Free! 24/7 Live Dealer Chat Support, Staff, and Leads (Case Study 2 Months)

[joe.pistell]

All leads are not equal.

We have a lead conversion increase (from chats) of some where around 40%. Agreed? I ask, how many of these "chatters" would have submitted a lead anyhow?

Another point of measurement should be --what is the normal lead to unique visitor ratio, BEFORE chat?--. In other words, compare the lead to visitor ratio* before and after chat was installed. This would produce a different look at Chats impact to lead generation.

This get us to my lead point, chat lead quality should be superior to email leads and the 2 really should be in different camps. What is the appt/closing ratio of these two systems?

 

[Shereef]

Shereef,

Luv ya man but check your koolaid, someone slipped you a mickey. Please show me a few long term studies of dealers chat results vs uniquies. Every single tool/feature that I've launched has gone thru this cycle (high initial use, then trickles down to a "normal" level). I am fortunate in that I have 30,000 uniques a month so the data that comes thru is very liquid (as opposed to a gas)

Please, please please prove me wrong, I'd LOVE to find a problem with this product cycle rule I have.

Joe

We have the benefit of a few years experience with over 500,000 unique visitors a month, and no one slipped me anything. The fact is that with our CarChat24 fully staffed managed system, chat volume increases over time. If you are doing a good job of managing your own in house live chat, you will see this chat volume increase yourself on your own website. How long have you been using contactatonce, and how many leads a month are you generating with chat? If you are managing it correctly with 30k unique visitors, you should be getting at least 400 chat leads a month.

 

[Shereef]

All leads are not equal.

We have a lead conversion increase (from chats) of some where around 40%. Agreed? I ask, how many of these "chatters" would have submitted a lead anyhow?

Another point of measurement should be --what is the normal lead to unique visitor ratio, BEFORE chat?--. In other words, compare the lead to visitor ratio* before and after chat was installed. This would produce a different look at Chats impact to lead generation.

This get us to my lead point, chat lead quality should be superior to email leads and the 2 really should be in different camps. What is the appt/closing ratio of these two systems?

Joe

There are several different factors that determine the conversion percentages. The brand, marketing efforts, website, the chat service or system, and the chat process will all have an impact on the conversion percentages. We have seen as high as 130% increases with some of our dealers, but 40% is a decent increase. One thing I noticed about your chat set up on your site is that you require a name before a chat can start. This is a big mistake that we see often. By requiring a name you are missing a lot of chats from visitors that wish to remain anonymous. If these visitors were able to chat anonymously, and you gained a rapport, it could still result in a lead or sale.

If you look back to the beginning of this case study thread you will see the four dealers that are participating posted 2 months worth of data showing their conversion percentage of unique visitors without chat. We are now posting weekly results that show both measurements with and without chat (This answers the how many visitors would have submitted a lead question), and you can compare these numbers to their original numbers as we get more data. After each month has ended we will then post sales data, and after the two months are completed we will post all of the data.

The appointment closing ratio should be very close because the leads are generated from the same source. Maybe this can be case study number two on Dealer Refresh....

 

[CAORYAN]

It's simple math. The more you are online the more chats you will receive. It is that simple. A 24/7 staffed BDC will help in one area....Online %. The problem is quality. If you think about it the person started a chat with you because they wanted answers now. Majority of chats and web traffic are during standard work hours Mon-Fri. I read transcripts daily that say "I am at work and I can't talk on the phone". So what are you supposed to do with that guy if an outsourced BDC answers? Call him back at a specific time? I have seen a drop off and the dealer didn't get the memo or they forgot to call at that time because an alert wasn't set by the dealer. People want answers now, why make them wait?

Long story short, it is better to have something than nothing. We started our 24/7 BDC almost a year ago because we felt it was more important to have presence online than not.

Shereef, Good job here!

 

[joe.pistell]

Wickedly good replies Shereef. Very challenging. We recently asked CaO to add the 1st name (as a pre-requisite) and it did reduce volume, but I am doubtful it improved the yield.

hmm....

 

[CAORYAN]

Joe

There are several different factors that determine the conversion percentages. The brand, marketing efforts, website, the chat service or system, and the chat process will all have an impact on the conversion percentages. We have seen as high as 130% increases with some of our dealers, but 40% is a decent increase. One thing I noticed about your chat set up on your site is that you require a name before a chat can start. This is a big mistake that we see often. By requiring a name you are missing a lot of chats from visitors that wish to remain anonymous. If these visitors were able to chat anonymously, and you gained a rapport, it could still result in a lead or sale.

If you look back to the beginning of this case study thread you will see the four dealers that are participating posted 2 months worth of data showing their conversion percentage of unique visitors without chat. We are now posting weekly results that show both measurements with and without chat (This answers the how many visitors would have submitted a lead question), and you can compare these numbers to their original numbers as we get more data. After each month has ended we will then post sales data, and after the two months are completed we will post all of the data.

The appointment closing ratio should be very close because the leads are generated from the same source. Maybe this can be case study number two on Dealer Refresh....

I agree with Shereef, adding a pre prompt is NOT a good idea. We see a 70% decrease in conversions. With the closing rates being so high with chat I suggest taking every opportunity possible. Cars.com announced at digital dealer that 67% of people who started a chat on their website bought a car within 30 days. That was higher than phone or email. They said one of the biggest questions they see is about financing. You have a lot of prideful intelligent business men out there embarrassed about their new situation.

Shereef, you are by far my favorite competitor.

