When someone goes to buy a car today, the dealership is often the last place they go to.
Customers have already researched the cars they want online, received several quotes, and visited digital showrooms. Often they go to only one car dealership with a very clear idea of what they want out of the purchase.
It’s no wonder then that as a car dealership, you have to stand out to make a sale. So, staying up to date with the latest tech is an absolute must-do.
But, not to worry! Below we have listed the five best automotive technology tools to make things easier for car dealerships.
1. Sip Trunking
Some of the tools we are about to mention are all to do with SIP Trunking. Why is SIP trunking a useful tool to incorporate in your dealership?
Well, because it simplifies your communications in a unified system, all in one network. In case of disaster, like a storm cutting off your power supply, SIP Trunking often offer ways to send messages.
Getting in on SIP trunking now is a good idea for your future growth. Changing hardwired telephone lines is a pain to do, whereas expanding a digital network is much easier to accomplish on-demand.
It’s a minimal capital investment, and usually, little commitment is required compared to the long contracts often set by phone providers!
There are plenty of other factors that prompt dealerships to use SIP trunking to see more of these reasons click the link.
Below are a few US SIP companies you might want to consider. All of them offer similar functionalities, so it’s a question of comparing prices and finding the best fit for you.
- SIP.US
- Nextiva
- Twilio
- AVOXI
These are just a few examples, so research this avenue in greater depth before picking the best tool for you.
2. Edmunds New Car Inventory Tool
Edmunds offers a means of identifying car deals online. When researching the car they want, many customers will use this functionality to find the right dealer.
In fact, 59% of people will research their car online first, of which 49% will try to find information about a dealer.
There’s no way to stop customers from comparing prices and services online. So, the best thing to do is make the most of the internet by claiming your listing on Edmund’s inventory.
Familiarize yourself with how to use this tool!
Offering customers an easy way to find the car they want without jumping from one website to another has obvious perks for you as a car dealer.
Edmunds also offers mobile marketing, loyalty marketing, and referrals, which dealers can also benefit from.
3. Whisbi
Whisbi is an online marketing tool for car dealerships that allows you, amongst other things, to create virtual showrooms of your physical store.
There your customers can explore the look of the cars on offer, as well as see the interiors by quickly navigating switching cameras. All from the comfort of their home!
As more and more of the sales process starts online, this is a handy tool to get up to date on modern sales strategies.
Whisbi also offers one to one assist-and-sell features and a chatbot to answer your customer’s initial questions online.
A lot of people are enjoying that video chat functionality to answer customer queries immediately and offer a human touch in this digital world!
4. Selly Automotive
Where sales are concerned, an excellent CRM tool is a must-have. Selly Automotive is a CRM and internet lead management tool.
It helps you manage your leads and handles follow-ups, keeps track of your contacts, and lets you create work plans for your follow up tasks.
A few of its functionalities include:
- Automated email replies
- Appointment and task management
- Automatic work plans
- Control of your internet leads
Selly is affordably priced for small and large companies alike at $90 a month and offers a mobile version for prospecting on the go.
The free mobile version Selly Lite offers several handy functionalities for any dealer such as:
- Driver license scanner
- Create deals and set appointments
- Upload your inventory to social media
- Add trade-ins and inventory
- Offline functionality
- Integration with your current dealership CRM
Just to name a few.
5. Dealer.com
Dealer.com offers customizable solutions for your digital storefront, allowing you to build a website representing automotive dealership professionally.
The solutions concern themselves with the following topics:
Your Website
Responsive, mobile-focused designs with the possibility for incentives and specials, vehicle deal pages, and personalized shopping.
Promotion is consistent across the whole digital experience.
It also has many services on offer for the digital retailing experience, streamlining the buying process from your inventory page to the final purchase.
Managed Services
Dealer.com offers a partnership with a team of SEO, social, and creative experts to help your dealership achieve its full potential.
They will help you improve your SEO and digital marketing strategies. Don’t know the benefits of that? Read this article to inform yourself of the advantages of SEO and digital marketing.
Automotive Advertisement
Partnership with dealer.com offers you paid advertisement plans targeted at the right customers, reaching likely in-market buyers.
Ready to Start Using the Best Automotive Technology Tools?
We hope this list has convinced you to take a look around for the best automotive tech tools for your car dealership.
As you can see, there are plenty of apps and programs you can use to improve your digital marketing and customer relations. All while automizing some of your tasks and workflows!
For more tips on running a business in the digital age, check-in again, and follow our blog.