As many parts of the country enter what is being deemed a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions that include subsequent lockdown stages are being put back into place. The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way consumers do many things, including shopping for cars – and while online shopping was already on the rise, these changes have further expedited that trend, as evidenced by data from the Dealer Insights team at RAPID RTC.
“Over Q3, following the first wave, we’ve seen live chat volumes increase by 17% among our customers, and volumes for online data capture forms increase by 30%, With additional physical restrictions upon us, making more communication channels available online will be a big part of dealerships appealing to more customers and increasing their success in online sales.”
Pontus Riska, Vice-President Sales and Support – UK for RAPID RTC
Last week, Armchair Show sponsor RAPID RTC added two new features to support their Lead Manager customers in staying connected, enabling salespeople to respond to online enquiries using text message and personalised video all within the same user interface. RAPID RTC’s suite of digital tools offers one interface that allows salespeople to connect with online customers in real-time, in a similar fashion to meeting in person, and can keep retailers connected with their customers during the latest lockdown period. The two new Lead Manager features will further help retailers increase their chances of communicating with customers by utilising multiple follow-up channels (text, email, or phone), while eliminating the need for salespeople to use and learn multiple systems.
“Throughout the course of the pandemic, many restrictions have been put in place across the UK. Recognising that COVID-19 has changed the way customers shop, we’ve expedited the launch of some of our products to help dealerships and customers communicate digitally more effectively. In past years, we’ve seen car buyers increasingly spending time shopping online, and with physical distancing measures in place, this is the case even more so.”
Glen Demetrioff, President and CEO of RAPID RTC
Over the summer, RAPID RTC also expedited the launch of Live Dealer, a new fully immersive omni-channel platform that enhances any dealership’s digital retailing efforts by providing integrated chat, voice (VoIP), and 1-way and 2-way video for online customers to connect with a salesperson. RAPID RTC Live Dealer was designed exclusively to bring together the traditional automotive retail process and online shopper.
Check out RAPID RTC’s Vice-President Sales and Support Pontus Riska on the first ever episode of The Armchair Show