 

[Shereef]

Results of the first 7 days below, next update will be on the 15th

December (Week 1) 1st through the 7th

Younger Toyota - Hagerstown, MD
Total Unique Visitors: 998
Total Website Leads without Chat Leads: 11
Lead Conversion % without Chat Leads: 1.2%
Total CarChat24 Leads/Appointments/Queries: 11
Total Conversion % with Chat Leads: 2.3%
Total Lead Conversion % increase: 91%

Henkel Auto Group (Dodge Chrysler Jeep) Battle Creek, MI
Total Unique Visitors: 520
Total Website Leads without Chat Leads: 23
Lead Conversion % without Chat Leads: 4.4%
Total CarChat24 Leads/Appointments/Queries: 9
Total Conversion % with Chat Leads: 6.1%
Total Lead Conversion % increase: 38%

Sutherlin Nissan (GA)
Total Unique Visitors: 1863
Total Website Leads without Chat Leads: 111
Lead Conversion % without Chat Leads: 6.1%
Total CarChat24 Leads/Appointments/Queries: 42
Total Conversion % with Chat Leads: 9.0%
Total Lead Conversion % increase: 47%

Mercedes Benz of Southampton, Southampton, NY
Week of December 1-7th
Total Unique Visitors: 412
Total Website Leads without Chat Leads: 7
Lead Conversion % without Chat Leads: 1.7%
Total CarChat24 Leads/Appointments/Queries: 3
Total Conversion % with Chat Leads: 2.4%
Total Lead Conversion % increase: 43%

 

[Shereef]

Measure twice, cut once... CHAT's VALUE TO SHOPPERS:
In our test on this thread, 3793 visitors created 65 chats. So.... Chat is not used by 98.3% of the visitors. Ok, so the overwhelming majority of shoppers don't use it. Agreed?

I have written about this before... does the "annoying chat thingy" improve the shopping experience or just p*ss off the silent majority (I am NOT picking on you Shereef, I've mentioned this before).

Think about it...
To draw a parallel, if you’re out on the lot, shopping for a car and just looking, and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “no thanks, just looking now”, then you walk over to another car and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “no thanks, just looking now” and you step over to another car and…. You KNOW what’s next… and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “grr… no thanks, just looking now”. See the “shopping experience” parallels?!!?

Simple Slick Solution:
On the "annoying chat thingy" (I love calling it that!), place a small “no thank you, just looking” button. When the shopper clicks it, it slipps off to the side of the screen and STAYS THERE for the whole visit. A simple, clean little tab that is there for when the shopper is ready.

...

Joe

The study you did unfortunately has yielded you a much lower number of chats than we are seeing with our clients. Based on 3793 visitors the number of chats should be closer to 100, resulting in approximately 45 Sales leads/appointments, and 20 parts and service leads. Not sure why you had such a low chat volume?

(The annoying chat thingy) Is actually called a proactive invitation/greeting, and if used effectively raises chat volume by up to 75%. The one you are using with Contact at once is good as long as the pictures of your employees don’t look like convicts (Bad picture can lower chat volume). Also the proactive greeting if used correctly can be compared to the welcome you receive when entering a business. It is an acknowledgement (Welcome) and an offer to assist. This will improve site visitor satisfaction and improve residual sales from your site..

In response to your (think about it), I must say if your sales people are stopped dead in their tracks by Just looking, it's time to get on top of your training As far as the comparison to the proactive chat invitation, I understand your thinking, and if the invitation is not used effectively it could in fact be a negative. The timing and appearance of your proactive invitation is everything. Also there should always be an option to close the window of the invitation. With our software once a visitor clicks to reject/close the invitation, it will not be offered/shown again to that visitor.

The Just Looking button would not be what I would recommend. I have never been big on reiterating a customer’s objections, and if you have a good live chat icon on every page (animated icons with the color red in them get more clicks), the client can click on that to chat any time they want.

 

[joe.pistell]

Joe... Contact at once is good as long as the pictures of your employees don’t look like convicts (Bad picture can lower chat volume).

Good point!

 

[joe.pistell]

Joe...

(The annoying chat thingy) Is actually called a proactive invitation/greeting...if used correctly can be compared to the welcome you receive when entering a business.This will improve site visitor satisfaction and improve residual sales from your site..

In response to your (think about it), I must say if your sales people are stopped dead in their tracks by Just looking, it's time to get on top of your training

Shereef,

Plz re-read the "think about it" comment. IMO, you totally missed the point:

Think about it...
To draw a parallel, if you’re out on the lot, shopping for a car and just looking, and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “no thanks, just looking now”, then you walk over to another car and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “no thanks, just looking now” and you step over to another car and…. You KNOW what’s next… and a rep comes up “can I help you?” and you reply “grr… no thanks, just looking now”. See the “shopping experience” parallels?!!?
​

Chat to a shopper is like having a personal search assistant. The search assistant is needed when the shopper wants it. Having the X-out in your current configuration permanently closes the window, leaving you with a "on-page" red button with a 75% less chance of being used when the shopper is ready.

The chat window is a pop-up, an "off page", or a layered experience. Call it what you want, shoppers intuitively understand that. Giving the shopper an option to "park" the shopping assistant and leave the parked window in it's layered state is just...logical.

I am lobbying for the SILENT MAJORITY. I am sure we both agree that we have 98.3% of the shoppers that do not chat. We have lots of upside to explore.

Another parallel shopping experience
I walk into HomeDepot the other day and they got a greeter that surprised me right when I walk in "Do you need help with the project you're working on today?". My knee jerk reaction was no, but, minutes later, deeper into the store, NOW I need this guy, where is he?

Someone's gonna do it, who's 1st?