Steele Auto Case Study

Introduction

Steele GMC Buick of Fredericton, New Brunswick is part of Steel Auto, Atlantic Canada's largest auto group, with 64 new vehicle dealerships. Known in the area as the truck capital of New Brunswick, Steele GMC Buick offers a full selection of GMC trucks and Buick sedans and SUVs. They also have robust service and parts departments with 10 general service bays, as well as a collision center for body work

After a new website was created for the dealership, a technical glitch was affecting the website's live chat function and the processing of sales leads. Steele GMC Buick General Sales Manager Aseem Sachdev and the dealership's management team were also seeking to improve live chat performance to provide the sales team with more qualified leads.

Aseem contacted BBC Global Director of Engagement Amy Cohen to assist with fixing and optimizing both the technical operation and lead-generation performance of the live chat support services.

Implementation improves function and lead quality

The first step was to address any technical issues that were impacting the availability and functionality of SYNERGYCHAT. Managed by BBC Global, SYNERGYCHAT is an outsourced live chat solution designed to facilitate seamless communication with customers and increase conversions for sales teams. This live chat model provides professional customer service and support from live agents without the cost of an in-house call center.

"Every website that uses SYNERGYCHAT needs source code," Amy said. "When we realized the source code was missing from the new Steele GMC Buick website, we sent them the source code that day. We also updated the settings to make sure the live chat icon is displayed, and services are available, around the clock."

In addition to technical adjustments, BBC Global made recommendations to optimize the placement and design of the live chat icon. The goals were to make the icon more visible to website users and increase utilization.

BBC Global agents were trained to ask the right questions and gather as much information as possible from customers to generate more qualified leads. For example, agents would ask if customers were interested in certain models or features. Some customers would like more information on a specific vehicle, while others request more information about service appointments.

The system was configured to automatically deliver all live chat conversations to Aseem, and all data feeds into the Steele GMC Buick customer relationship management (CRM) system. Aseem would then distribute leads to the appropriate people.

"When someone is thinking about buying a car, it's all about prompt service with helpful information," Aseem said. "For an organization like ours, nothing is more important. After the changes were made, I noticed more people were using live chat and the agents were doing a great job getting information from customers."

The Results: Highly qualified leads, more confident customers

BBC Global generated reports that showed the percentage of sales leads jumped from 40 percent to more than 50 percent soon after changes to SYNERGYCHAT were implemented, resulting in substantial improvements in both the number and quality of leads.

Agents were successfully gathering important information. More than a name, phone number, and email address, they often learned about the goals, preferences, and concerns of each customer. Feedback from the sales team was overwhelmingly positive.

"Sales reps could see the difference," Aseem said. "Sales leads more qualified with live chat than with an automated version, which meant customers were further along in the sales process by the time they spoke with a sales rep."

In addition to providing the sales team with valuable insights, customers had more confidence as a direct result of their interactions with live chat agents.

"After using live chat, customers know what to expect next," Aseem said. "They know someone will be reaching out to provide additional information and continue the conversation. Customers would anticipate a call from our sales team, which increases the likelihood of a sale. Having both sides of the conversation prepared and looking forward to a conversation is exactly what an auto dealership needs from live chat. We're thrilled with how well it's working."

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