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CarChat24 Announces Extended Beta Testing Of Their New Premium Chat Software

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | Automotive Social Media | CarChat24 News | Live Chat Features | News - (Comments Off)

CarChat24’s new premium dealer chat software is now in extended beta release. This new beta test is ready to go and we would like to invite you to participate.

We are currently looking for enthusiastic and eager car dealers to take part in our extended beta test to help us find bugs and to give feedback and suggestions for features that would improve our product.

What Are the CarChat24 Beta Program Details?

  • -Target beta start date is Beginning of May – Mid June.
  • -Beta testing period to last 30-40 days.
  • -Supported platforms: Windows Operating System, iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablets
  • -Free use of our Premium Pro version with up to 5 operators for 30 days.

What Are the Benefits of Joining the CarChat24 Beta Program?

  • -Ability to experience our new powerful chat service for 30 days free.
  • -Opportunity to help shape our future products and services with a greater level feedback.
  • -Interaction with the beta team and other beta testers.
  • -Dealers will have the choice after the beta test ends to upgrade to a paid premium version, or use the always free version.
    There is no obligation to purchase anything. You are automatically eligible for the Always-Free Version!
  • -As a special thank you to all active beta participants, we will provide the following:
    • -Active beta participants will receive an addition 30 days use of our Premium Pro version (Total 60 days)
    • -Active Beta participants may also receive free 24/7 staffed back up support during a portion of the beta test period.
  • -BONUS: All active Beta testers that follow the Beta tasks and guildlines will receive a $25 Starbucks Gift Card!

We are looking forward to your participation. Sign up quicky! Space is limited to the first 100 approved dealers.

Click Here to Apply for the Extended Beta Testing Opportunity!

The CarChat24 Beta Team

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Are You Listening?

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | Automotive Social Media - (Comments Off)

When someone says something to you, do you listen? I don’t mean do the words pass through your hearing canal, but do you listen to them? Do you allow the words to enter your brain and form a clear vision of what is being said to you? If you haven’t put this much thought into this, then there is a very good chance you aren’t listening to the things people are saying and losing out on countless opportunities to make quality connections.

If you don’t listen to your customer you won’t be able to react accurately. For example, if you have a smile pasted on your face as you write a credit application thinking it will make you look friendly, but your customer is talking about a terrible event in his/her life that landed them in the credit situation that they are in, how does this make you look?

If you aren’t listening, then you aren’t hearing, if you aren’t hearing, the you run the risk of missing some very important information that a customer could give you.

I was in a bookstore last week looking for a new e-Reader. I was prepared to drop whatever amount of money I needed to to have a high quality reader that would enable me to store loads of books but was easy on the eyes. I went to the service counter and explained to the sales rep that I’m a digital media specialist and I spend all day looking at a computer so I wasn’t looking for something with app download ability. I get enough Facebook and Twitter all day.

She then showed me the Kindle Fire.

…..

If you’re not familiar, the Kindle Fire is basically an iPad for books. You can have apps, and it’s in color.

Did she listen to me? Was this a joke? I know she was probably trying to upsell me. She wanted more bang for my buck.

I walked over to another sales person. I ended up getting a modest e-Reader for $99 but $200 worth of download credits for myself and grandmother.

Same money spent that the sales person was trying to get me to spend – just spread out on things that I wanted.

I was the customer.

This made me think about myself in sales situations. When someone sends me an e-mail asking for information about one thing, do I try and slip a sales pitch in?

Sometimes.

But am I sure to answer all of their questions first? Absolutely.

You don’t have to guess what your customer wants. They’ll tell you. It’s up to you to listen.

The Sale Of a Car Comes Before The Papers Are Signed

Posted by Katie in Automotive Social Media - (Comments Off)

I’ve bought a few cars. I’ve also had the pleasure of working at one of South Jersey’s best known car dealerships and have watched deals being written. In a lot of circles, it’s believed that “The deal isn’t done until the papers are signed.” While this may be the case, it’s important to realize that the sale of a car isn’t marked by the signing of papers. The sale of a car comes before the papers are signed. Moreso, you won’t even make it to the F&I department if you don’t engage your customer before the signing.

Before the test drive, before browsing the lot, before the ‘hello, how are you’s', before they walk in the show room, before the appointment is set, even before that glimmer in your customers’ eye where you know they’ve seen something they want; before all of these things comes the moment when your customer reaches out to you. Whether by phone, by e-mail, or by dealer live chat on your website, most customers will contact the dealership before they come in.

