Can Live Chat Help Your Service Techs?

Your service department is a busy place. Customers come to you on a daily basis to solve problems with their vehicles. They come in person, and they call on the phone. It requires a lot of manpower to communicate effectively and efficiently with all of these folks.

Adequately trained service receptionists, service advisors and other personnel can make a big difference but hiring enough staff to meet the high demand is not necessarily the right answer.

Service advisors and receptionists have a lot of responsibilities. Fielding endless phone calls and answering simple questions does not need to be one of them. In the world of AI and connectivity that we live in, there are many automation options and third-party services that can alleviate stress in your service drive.

Live chat support is one of these services that can make a big difference. But even more important than the efficiency of your service department are the needs of the customer. Customers don’t have time to wait on hold to get their questions answered. Chat tools give customers answers in real time and makes for happier customers and higher conversion rates.

What is Live Chat Support?

Live chat support is a relatively new way to interact with your website visitors. Usually the visitor initiates a chat request by clicking an icon on your website. The visitor is then connected with a live agent who can answer whatever question they have.

Live chat can be used for prospective customers to help with service decisions, or with current customers who need support, like making an appointment. Many dealerships are using live chat support to drive more sales in the sales department, but this valuable tool can mean more business and more efficiency in your service department as well.

What about AI Chat Bots?

Artificial Intelligence, or AI is a hot buzzword in the world of technology. If you are wondering what AI is, just think of Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, or Google voice search. These are interactive platforms that interpret user input and provide appropriate responses.

Chatbots are a form of AI that interact with users via text or chat. Chatbots can be used in a variety of cases. For Auto Dealerships, a chatbot can do wonders when it comes to driving sales or customer support. Customers can use a chatbot to answer simple service questions, book a service appointment, or get maintenance reminders.

Chatbots are cheaper than live support and are always available 24/7.

What Chat Tools Should You Look At?

Here are a few popular chat services that are worth a look:

Live Person Automotive is an AI-powered conversational platform that enables dealerships to drive more sales and build brand loyalty.

Gubagoo makes it easy for customers to connect with your dealership through multiple channels such as live video calls and service scheduling. They also have the ability to push offers to customers via chat to increase conversion. 

Activengage has a team of live chat agents who are specifically trained in all dealership departments, including: sales, service, parts, finance and customer service.

Dealer eProcess offers a co-managed auto-bot with texting option that will conduct a conversation on behalf of the dealer while allowing dealership personnel to jump into the conversation at any time to take over. 

Originally appeared in CBTnews