I spend a lot of time going through dealers websites getting info before I make calls. I have seen some that have 4 pop ups on the main page, then the first link you click takes you to another page for a coupon, that you have to close that browser window to go back and view the main site. Ok sorry for getting off subject, yes Chat should be on the side of the page somewhere to use if you want to, it should not be a pop up that you have to X out of or chase down to get off the page.
TAKE POLL How many offers to CHAT would frustrate YOU?
- Thread starter Jeff Kershner
- Start date
- Jan 12, 2011
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- First Name
- Aaron
Hey Everyone,
It's Aaron from Contact At Once!. As many of you know, Contact At Once! is the chat of choice for most dealerships, third party sites and OEMs and we couldn't agree more that a positive customer experience should be the driving force behind every chat implementation. Our current recommendations are born of the principle that those who want to chat will, and those that absolutely do not want to chat should be allowed to have an uninhibited experience with the website while continuing to have the communication options available (should they change their mind).
Our standard integration currently anchors text and chat buttons on the right side of the browser window, out of the way of the website’s main content so that chat is welcoming and accessible, but not intrusive.
We've replaced the falling business card size chat invitation (moving top to bottom) with a more subtle and smooth entrance where the photo invitation peeks out from the bottom, right side of the page. The live photo of the actual agent answering the chat is the focus of our photo invitations as it helps visitors build trust and rapport with the dealership and enhances the website experience.
From there this invitation minimizes into a smaller tab after one minute and remains out of the way at the bottom, right side of the page. Of course at any time, the visitor can choose to have the invitation go away for a period of an hour by clicking on the ‘X’.
And...that's just the desktop implementation. Mobile chat (and text) implementation is another conversation. The good news is that our software is highly customizable, so we can work closely with our customers to help them implement the chat (and text) configuration that works best for their business.
Excellent topic. Thanks for bringing it up!
It's Aaron from Contact At Once!. As many of you know, Contact At Once! is the chat of choice for most dealerships, third party sites and OEMs and we couldn't agree more that a positive customer experience should be the driving force behind every chat implementation. Our current recommendations are born of the principle that those who want to chat will, and those that absolutely do not want to chat should be allowed to have an uninhibited experience with the website while continuing to have the communication options available (should they change their mind).
Our standard integration currently anchors text and chat buttons on the right side of the browser window, out of the way of the website’s main content so that chat is welcoming and accessible, but not intrusive.
We've replaced the falling business card size chat invitation (moving top to bottom) with a more subtle and smooth entrance where the photo invitation peeks out from the bottom, right side of the page. The live photo of the actual agent answering the chat is the focus of our photo invitations as it helps visitors build trust and rapport with the dealership and enhances the website experience.
From there this invitation minimizes into a smaller tab after one minute and remains out of the way at the bottom, right side of the page. Of course at any time, the visitor can choose to have the invitation go away for a period of an hour by clicking on the ‘X’.
And...that's just the desktop implementation. Mobile chat (and text) implementation is another conversation. The good news is that our software is highly customizable, so we can work closely with our customers to help them implement the chat (and text) configuration that works best for their business.
Excellent topic. Thanks for bringing it up!
- Oct 28, 2012
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- Chris K
When you say that it builds "Trust and Rapport" do you have any stats on how much "Trust and Rapport" it builds?
Like, if I was at a 25% T&R score this would jump it up to like 45% T&R score or something.
I'm having a hard time believing that flying cards (regardless of how smooth the animation) with peoples pictures in them have any value to the trust and rapport of my site or business.
Lastly, if you've read the posts on here you would no that "Enhancing Website Experience" is not a commonly shared feeling.
- Jan 12, 2011
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- 0
- First Name
- Aaron
Hi Chris,
When a person comes to your website today without chat, they have the option to contact you by phone or email typically. Many call, some email, and still others don't contact you at all. Placing chat on a website increases lead lift an average of 25% without canibalizing the other contact options. When a customer can talk directly with the sales rep they would speak with on the phone or on the lot, chat is essentially a written phone call between you and them. Building trust and rapport is a byproduct of getting to know you as a real person and trusting that you can help them. When we place your face and name out there for a customer to contact and they actually have a written conversation with you, you are establishing a relationship just like you would over the phone. In this case, the shopper knows your name and what you actually look like and can later find you when they walk into the dealership to complete their purchase.
In terms of your other point...I am not saying that chat always enhances the website experience. In fact, when implemented in less than ideal ways, it can be made a hindrance to a shopper - and this forum thread is bringing awareness to dealers who have poor setups. What I posted above was an example of our standard integration (what we suggest to our customers), which has been proven to be less invasive for the shopper and yet still highly effective for the dealer. That said, it's important to understand that each dealer, not us, determines the look and behavior on their own site. Once added to the site, dealers control the look and behavior from our app without having to contact the webmaster. The chat implementation in question here may or may not be ours, I don't know, that wasn't identified in the post. For our part, all of our customers have access to best practices and our award-winning support staff to help guide them to the best possible setup for their websites.