When a potential customer contacts your dealership, it’s your opportunity to build a rapport than is unbreakable. When I was doing BDC work, I spoke to a lot of customers before they entered the dealership. Because salesmen have this negative stigma of being pushy, I was able to say things like “I want you to buy a car, if that’s what you want. But if you don’t, it’s okay, I’ll call the next person.” I didn’t say this to be mean, not in the least. I wanted the customer to realize that their purchasing a car did not equal my happiness. My happiness was them being happy – whether that was with buying a car, or asking a simple question.

Of course, that’s not to say that you should not try to keep the customer on the track of their car buying experience. Sometimes, the 10 year veteran of the sales force can blow the sale because he’s overly confident – trying to hard to keep the customer focused on the car sale. This is why when a newbie joins the force, he almost always gets a stroke of beginners luck. Customers sense his true dedication and wanting to connect. Their vulnerability seems endearing.

At the same time, too much nativity can make you lose credibility. There’s a balance between acting like you know it all, and not knowing your right from your left.

If you do not make the connection with your customer before they walk in the door, they won’t trust you when they do. If you blow the trust aspect on your first interaction, even if you do get the customer in the door, it will be nearly impossible to have it end in a sale. Think about it, if someone gives you a bad vibe out of the gate, even if they act nicely to you when you meet them again, wouldn’t you be on your guard?

It is this hesitance that ruins sales. The key to putting your sales’ ducks in a line making your first interaction your best interaction. It’s this interaction – this extension of the customers’ hand for assistance that will make or break the sale. If you leave a poor taste in the customers’ mouth right off the bat, then you will have a much harder, if not impossible time of converting them from a showroom up to a sale. Blowing the sale is quite easy. In fact, it takes very little effort. It can be done by a seasoned salesman, or by the dealership newbie.

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CarChat24 Announces the Addition of Jeff Sterns as Vice President of Sales and Business Development

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | CarChat24 News - (Comments Off)

ChatLead.com, Inc/CarChat24, a leader in 24/7 Staffed Auto Dealer Chat Support, and Dealer Chat Software as a Service, announced today the appointment of Jeff Sterns as Vice President of Sales and Business Development.

Sterns joins the team in a leadership role and will focus on the continued growth of the overall CarChat24 business in North America. Sterns will be located in the Palm Harbor, Florida head office; reporting to Shereef Moawad, President and CEO of ChatLead.com, Inc/CarChat24.

Sterns brings over 25 years of sales management leadership experience to CarChat24 and most recently was the Director of Sales for Ferman BMW. According to CarChat24’s CEO, Shereef Moawad, “Jeff Sterns’ experience in the automotive sales business will be a real asset to CarChat24”. Additionally Shereef commented “We look forward to continued strong growth under Jeff’s leadership and expansion of both our domestic and international footprint.”

When asked about his decision to join CarChat24 Sterns said “CARCHAT24 is a progressive, fast-paced and entrepreneurial company. I’m elated to be joining this growth company.” And with respect to the marketplace, “2012 is going to be an exciting year for Auto Dealer Chat with adoption expected to more than double 2011. This year, Car Dealers will embrace new and innovative chat technologies and staffed/managed automotive specific chat support service alternatives as a way to drive growth and profitability.

Whether its desktop dealer chat software, mobile dealer chat solutions, or Staffed/Managed 24/7 dealer chat support solutions, CarChat24 is well-positioned to serve its customers and partners in North America”. Email Jeff at Jeff.Sterns@CarChat24.com, or Call Jeff at 800-510-7567 ext 702. To learn more about Jeff Sterns go to www.Jeff.Sterns.com or connect with Jeff on Linkedin http://www.linkedin.com/in/sterns

About CarChat24.com (http://carchat24.com) CarChat24 provides 24/7 hosted Live Chat Support & Dealer Chat Software for new and used car dealership websites. CarChat24 helps dealers sell more vehicles by converting a higher percentage of their website visitors into quality leads. Since June of 2006, CarChat24 has been helping car dealers improve their sales and customer service on the Internet. Our mission is to empower car dealers with cutting edge live chat technology, and provide the professional staff and superior processes needed to obtain the best possible results. We are committed to helping our clients get the best return on investment from their websites. We strive to make our support service the very best and are always looking for innovative ways to give our dealers the edge over their competition. Follow CarChat24.com on http://www.twitter.com/CarChat24 and fan CarChat24.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CarChat24

For more information visit http://www.carchat24.com or call 1-800-510-7567

Car Chat 24 Continues its Big 2012 With a New Look + Beta Release

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | Automotive Social Media | CarChat24 News - (Comments Off)

If you follow us on Facebook and Twitter, you might have noticed a little something new – we’ve got a new look!

