The Marchex Blog

5 Signs Your Dealership Has a Call Handling Problem, and How to Address It

In today’s fiercely competitive and ever-changing automotive market, you cannot afford to let valuable phone sales slip through the cracks. But before you can fix these issues, you need to understand what’s happening and where any breakdowns might be occurring. Marchex understands that phone calls are where the most important car buying decisions are likely to take place, and every mishandled call increases the risk you could lose that sale forever. 

Blind Spot – Lack of CRM Integration 

One common issue in many dealerships is the blind spot when it comes to CRM integration. If you’re looking for a quick way to improve your operations, stop hoping your sellers add their phone leads to your CRM. You can automatically integrate all phone conversation data into your CRM.  

Who’s on First? Lack of Call Tracking  

Let’s be honest, call tracking is probably not the top thing on your daily to-do list. But if you’re not utilizing call data to track calls and improve call handling performance, you risk missing appointments and sales. Marchex provides dedicated account support to ensure dealers enrolled in our Engage product get the most out of every conversation. 

Poor Team Accountability 

If you’re like a lot of dealerships, your top sellers probably close most of your deals each month. And while they know what to do and how to work a deal from start to finish, what about the other 80% of your sales team? Action Alerts are built into Engage to ensure you have clear visibility into where leads are in the sales process and can track if steps are missed. Then you can follow up accordingly. 

The Importance of Service 

Service is critical, and as important as ever. Good service can earn the customer’s trust and increase the likelihood of purchase. As consumers hold onto their vehicles longer, you should book every appointment you can from phone calls. With searchable call transcripts, you can quickly identify lost service conversations that didn’t result in an appointment and follow up with the customer before they call and book an appointment with your competitor.  

No BDC? No Problem with AI.  

Not every dealership can afford to have a Business Development Center (BDC), but there’s an easy way to help your team improve efficiency and effectiveness. Automating your lead management system can increase accuracy and saves time. By using AI to analyze phone conversations, Marchex can help your team prioritize their best sales and service opportunities. To learn more about our solution, schedule a consultation today.