Auto sales is a competitive market which requires innovative initiatives to stand out and boost sales. With consumers completing 60% of their research online prior to making a purchase it is imperative that your website is engaging while including relevant information. Artificial Intelligence can play a significant role in automobile consumers online experience – AI powered chatbots can enhance your online customer experience improving customer retention. They provide a convenient, intuitive and highly accessible form of customer support in a user-friendly conversational format. This is thanks to AI’s Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities.
Moreover, customers can access the AI chatbot through the auto dealership’s website or a messaging platform via their mobile, laptop, tablet or desktop. This convenient accessibility is a key factor in enhancing customer support and customer experience, creating a better impression of your brand.
How AI Chatbots Support Auto Dealership Customers
AI-powered chatbots can provide support to customers in a range of scenarios such as:
- First Timers
First time visitors often have the greatest number of questions since they’re embarking on a journey to make a very important and expensive purchase. Such leads will attempt to ascertain which model is best suited their needs. Chances are your lead may not have the time to visit the showroom in person particularly when they’re open to considering all options within their budget. With an AI-powered chatbot in place your dealership’s website can offer a range of options to help them figure out a specific model that suits then. The chatbot can proceed to answer any further questions such as colour variations, insurance details, EMI options and so on.
- Upgrade Requirements
When a client wants an upgrade on their existing vehicle, they most often have a clear image in their mind regarding what they do and do not want. They usually want a new model, but may not be have the time to visit the dealership in person and discuss their requirements with a sales agent. This is a slightly more complex scenario as such clients require a comparison of the options available. However, AI-powered chatbots are equipped with necessary intelligence to provide comparisons between models and provide accurate up-to-date information. And they can do so in a conversational format that is user-friendly. Chances are your customer will be left with a positive outlook on your dealership’s ability to provide detailed and relevant information without the hassle of an in-person visit. Catering enhanced customer experience always improves customers’ opinions of your dealership translating to increased chances of sales and customer retention.
- Detailed Queries & Financing Support
Consumers in search of the best deal may have a more detailed list of queries. An AI chatbot can provide them with relevant information along with additional options to explore. This can prompt the customer to find out about their credit scores and if additional funding is required on their part. Once all the prerequisite information has been gathered the chatbot can then put that customer onto a sales agent to close the sale. AI chatbots that help customers with purchase terms prior to meeting an agent can provide hassle-free support for car purchasing. This convenience often increases the chances of clients physically arriving in the store and finalizing a purchase.
- Test Drives, Service Booking & Accident Assistance
AI chatbots can help customers easily book a service appointment for their car, and also remind customers of pending services and servicing status. They are available 24/7 and can provide support helping customers connect to the nearest care center, arrange for a towing service, book a cab as well as help with quotes for damage repair estimates.
Drive Sales with AI Chatbots
Chatbots make a significant impact when it comes to driving sales and with automobile dealerships it’s no exception. A study found that 65% of consumers feel more comfortable handling an issue without a human agent. Here are some additional ways that AI chatbots can do the same for automobile customers while also boosting revenue for your dealership.
- Providing car details, brochures, configurations and pricing tables.
- Offering financing tools and EMI Calculators.
- Generating offer blast notifications.
- Listing hotline call numbers.
- Detail driving school or petrol station addresses and details.
- Showing service centers in the event of relocations.
- Noting customer past records of services availed.
- Setting reminders for insurance.
- Convenient access to past records.
Ultimately AI-powered chatbots can handle the majority of routine customer support scenarios and they can provide major operational benefits such as faster response time, scalability to cope with a higher volume of customer support, and reduce the cost of providing customer support. No more long wait times on a call with an agent. AI chatbots boost customer satisfaction which is crucial for long-term success and sales.
When functioning in a highly competitive industry such as automobile sales it is imperative to take new digital innovations into account. In the aftermath of COVID-19, digitalization is imperative to meet customer expectations and drive sales. Cater to consumers and achieve greater agility with SalesCatcher’s Intelligent Offering (iO). Our AI orchestration platform – iOFlow, working in tandem with our intelligent RPA tool – iOBot can create a highly customized experience for each of your consumers. If you’d like to find out more our AI team at SalesCatcher would be happy to help.
