Wednesday, August 14, 2013

When we go to a dealership to splurge on a well thought out investment, we hope that it will be a smooth process. Unfortunately, a car dealership may set us on a rough ride because of their inefficient communication and customer service.

In the automotive industry, many will find themselves struggling to connect to their leads and customers because of a disorganized establishment and highly competitive environment. With a few innovative cloud telephony solutions, one can quickly build trusting relationships with clients and coworkers.

By shifting from traditional marketing strategies to mobile marketing, you will be able to connect to more people in the same amount of time or less. Think about how often you see someone check their phone. It is probably quite often so why not use it as your own tool for marketing and advertising.

If you use texting for your company, you can put a brake on expensive advertising. By simply purchasing a hosted short code and a tracking number, you will be able to track your leads and sales. For example, you can post an ad on a website, community board, (or wherever you prefer), that reads “text BLKBMW to 10101 for vehicle details.” Whenever an interested buyer texts that short code, they will receive an automated text with a brief description about the vehicle you are advertising.

Or, you can simply advertise a short code that will offer updates which can in turn convert to sales. Once your leads and customers have given consent to be added to your mass marketing list, you can build a strong relationship with frequented texts. Customers will likely appreciate updates about your dealership and services especially if you personalize them with their names or their account numbers.

To strengthen your text marketing solution, you can integrate an IVR solution so that your customers can respond to your text blasts. Whether they have a maintenance question, inventory question, or payment question, your menu can direct the customer to the right person or, you can answer the text yourself. An IVR will also allow the customer to schedule appointments with sales people or schedule maintenance procedures when your company sends service updates.

As an incentive to subscribing to texting, you can offer your customers discounts on car services, a free car wash, or a small percent knocked off their bill whenever they refer you to a family or friend. You can even text leads whenever the vehicle they are interested in has been sold. With a good amount of promotions and attention, a customer will likely stay loyal to your company.

Mobile marketing solutions aren’t solely for the customer’s benefit, they can improve the internal processes of your business as a whole. By implementing an internal texting system, all employees can be well aware about the dealership’s inventory and create a streamlined flow of efficiency.

A few simple cloud technology tools can pave the way to better sales and minimize costs for your company.