• DD-Square-Logo_resized
  • ATTEND LAS VEGAS
    • Attendee
      • Registration & Pricing
      • Agenda Summary
      • Exhibitor List
      • Hotel & Travel
      • FAQ
    • Exhibitor
      • Exhibit/Sponsor
      • Advertising Opportunities
      • Exhibitor Resources
    • Education
      • Overview
      • Show Schedule
  • ABOUT
    • Conference Overview
    • Testimonials
    • Become a Speaker
    • Press Inquiries
    • Partnership Programs
    • Health & Safety
    • Contact Us
    • Get Updates
  • RESOURCES
    • Webinars
    • Downloads
  • NEWS
    • Auto Retail News
    • Digital Editions
    • Press Releases
    • Submit Editorial
    • Subscribe
  • .
  • ATTEND LAS VEGAS
    • Attendee
      • Registration & Pricing
      • Agenda Summary
      • Show Schedule
      • Hosted Dealer Program
      • Hotel & Travel
      • FAQ
    • Exhibitor
      • Exhibit/Sponsor
      • Advertising Opportunities
      • Exhibitor Resources
      • Exhibitor Services Manual
    • Education
      • Conference Overview
      • Conference Speakers
      • Session Schedule
  • RESOURCES
    • Webinars
    • Downloads
  • ABOUT
    • Conference Overview
    • Testimonials
    • Become a Speaker
    • Press Inquiries
    • Partnership Programs
    • Health & Safety
    • Get Updates
  • NEWS
    • AUTO RETAIL NEWS
    • PRESS RELEASES
    • DIGITAL EDITIIONS
    • SUBMIT EDITORIAL
    • SUBSCRIBE

Las Vegas: Oct 17-19, 2023

REGISTER NOW EXHIBIT / INQUIRE
Q

NEWS:

Dealer Ops & Leadership | Trending Industry News
September 2, 2021

How to Get Your BDC Agents On-Board with a Digital Voice Assistant

Posts:
Dealer Ops & Leadership | Trending Industry News
September 2, 2021

How to Get Your BDC Agents On-Board with a Digital Voice Assistant

By Tiffany Peeler, VP of Sales & Operations, Proactive Dealer Solutions

Enlisting a Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) to handle routine inbound service questions and appointment requests is a no-brainer for BDC managers and service advisors. Who doesn’t want 100%connectivity, a better customer experience, and the opportunity to re-allocate staff to revenue-generating activities like calling customers who previously declined services?

The harder sell is to your BDC agents. Understandably, many will worry a DVA may jeopardize their jobs. I’m not going to sugar-coat it: it may. Depending on your business goals, a DVA can replace a few agents if you’re looking to cut labor costs. But if your agents are stellar and your goal is to free them up to actively manage customers back into the drive, a DVA can be their best friend.

Here’s why: Up to 30% of the calls agents take are not appointable. I’m talking about routine FAQ calls, such as customers asking about your service hours, wanting to know your location, etc. Agents get bogged down with these types of calls that offer no opportunity to earn bonuses. A DVA eliminates these calls so agents get a higher volume of appointable calls and the opportunity to earn a lot more money on outbound calls.

The way to really get agents on board is to adjust your call appointment show bonuses. Take routine calls off an agent’s plate, and making more money is the carrot to rev up outbound calling. I suggest the following bonus schedule:

• $1 for every inbound appointment that shows.
• $3-5 for every outbound appointment that shows.
• $5 for every previously declined service appointment that shows.

As a manager, I’m going to be excited to allow my team to focus on managing customers back into the drive, helping them make more money, and eliminating reactionary work. A DVA gives agents the bandwidth they haven’t had before to reach out to more customers and make more money.

It’s crucial to share the strategy behind bringing on a DVA with your BDC team. Explain how they can make more money. Talk about how 100%connectivity leads to a better customer experience and a busier service department. Share scripts and tips for making successful outbound calls.

I think it’s also worthwhile to discuss with your team how a DVA works in the dealership. A DVA integrates with your DMS and scheduling tool to quickly and efficiently make customer appointments. It recognizes returning customers, pulls vehicle make and model for a personalized call, and schedules a service in as few as three minutes. It easily answers routine questions and quickly transfers customers to the appropriate department if they need more help.

Interestingly, a DVA can even unveil problems with a scheduling tool that are negatively affecting business. For example, I had a dealer call me to say his DVA was not scheduling appointments on Wednesdays. It thought his shop was closed when it was very much open. We looked at his scheduling tool and sure enough, it was set for the shop to be closed on Wednesdays. Wednesdays also appeared to be unavailable for customers attempting to schedule a service through his website. Without the DVA tied into his tool, it may have taken weeks for his team to realize the problem.

A DVA can help your service business in numerous ways. Get your BDC agents on board by explaining the benefits and adjusting your bonus schedule so they can make more money and deliver a better customer experience. It’s a win-win any way you look at it.

About the Author

Tiffany Peeler is the VP of Sales & Operations for Proactive Dealer Solutions. She leads the sales and fulfillment teams for over 1,200 North American dealerships.

Dealer Ops & Leadership•Trending Industry News

SHARE

Share on Email
Share on Linkedin
Share on Facebook
Share on Pinterest
Share on Twitter
← Previous Article Next Article →
Posts Dealer Ops & LeadershipTrending Industry News

Why More Dealers Are Enabling Sales Staff to Present F&I Products Earlier in the Shopping Process

Posts Industry Press Releases

TruVideo Integrates with Sunbit to Bring Auto Service Customers Access to Pay Over Time Option

Posts Dealer Ops & LeadershipTrending Industry News

Why More Dealers Are Enabling Sales Staff to Present F&I Products Earlier in the Shopping Process

Posts Dealer Ops & LeadershipTrending Industry News

How Auto Dealerships Can Prevent Data Breaches

Posts Industry Press Releases

Focus Advisors Represents Vinart Dealerships in their Body Shop Sale and Services Agreement

Posts Sales & Variable OpsTrending Industry News

The Power of Transparency in Used Vehicle Sales

Posts Marketing & AdvertisingTrending Industry News

How Digital Marketing Propels the New Way to Sell Cars

Posts Dealer Ops & LeadershipTrending Industry News

Standing Too Close to the Elephant

NEWSLETTER

SUBSCRIBE

DEALER MAGAZINE

Dealer Magazine March/April 2023 Issue Featuring an Interview with NADA 2023 Chairman
MAGAZINE
Digital Dealer Logo White
FOLLOW US ON
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
  • Follow
© 2023 Emerald X, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
ABOUT    CAREERS    AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS    TERMS OF USE    PRIVACY POLICY