We’re letting our partners, colleagues, and networks see the first of many changes to come here at Car Chat 24. Our 2012 has kicked off strong and we cannot wait to help our dealers sell even more cars.

Also, have you heard?

The CarChat24 beta test is almost ready to go and we would like to invite you to participate!

We are now looking for enthusiastic early adopters to participate in our beta to help us find bugs, give feedback and feature suggestions to improve our product.

What Are the CarChat24 Beta Program Details?

  • Target beta start date is mid to late February.
  • Beta testing period to last 30-40 days.
  • Supported platforms: Windows Operating System, iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablets
  • Free use of our Premium Pro version with up to 5 operators for 30 days.

What Are the Benefits of Joining the CarChat24 Beta Program?

  • Ability to experience our new powerful chat service for 30 days free.
  • Opportunity to help shape our future products and services with a greater level feedback.
  • Interaction with the beta team and other beta testers.
  • Dealers will have the choice after the beta test ends to upgrade to a paid premium version, or use the always free version. There is no obligation to purchase anything.
  • As a special thank you to all active beta participants, we will provide the following:
    • Active beta participants will receive an addition 30 days use of our Premium Pro version (Total 60 days)
    • Active Beta participants may also receive free 24/7 staffed back up support during a portion of the beta test period.

We are looking forward to your participation!

The CarChat24 Beta Team

Apply for Testing Opportunity

CarChat24 Announces Free Premium Dealer Chat Software and Back-Up Support for BETA Testers

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | CarChat24 News - (Comments Off)

CarChat24 is going to have an Extended Beta with approved volunteer Beta test dealers to make sure our final version after Beta will be exactly the way our clients (Car Dealers) want it. Approved dealers who actively participate will be offered the free use of our premium chat software for up to 2 months, and may also qualify for our free 24/7 Staffed Back-Up support.

Offer: Approved dealers who are willing to actively participate in our Extended Beta testing will be rewarded with the free use of our new premium dealer specific live chat software. Beta test dealers may also qualify for free 24/7 Staffed Back-Up support. All we ask in return is the dealers active participation and feedback to help us make our software #1. We think we have already developed excellent software, but we will let the dealers feedback help us put the final tweaks on it before we complete our Beta and officially launch.

To Qualify dealers must register for the Always-Free version of our new Dealer Chat Software by January 31st 2012 Midnight Eastern Time. Click the link below to learn more and register. We will email out beta test applications after January 31st to everyone that has registered.

http://www.carchat24.com/blog/2011/12/car-chat-24-announces-free-auto-dealer-chat-software/

Shown below is a partial list of the premium Features the approved Beta test dealers will be testing:

  • Desk Top Operator Console application with Outlook and Skype integration
  • Droid phone and tablet operator chat applications
  • iPhone and iPad operator chat applications
  • Automated language translation
  • Admin set up and advanced analytics reporting tools
  • Intelligent chat invitations
  • Social networking integrations
  • Voice to text feature
  • Automated pre-chat feature
  • …..and a lot more!

Beta test dealers will be under no obligation to continue with any paid services, and will be returned to the always-free version of our software after the extended Beta testing ends.

We are looking forward to helping our clients efficiently sell more cars and gain the advantage over their competition!

**UPDATE!**

The CarChat24 beta test is almost ready to go and we would like to invite you to participate!

We are now looking for enthusiastic early adopters to participate in our beta to help us find bugs, give feedback and feature suggestions to improve our product.

What Are the CarChat24 Beta Program Details?

  • Target beta start date is mid to late February.
  • Beta testing period to last 30-40 days.
  • Supported platforms: Windows Operating System, iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablets
  • Free use of our Premium Pro version with up to 5 operators for 30 days.

What Are the Benefits of Joining the CarChat24 Beta Program?

