The best chat service I've used is ActivEngage for many reasons. I do disagree with Birdman. If you use ActivEngage's hosted service, their goal (which they succeed at 99% of the time) is getting the "lead" for you (ie. name, email address, phone). However, when I do the chat, I go for the appt. It works! I don't know why Birdman doesn't think it will work. I'm also in high-line cars and my customers love the ability to chat with me, get information and schedule and appt. Most of them are just busy people and this gives them a way to connect with you. I have a great show ration on chat-made appointments. Yes, you should get their information before you try for the appt but remember, it's a give a little - get a little attitude. They want information - you want information. For every nugget you give them, ask them for some. It works. As for people who dump the chats aren't serious or they are dealers, with ActivEngage, you can see who they are live in real-time. You can see where theyve been on your website, how long they've been there, what pages they've navigated to and you can see their IP address live. When the IP originates from another dealer, obviously you probably have a dealer. Another cool thing is that you can see if they've chatted before and what there name is so you can say "Hi, John. Nice to chat with you again" (or whatever).
Chat gives you a non-threatening method of communication that is a step up from e-mail in that the customer gets instant responses and the salesperson gets a live conversation. If trained properly, the salesperson can use the live interaction with the customer much more effectively than he could an email. Yes, the customer can dump the chat but can't they do the same with an email (ie. not respond). The difference is that at least you got the customer while he/she was hot for information and had the opportunity to interact with them in real-time. Chat is another avenue through which a customer can use to interact with your dealership. You should give the customer as many options as possible and let them choose how THEY want to interact with you, not how YOU want to interact with them. If you (or your salespeople) don't have time to sit at a computer waiting for someone to chat (which you hopefully shouldn't) or they don't know how to chat effectively to get the information, you should use the hosted chat services. They monitor and do the chats and get the information for you. You also get transcripts from ActivEngage.
I believe it's much harder to interact with someone via chat if you don't know how. With email, you have time to carefully create your responses. With chat, you must be fluid and knowledgeable. You can't really "wing it".
Anyways, I don't know too much about the other services but I would definitely recommend the following:
- Use chat a service to your customers and a way for them to contact you
- Use a hosted chat service - it saves time and money and you dont have to worry about your salespeople screwing it up
- I recommend ActivEngage for the many things they offer in addition to just being a chat client
We've seen direct sales from chats that more than pay for the service and we've seen service and parts business from it also. There are so many things that people will use chat for that you should look at chat as you would a phone line to your store. It's not just for sales.
