Do you have a BDC or are planning to add one?

[bpreston]

We have 7 locations. For Sales we have start to finish Internet Sales Reps at each of our stores, 1 rep/100 leads. We had a sales BDC a couple of years ago, but it wasn't the right fit for us. There was frequent communication breakdowns between the BDC rep who set the appointment and the sales person that handled the customer in the showroom. Plus, we have found the customer to have the most positive experience and a much higher ratio dealing with the same sales rep from initial inquiry to delivery. Most importantly, the Internet Sales Rep position has enabled us to attract and maintain talented young sales people.

For service, we are in the process of implementing a BDC. Right now our service department is a mess, as our service writers are handling the phone calls. The writers are overwhelmed helping the customers in the service drive and answering phone calls. Therefore, the customer doesn't get handled properly in the drive and the the phone calls are poorly handled as well.

 

[Jeff Kershner]

I don't allow our BDC to have communication with the Sales team. All appointments are made for Managers. Managers are to call, introduce and confirm appointments.

Vehicle of interest gets pulled up for the customer with their name in the window along with a welcome message (VIP). Managers meet and greet, BDC rep steps out to say hello and offer a beverage. Product specialist (sales person) is introduced and takes from there. All communication with the customer is printed from the BDC and handed to managers for additional review.

Smooth. Most of the time. When the managers actually call to confirm.

 

[Alex Snyder]

I don't allow our BDC to have communication with the Sales team. All appointments are made for Managers. Managers are to call, introduce and confirm appointments.

That's the way to do it :thumbup: and when the managers do their job they are better at holding a higher level of accountability within the BDC.

When the managers actually call to confirm.

That's the downside. They're "overworked."

 

[Amanda B. Stewart]

I manager our BDC. We have 9 dealerships, 13 brands and 6 Internet Sales Coordinators handling internet inquiries. We also have 1 BDR to do service prospecting. We plan to have both the service and sales sides grow as we solidify our processes.

 

[Amanda B. Stewart]

Your BDC staff has time to meet each customer? We often have several appts at the same time and find it hard to leave our desks. How do you make it work?

 

[Jeff Kershner]

My BDC is currently only managing 1 dealership and it happens to be the dealer where the BDC is located. The BDC rep meet and greet doesn't happen every time but as many times as we can that's for sure.

I believe we have a different set up.