the BDC wasn't as successful as I had hoped. I ultimately changed their responsibilities and have leads being handled by floor consultants. Responses are good, but as expected, our response times are now suffering.

Hi AJ,

I have a bit of experience with BDC's -- struggling and then overcoming and finally thriving, to be honest. The 1st thing that raises a flag with me above is your mention of the "budget," which is a direct reflection of buy-in from the top. And if you've heard it once on DealerRefresh, you've heard it a thousand times -- if you don't have the right buy-in, you're doomed to spend your time spinning your wheels. For example, you mention above 500 leads and only 2 consultants. Ouch. Do the math. Say you have a great close rate -- 25%. Over 90 days, you are working 1500 leads -- 375 of which close. But that leaves 1125 left to follow-up with, plus handle new traffic. Way, way too much for two people. Now, plug-in your actual close figures and do your own math, and you have part of the reason for a lack of success right there.

If I have to narrow it down and be concise, one "mind-set" pulled us through, and it was this: if something is worth getting done, then it is worth paying someone to do it. In our case, we wanted leads handled PERFECTLY until they arrived at the dealership. So that's exactly what we pay -- and reward -- people for doing. A dedicated appointment setting staff. Salespeople don't get involved until it's face-to-face. Results were dramatic (the numbers mentioned above are realistic -- and maybe even a tad low with some stores).

Don't make the mistake of setting your goal at "moving more metal." Define the process you want to follow. For example: Lead arrives, send 3 market-adjusted price quotes within 20 minutes, and make the first phone call as you hit "send." Then staff and train accordingly. We aim for no more than 150 leads per consultant, and prefer around 100. Once you have your model, there are some very good resources on these pages for process training.

As with anything, you need to build from the ground-up, with a proper foundation. Good luck!