  • Ability to experience our new powerful chat service for 30 days free.
  • Opportunity to help shape our future products and services with a greater level feedback.
  • Interaction with the beta team and other beta testers.
  • Dealers will have the choice after the beta test ends to upgrade to a paid premium version, or use the always free version. There is no obligation to purchase anything.
  • As a special thank you to all active beta participants, we will provide the following:
    • Active beta participants will receive an addition 30 days use of our Premium Pro version (Total 60 days)
    • Active Beta participants may also receive free 24/7 staffed back up support during a portion of the beta test period.

We are looking forward to your participation!

The CarChat24 Beta Team

Apply for Testing Opportunity

Happy Holidays from CarChat24

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | Automotive Social Media - (Comments Off)

Happy Holidays from your family here at CarChat24. No matter which Holiday you celebrate, we hope you spent it with those most important to you.

Here’s to another year of success, love, and overcoming hardships.

Happy Holidays!

CarChat24 announces FREE AUTO DEALER CHAT SOFTWARE with their ‘always free’ version!

Posted by Katie in Automotive Business News | CarChat24 News - (Comments Off)

CarChat24 will provide hosted Free Advanced Auto Dealer Chat Software for (“All Car Dealer’s NEW or Used”) after final Beta testing. Expected release in late January to early February. Hosted Advanced Chat software designed for Car Dealers FREE!

Anyone interested in this always free version should go to the appropriate URL below to register. Once we launch we will send a link to all the registered Always Free users. It’s that simple, sign up now, and as soon as it released, you will get the set up link in your email.

From that moment on, you will have ALWAYS FREE AUTO DEALER CHAT SOFTWARE. CarChat24 reserves the right to end this Free offering in the future, but will always provide the free version for anyone who registers while the free version is being offered. So register now and lock in this opportunity. This offer is limited to one registration per dealership/business. New Car Dealer Groups can have one registration per dealership brand, Used Car Dealers can only have one registrant per business name.

NOTE: If a dealer group has 5 brands, and wants to register each dealership, they will need to have an individual from each dealership register with the URL and their info (5 Registrations).

Dealers in the U.S. http://carchat24.com/contact.html

Dealers in Canada and other countries http://carchat24.ca/contact.html

Select: (Always Free Software) from the drop down menu, and feel free to ask us any questions. We cannot reveal some of our unique features and benefits until we officially launch (We have some positive surprises), but we can confidently say it will be better than any other Auto Dealer Chat software currently available. It is proactive and offers several ways to engage visitors, and it will offer Real Time advanced analytics with GEO IP data beyond anything currently offered. It can be used in most any language (advanced automated language translation). It will use the current ADF/XML for your CRM, Also Email your leads, be easy to use, and help you sell more cars :-)

CarChat24 is getting ready to launch its New Automotive Specific Dealer Chat Software!

In December of 2010 we decided to upgrade, and started building our new dealer chat software based on Today’s Technology. With over 40 years combined experience in the Car business, and three plus years as a Top Rated 24/7 Dealer Chat Support provider, we have built what we believe will Change the way Dealers communicate with their dealership website visitors.

We are very happy we can make this available in a free version, and are looking forward to adding even more exciting features including a Developers API that will allow subscribers the ability to build on top of our advanced framework.

**UPDATE!**

The CarChat24 beta test is almost ready to go and we would like to invite you to participate!

We are now looking for enthusiastic early adopters to participate in our beta to help us find bugs, give feedback and feature suggestions to improve our product.

What Are the CarChat24 Beta Program Details?

  • Target beta start date is mid to late February.
  • Beta testing period to last 30-40 days.
  • Supported platforms: Windows Operating System, iPhone, iPad, Android phone and Android tablets
  • Free use of our Premium Pro version with up to 5 operators for 30 days.

What Are the Benefits of Joining the CarChat24 Beta Program?

  • Ability to experience our new powerful chat service for 30 days free.
  • Opportunity to help shape our future products and services with a greater level feedback.
  • Interaction with the beta team and other beta testers.
  • Dealers will have the choice after the beta test ends to upgrade to a paid premium version, or use the always free version. There is no obligation to purchase anything.
  • As a special thank you to all active beta participants, we will provide the following:
    • Active beta participants will receive an addition 30 days use of our Premium Pro version (Total 60 days)
    • Active Beta participants may also receive free 24/7 staffed back up support during a portion of the beta test period.

We are looking forward to your participation!

The CarChat24 Beta Team

Apply for Testing Opportunity

Is Your Dealer Website Made For You or Your Customers?

