Winnipeg-based firm puts the customer experience at the core of its lead management tools to help dealerships boost sales
For dealerships, correctly handling every digital lead, and in a timely manner, is a key differentiator. As consumer expectations rise for a better digital experience, dealerships need tools that are efficient and hassle-free.
That’s where RAPID RTC comes in. The company says they understand the challenges dealerships are facing, and develop tools to help them better manage their leads and improve the experience for their customers.
It’s also important that good quality leads don’t fall through the cracks, ad dollars are spent wisely, and more quality leads are generated in the process, according to Glen Demetrioff, President and CEO of RAPID RTC. Formerly known as DMT Development Systems Group, the company offers a Lead Manager and Chat tool built to cater to the consumer experience.
“One-hundred per cent response rate is a mandatory requirement when anyone comes into the store (or online). No exceptions,” says Demetrioff. “It has to work on every scenario that happens in a store, because you never know which one of those leads will buy a car.”
According to a 2018 HubSpot survey, which includes participants from the U.S., U.K., Australia and Singapore, 82 per cent of consumers consider an “immediate” response as “important or very important” for their marketing and sales queries. That number increases to 90 per cent for customer service inquiries. Furthermore, a study by Drift found that waiting as little as five minutes to respond to a lead decreases the odds of making contact with a prospect by 10 times.
It’s one of the reasons RAPID RTC’s web-based Lead Manager tool aggregates digital leads from more than 300 sources, whether its online networks or social platforms, to ensure a 100 per cent response rate with a personalized (customizable) message. This includes branding and location details. The tool also sends alerts to dealership teams, and allows them to access the leads through any device, and to analyze their prospects’ online behaviour.
“The primary purpose and differentiator between us and others is our relentless focus on customer experience, and whether that is through digital, a walk-in or a phone call, the point is they have one chance,” says Demetrioff. “By having us put all our resources to make sure that one contact is the best of the best, or gives dealers the chance to be the best of the best — that’s what we are doing, and we are empowering them to do that.”
On the Chat side, RAPID RTC say it is focusing on a gentler approach by not pressuring consumers to provide their phone number until they feel comfortable. The program also allows dealers to include attachments for users to view, along with images and video — and dealers can review the analytics. The system is also set up to ensure a sales representative replies to the lead, and if one is not available, a bilingual “concierge team” can take the wheel for a period of time.
It’s all about the customer experience, according to Demetrioff. This includes being quick to the punch, talking to prospects, being able to connect them to a salesperson who is an authority, and being able to provide the customer a “close out,” where all the information, clippings and attachments that were shared with them in a chat conversation is sent to them by email.
“When a customer goes onto a dealer website, they are expecting to talk to someone — someone that is knowledgeable at the dealership that can help them with product selection, make an appointment, and continue on the sales process, either through digital channels such as Chat, or go off-line and eventually have the customer come in so they can actually speak to a dealer and maybe go for a test drive,” says Demetrioff. And that is exactly what they strive to provide.
Moving forward, Demetrioff says channels like text, chat, email and telephony will be much more robust in the coming year, as all channels will be managed through the Lead Manager tool. “This is a very big enhancement that we will be bringing to market,” he adds.
