3:48 pm, June 2, 2016
TODAY’s switched-on and connected consumers ‘expect mobile access to everything’, including the option to receive instant responses to enquiries on their next vehicle purchase, according to Contact at Once!
That’s why, now more than ever before, dealers must cater for the 21st Century car buyer by providing a user-friendly website which can be accessed on-the-go and enables the customer to communicate with the appropriate salesperson from the moment they make contact.
Contact At Once! is a mobile messaging platform that allows automotive companies to place chat and text invitations on websites, mobile sites, in online ads and mobile apps. It is the most widely-deployed messaging platform in the UK automotive industry and the only one that allows dealerships to answer all chats and texts – from their own sites and via their advertising listings – through a single platform.
Richard Ward, UK sales manager at Contact at Once!, said: ‘Even in traditional “in-person” industries like automotive and real estate, buyers expect to access information and live customer service via their mobile devices. No one wants to be a “lead” or be put on hold. They want help and they want it now.
‘At Contact At Once! we makes those meaningful connections instantly possible through almost any site or ad and on any device, thanks to our all-in-one mobile messaging platform, which incorporates live chat, mobile text and managed chat services.’
The ‘live person company’ helps dealers create connected relationships with more mobile shoppers and, according to the firm, clients have reported a significant increase in customer engagement after adding Contact At Once! options such as live chat to a dealership website or ‘tap to text’ buttons in a mobile app.
Ward explained: ‘More sales conversations typically translate to more sales. Some of our analysis shows that as many as 1-in-3 identifiable consumers who chat with an automotive dealership purchase a car within 60 days.’
Contact at Once! has been providing digital communication products and services to automotive dealerships, manufacturers and advertising sites for more than ten years.
Ward said: ‘In that time, we’ve gained a lot of knowledge about dealership operations and how they are unique. We are continually innovating our software and services to meet their needs, enabling dealerships to connect with more shoppers with the same consistent branding and customer experience.’
Developing its own software, Contact at Once! is able to constantly change and grow its products to help dealerships and auto manufacturers take advantage of the latest trends.
Ward continued: ‘We were the first company in this industry to develop a texting product that fully integrates with a chat platform so that all conversations can be managed through a single interface. We’re also the only solutions provider who can offer dealerships the opportunity to answer some, none, or all of its own chats and texts.
‘In 2016, we’re working on several new products that will extend the power of mobile messaging and weave together mobile chat, SMS texting and proactive messaging management to improve the consumer experience with automotive brands and dealerships.’
Contact at Once! made an appearance at CDX16, where it aimed to extend its reach to the UK’s motor trade.
Ward concluded: ‘We are rapidly growing our reach in the UK and events such as CDX are a good way to reinforce our commitment to the success of our UK customers. This was our first time exhibiting at the conference and we were impressed with the many opportunities it provided us with to make meaningful connections.’
Dealerships who are investigating chat, text and mobile messaging platforms are invited to to read the latest Dealer Survey from Contact at Once!, which can be downloaded from http://go.contactatonce.com/2015-survey-uk. It provides a direct insight into how more than 1,200 dealers are using mobile messaging to improve connections with their customers.
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