- Jul 7, 2016
- 187
- 111
- Awards
- 4
- First Name
- Chris
Did you know that only 27% of the inbound calls result in an appointment? And only 51% obtain contact information? Think about it for a moment. Let's say you have a total of 145 inbound calls for the month. Out of those 145 calls, you set 39 appointments. Of those 39 appointments, only 19 show, and 9 purchase. This means 106 phone calls went into the abyss! What's worse is that less than 51% of the calls are documented in the CRM with contact information, which means there's no way for your managers to follow-up with 53 customers.
Sure, not every phone up will purchase, but the point is that more than 106 calls became lost opportunities. Opportunities that could have sold or may sell in the future. One of the go-to methods dealers have been using to combat this issue is to implement BDC‘s to increase appointments and follow-up. But without proper phone training, the BDC can, in many cases, wind up costing the dealership more money than it’s returning in the long run.
One solution not discussed enough is a virtual BDC. A BDC that is highly trained, focused, and ready to answer your dealership's inbound calls. Ensuring that each and every inbound call is responded to consistently. Given that advertising costs continue to rise, or we increase our budgets to hopefully generate more leads doesn’t mean we're getting the desired results. Think about it, those 106 calls - that didn't set an appointment - cost you money. If you take the average cost per lead vs. the cost of a highly trained BDC, you'll not only spend less on advertising but actually increase your results with the same spend!
But What About the BDC Being Virtual? They Aren't at the Dealership.
You don't have to be sitting at the dealership to be successful in setting appointments. The main objective of the BDC is to secure the appointment. At which point they hand-off the appointment to a Sales Manager or Sales Consultant. More importantly, the virtual BD Agents are working in a quiet place. A place that is appropriately set up conducive to their workflow, which is to answer inbound calls and set the appointment.
One of the other added benefits to using a Virtual BDC is response time. It's no secret that the longer it takes your dealership to answer the phone - or worse, miss an inbound call - the harder it is to book an appointment. Not to mention, the Virtual BD rep will make sure to consistently ask for the customer's core information. Sending them a follow-up text regarding their appointment. With first impressions making or breaking the deal, having a team with the proper phone etiquette makes all the difference.
What About Coverage?
Making sure you have enough staff to cover a full-day or even weekends can be a daunting task. Especially if you have to hire additional staff (which costs you money) to cover the dealership's open hours. With a virtual BDC, you don't have to worry about coverage! And instead, you can focus on what's most important, closing the increased number of appointments that show up!
Bottom Line: Every inbound call counts. Every inbound call unanswered is a potential sale lost. Having a highly trained, dedicated, and focused Virtual BDC answer your inbound calls will generate more appointments. Appointments for your dealership to sell. Not to mention, the inbound calls will be followed-up on as they continue the workflow process. How many inbound calls do you have in your CRM that haven't been followed-up or have any contact info?
Sure, not every phone up will purchase, but the point is that more than 106 calls became lost opportunities. Opportunities that could have sold or may sell in the future. One of the go-to methods dealers have been using to combat this issue is to implement BDC‘s to increase appointments and follow-up. But without proper phone training, the BDC can, in many cases, wind up costing the dealership more money than it’s returning in the long run.
One solution not discussed enough is a virtual BDC. A BDC that is highly trained, focused, and ready to answer your dealership's inbound calls. Ensuring that each and every inbound call is responded to consistently. Given that advertising costs continue to rise, or we increase our budgets to hopefully generate more leads doesn’t mean we're getting the desired results. Think about it, those 106 calls - that didn't set an appointment - cost you money. If you take the average cost per lead vs. the cost of a highly trained BDC, you'll not only spend less on advertising but actually increase your results with the same spend!
But What About the BDC Being Virtual? They Aren't at the Dealership.
You don't have to be sitting at the dealership to be successful in setting appointments. The main objective of the BDC is to secure the appointment. At which point they hand-off the appointment to a Sales Manager or Sales Consultant. More importantly, the virtual BD Agents are working in a quiet place. A place that is appropriately set up conducive to their workflow, which is to answer inbound calls and set the appointment.
One of the other added benefits to using a Virtual BDC is response time. It's no secret that the longer it takes your dealership to answer the phone - or worse, miss an inbound call - the harder it is to book an appointment. Not to mention, the Virtual BD rep will make sure to consistently ask for the customer's core information. Sending them a follow-up text regarding their appointment. With first impressions making or breaking the deal, having a team with the proper phone etiquette makes all the difference.
What About Coverage?
Making sure you have enough staff to cover a full-day or even weekends can be a daunting task. Especially if you have to hire additional staff (which costs you money) to cover the dealership's open hours. With a virtual BDC, you don't have to worry about coverage! And instead, you can focus on what's most important, closing the increased number of appointments that show up!
Bottom Line: Every inbound call counts. Every inbound call unanswered is a potential sale lost. Having a highly trained, dedicated, and focused Virtual BDC answer your inbound calls will generate more appointments. Appointments for your dealership to sell. Not to mention, the inbound calls will be followed-up on as they continue the workflow process. How many inbound calls do you have in your CRM that haven't been followed-up or have any contact info?
