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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, more dealerships are looking to automotive CRM systems to help sell more cars without ever meeting in person.
For businesses that have been allowed to reopen, contactless customer service has become the new trend, and it’s truly coming into its own. But for the car industry, contactless is more challenging than it sounds. Customers spending so much money on a purchase typically want the in-person experience to build rapport with salespeople, test-drive the vehicle, understand the available features, and more. While automotive CRM systems can’t replace the face-to-face buying experience, they can help streamline your business with the goal of contactless sales in mind.
Whether you’re new to automotive CRM systems or you’re looking for one that better meets your needs, it’s imperative in today’s climate that business owners look to available technology to help them stay ahead of the curve and sell as many cars as possible without sacrificing customer safety and satisfaction.
Going virtual with automotive CRM systems
According to Consumer Reports, online car-buying has typically made up 10-15% of all car sales. While there’s no measurement of how much that’s increased since COVID-19, a safe bet is, a lot. With businesses closing temporarily or working with skeleton crews, and more consumers conscious of the safety of conducting in-person transactions, the entire process of car-buying has been, at least for now, moved online.
So if customers are shopping online, it only makes sense that dealerships improve their digital offering. One side of this involves the customer shopping experience, but there’s also the business side to consider. How can car dealers enhance their digital offerings in ways that lead to contactless auto sales? Perhaps most importantly, what role can automotive CRM systems play in making that transition? Here are three ways car dealerships are adapting.
1. Working remotely with automotive CRM systems
For years now, success in auto sales meant using CRM systems, but today’s world calls for more. Because fewer people are buying cars in person, it can be challenging to attend to each customer’s needs.
One of the most significant benefits of automotive CRM systems is that they allow you to store and track customer information so that, however long the sales cycle takes, you can stay on top of each case with ease. With integrated text and email communications, these CRMs make it easy to keep in touch with leads without even picking up the phone.
You can also use CRM technology to do things like scan vehicle bar codes to collect accurate, mistake-free data about any given vehicle. You can then send that information to remote customers so they can make informed decisions about their purchases. This function was useful when people still came onto the lot to buy cars, but it’s essential now that so many people are buying online.
Whether you’re working from home or a quiet showroom, automotive CRM systems can help you do your job almost the same way you did before, perhaps even more efficiently, since everything you need about each sale is right at your fingertips.
2. Contactless contracts and compliance
If there’s no other reason to appreciate a CRM, how about the fact that it can make paperwork so much easier? Whether housed within the CRM or integrated with another system, this technology can help you put together relevant contracts for each sale, eliminating the need for any in-person signatures—something that was previously a stumbling block to online purchases.
(Note that some states still require in-person signatures on some contracts, especially those that have to do with financing a vehicle. Check your state and local regulations to ensure that you’re able to do this in your area.)
Even if your locale does require in-person signatures, automotive CRM systems can help keep these contactless by allowing a delivery team and a customer to complete the transaction entirely electronically. For the time being, many in-person requirements have been put on hold anyway, but even after the pandemic has passed, many people will likely still want contactless options until the world feels safe again.
3. Taking advantage of automated features
We all know there’s more to auto sales than the customer contact. But things like scheduling pick-ups, deliveries, or virtual appointments are a breeze to track with a CRM system. Use the integrated text and email functionality to automatically send reminders to customers to help keep the sales cycle moving and build customer rapport. With these parts of the sales cycle automated, you’re able to stay in constant contact with customers, keep them up to date on the process, and give them opportunities to ask questions without taking the time for a phone call.
By making the entire car-buying experience contactless from the first customer inquiry to the final ink on the page, automotive CRM systems are all but a necessity in the low-contact world we inhabit today.
It just so happens that we know where you can get a fully-functional CRM system that’s designed especially for independent dealerships. With AutoRaptor’s easy-to-use and always accessible sales manager dashboard, there are no limits to what you can achieve both in the dealership and out. Call 1-888-421-6533 to schedule a demo today to learn more!
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