Posted by Katie in Automotive Social Media - (0 Comments)

I’ve been doing some thinking lately (look out!).

During the day, I spend a lot of time of Car Dealer Websites, browsing, clicking, checking out the user-friendliness.

It’s been a common trend that I’ve noticed – The ability to login to the backend of the site is big and clear. It’s often it’s very own attractive icon saying “SALESMAN LOGIN!” or something of the sort. There’s a way to check a master list of inventory on almost every site. The existence of Live Chat is on about half of the websites I visit. The ability to search for a specific car doesn’t exist on nearly enough sites.

My guess is that the powers that be sat at a round table and wondered what features would make their website work best for them. While I agree that a dealer website has a function to be beneficial for the management and sales team, in many cases, the main function of the website is being ignored: The website exists to make a better, easier, efficient, and generally more convenient experience for the customer. After all, you’re trying to sell them your product. They are your success.

It amazed me at how many sites didn’t have a clearly visible search option. I e-mailed one dealer as a friendly “Hey, it took me 10 minutes to find your search page!” and he replied “Well, did you check the site map?”

…The site map. Really?

You can’t assume that everyone knows how to find your sitemap and navigate from it. Heck, I wasn’t even sure what a site map was until I got into doing SEO. Will SEO experts buy cars? Yes. Are all of your customers SEO experts? No.

Your features have to be clear, easy to find, and easy to use.

As a consumer, I love the ability to build my own vehicle. That’s probably one of the most appealing features on a dealer’s website. The age-old stigma surrounding the cut-throat, pushy salesman still remain intact, no matter how inaccurate (sometimes accurate) it is.

The explosion of the internet has allowed the consumer to shop quietly, safely, and conveniently from their own home, on their sofa, in their pajamas, over morning coffee. Whether or not you WANT them to come to your dealership is neither here ‘nor there.  They want to do as much shopping as they can from home. So, you must cater to their needs and wants.

If a customer walked into your showroom and said right up front that they wanted a brand new 4 door sedan, would you insist on them getting a pre-owned 2 door coupe because you want to sell that car? Does it really matter what you want in this situation?

Not at all.

The customer is driving the ship, and you’re on board for the ride. They make the decisions, and while you can influence them, what they want will inevitably prevail.

Again, the customer is on your website because they want what you’ve got. They want an easy, user-friendly experience. They don’t want to log onto your site and be confused. They don’t want to spend 30 minutes trying to find the search button, your phone number, or directions to your place. Just as quickly as they found you on Google, they can click the back button and move onto the dealer next door who built their website around their customer.

Dealer Analytics: More Than Just Numbers

Posted by Katie in Katie | Live Chat Features - (Comments Off)

When you get your end of month analytics, you will probably see a number of website visits. These are more than just numbers, these numbers are actual people who were on your site, looking for information. Without Dealer Live Chat, you won’t interact with these visitors and they become missed opportunities.

Ignoring your website visitors does not make them invisible – it makes them another dealership’s customer.

Once a potential customer lands on your site, it is your job to keep them there – keep them looking at your vehicles, parts and service. You can either jump in with a take-charge attitude and proactively capture more leads, or you can sit back and watch people come and go off of your website. And when they do go, they go right into the arms of another dealership who welcomes them and gives them what you haven’t.

Every lead won’t be a sale, but every sale comes from a lead.

Yes, this is common sense. No, every lead will not result in a sale. You have to at least take a shot. If your website visitor, for whatever reason does not convert into a sale, they are not a lost cause. With the increase of use of Twitter, Facebook, and even Yelp, people share experiences. Lead sources range everywhere from third party leads, live chat leads to word-of-mouth and referral business. The more opportunities you generate, the more sales down the road. If you have an ever-lasting supply of opportunities in your pipeline, then the possibilities are endless.

Generating website traffic is only half the battle

It’s great that you brought 10,000 visitors to your site last month. How many of those people purchased a car? If you don’t know, then that’s a definitive problem. If you’re spending thousands of dollars a month on marketing, then why don’t you know how much every lead is worth and where it came from? You must have an analytics software in place. One of the best tracking methods is dealer live chat. Initiating conversation with potential customers not only generates a solid lead, but it makes the person feel like more than just a website visitor. Questions are answered, help is given, appointments are set. But this can’t be done without dealer live chat software.

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