Customer calls often fail at automotive dealerships when a representative does not transfer the caller to the next staff member effectively. This can occur when representatives do not use warm transfers, don’t pass potential customers on to the correct staff member, or don’t configure their phone systems to route calls back to the receptionist after a certain period of time.
Use Warm Transfers
Dealership representatives can increase revenue and elevate the customer experience when they use warm transfers rather than cold transfers. Warm transfers are ideal as the representative can introduce callers to the agent that can assist and provide necessary information to customers, before transferring them to that individual. Cold transfers, on the other hand, are unwise because both the customer and the next available staff member are not given relevant information before being connected with each other. If your dealership does not practice warm transfers, make it a priority to train employees to use them so incoming calls go smoother.
Make Sure the Caller is Going to the Correct Department
Your staff should try to limit human error as much as possible during customer calls. Customers often hang up when they are transferred to the wrong employee. One easy way to reduce human error is to give your representatives a reference sheet of all relevant staff, extensions, departments, and hours for use during calls so customers are more likely to be transferred to the correct individual or department.
Route Calls Back to the Receptionist
Dealers should configure their phone systems so that after three rings, all calls get routed back to the receptionist. Ideally, dealers should develop a backup plan for busy times and enlist extra staff to help manage calls when necessary. Staff members should also consider offering to take a message instead of sending calls directly to voicemail.
Next Steps
Reducing ring transfer abandon gets staff connected with more potential customers, so these easy steps can make a real revenue difference – especially if you’re employing our other steps to optimize your phone conversations and performance.
If you’d like to improve your sales team phone handling skills and drive more conversations, check out our guide. To learn more about Spotlight for Automotive, our auto-focused call analytics platform, schedule a demo today.
