The Marchex Blog

Failed calls equate to lost revenue and negative customer feedback

Auto service businesses that value the caller experience give themselves an edge over those that don’t.

Customers who don’t get the service they expect will typically hang up and call the next business on their list. The companies that take proactive steps to optimize inbound service phone calls know that the conversation is critical.

Those who take the time to create a high-value experience can connect with more current and potential customers, book more service appointments, and win against competitors in a fast-changing industry.

When it comes to boosting revenue for a business, one way to start is to address the “low-hanging fruit.” In this case, that’s failed calls. By reducing your failed calls, you have a significant opportunity to land more revenue from the leads you’re already receiving. The Marchex Institute estimates that stores leave an average of $108,000 of revenue per location on the table each year due to poor call handling. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Simple Tips to Improve Service Call Handling:

  1. Reduce your failed call rate – for every 100 calls to an auto services business, 13 fail to connect.
  2. Optimize your call-tracking-number (CTN) experience – don’t use multiple CTN’s if all of your calls are routed to the same person or a phone tree.
  3. Request the caller’s name.
  4. Actively listen to what the customer was saying and ask more questions.
  5. Offer alternatives if a day/time a customer wants to come in is not available.
  6. Stop telling a caller ‘No’ – by saying ‘no’ to the customer, stores turn away an average of 17 percent of their callers.

 

 

Ian Grace, senior director of partner performance at automotiveMastermind, was recently quoted saying, “If you want to approach things so that you can be ready to adapt in a dynamic environment you need to have the right tools, the right people and the right processes in place, especially around the service drive.”

Marchex is well-positioned to help you improve your call handling and bottom line. Contact us today to learn how our solutions help automotive dealers and auto service providers drive more revenue.