As an employee of the leading chat provider in this industry, I just thought it was important to be a part of this conversation.
If interested, you can find best practice resources and the latest chat studies from Dataium and R.L. Polk available on our website.
I think he was looking for stats - what you've offered is an enhanced version of opinion.
I don't think there's a way to accurately measure someone's trust and I certainly don't think you can attribute it to live chat. If there's no live chat, do customers inherently trust dealerships? Can you say that more trust was built than with a phone call that would have taken place if live chat didn't exist?
I've tried 3 live chat companies now (none in-house, apparently none of them "the leading chat provider in the industry") and all of them resulted in a reduced number of phone calls to the dealership.
I don't think there's a way to accurately measure someone's trust and I certainly don't think you can attribute it to live chat. If there's no live chat, do customers inherently trust dealerships? Can you say that more trust was built than with a phone call that would have taken place if live chat didn't exist?
I've tried 3 live chat companies now (none in-house, apparently none of them "the leading chat provider in the industry") and all of them resulted in a reduced number of phone calls to the dealership.
- Jan 12, 2011
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- First Name
- Aaron
You're right Craig, the trust factor is difficult to measure; however, our data show that adding photos to chat invitations result in a 28% increase in the capture of lead data, so the human element seems to positively impact a shopper's willingness to share their name and contact information. We also often hear stories from our customers about shoppers coming in off the street and asking for a specific person with whom they've chatted, even if personal information hadn't been shared during the chat session.
Recent Research: IHS Automotive/Polk analyses found that 1 in 3 (33%) identifiable shoppers who chatted with a dealer purchased a vehicle within 90 days. Almost 1 in 4 (22%) shoppers who texted a dealership also purchased a vehicle within 90 days.
We've pulled together a variety of industry research and best practice tip sheets on the resources page of our website.
I guess the point that I am trying to make is that like with any technology, when chat is implemented by a dealer incorrectly it can result in a poor shopper experience. But when implemented correctly, (using the configuration I outlined earlier for example), it can provide great results for dealers and consumers.
This is a bit of a loaded paragraph
- IHS Automotive/Polk (commissioned by a chat company) found that...
- Recent Research - December 2012 (updated in 2014 - corrected below) isn't that recent in the automotive world
- that 1 in 3 (33%) identifiable shoppers - This is specifically only users who volunteered personally identifiable information, but it still doesn't make sense. Another study released by Contact at Once says that 60% of participants who had chat on their website say they sell 5 or more cars (it's less than 10, because only 25% said they sell 10). So for those 60% that sell 5 cars, if 1 in 3 identifiable shoppers bought a car, that would mean that they only got 15 identifiable chats in one month? Smells like cherry picked numbers.
And yes, I'm this hard on anyone who makes any claim
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- Jan 12, 2011
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- First Name
- Aaron
Hi Craig,
I am encouraged by the fact that you sought out the research. I can see why you might be confused though. In your statement you combined results from 3 separate analyses by two different organizations: IHS Automotive/Polk 2012, updated in 2014 and Dataium. The reports for each describe the methods that were used by IHS Automotive/Polk and Dataium to obtain and verify their analyses.
I am encouraged by the fact that you sought out the research. I can see why you might be confused though. In your statement you combined results from 3 separate analyses by two different organizations: IHS Automotive/Polk 2012, updated in 2014 and Dataium. The reports for each describe the methods that were used by IHS Automotive/Polk and Dataium to obtain and verify their analyses.
That's exactly what I mean about cherry picking numbers.
If studies are accurate, then the question about 15 people with contact information still stands.
One of the studies has inaccurate numbers or your lead count is extremely low.
Now that we're having this conversation I'm very interested.
http://www.autoremarketing.com/system/files/DataiumChat_WhitePaperUpdate.pdf
As a numbers guy, I'm just struggling with some of these statements.
I typically try and stick to independent studies that aren't commissioned because I have some personal experience with commissioned studies and know firsthand how easily they can be skewed. I will keep reading and trying to find information from other sources. We have been trying live chat and we're still interested in finding the correct way to do it, but I have not been able to replicate any of the amazing stats online.
http://www.autoremarketing.com/system/files/DataiumChat_WhitePaperUpdate.pdf
As a numbers guy, I'm just struggling with some of these statements.
I typically try and stick to independent studies that aren't commissioned because I have some personal experience with commissioned studies and know firsthand how easily they can be skewed. I will keep reading and trying to find information from other sources. We have been trying live chat and we're still interested in finding the correct way to do it, but I have not been able to replicate any of the amazing stats online.
