Meeting demand with smart and thoughtful touchpoints is the goal of most sales and marketing teams. If you’re looking for a way to upgrade your customer experience and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, you should communicate with prospects on the channels they enjoy using.
In 2018, CRM software became the largest and fastest-growing enterprise application software category; despite its widespread usage, CRM systems are fairly limited without additional communication tools. (Gartner, 2019) In today’s era of convenience, an ideal CRM system for car dealers must leverage more than just email or voice to engage effectively with customers.
The benefits of broadening the range of communication channels
Having only one or two communication channels (email and voice) is like a football team with only one or two offensive plays – eventually, the defense will stop the team. In the case of a car dealer, a CRM system with minimal communication touchpoints prevents growth by shutting off outreach opportunities to younger customers.
While Baby Boomers and older generations may prefer voice and email, Millennials and Gen Z enjoy the ease of text and social media messaging. An automotive sales CRM needs to consider the purchasing power of Millennials, who, in 2020, bought more new cars than any other age group, edging out Baby Boomers for the first time. (The New York Times, 2021)
Rather than forcing customers to conform to an outdated communication system, meet them on the channels they already enjoy, like SMS. “Nearly 93% of consumers want to text with businesses,” so why not offer personalized messaging and interactions? (Forbes, 2021) Done right, this can evoke positive, memorable, and appealing customer service experiences.
And by integrating communications platform as a service (CPaaS) with a CRM system for dealers, you can interact with customers through voice, text, social messaging, AI-enabled automation, and seamless communications routing – ultimately driving growth and boosting revenue.
Enhance communication touchpoints quickly and effortlessly capture insights
Upgrading your communications platform for your CRM may seem daunting, especially if an automotive dealer has stuck with the same system for several years.
Nevertheless, some industry-leading communications automation vendors provide no-code and low-code applications that feature plug-and-play setup. From automation to advanced business payment processing connectors, you will have access to everything your dealership needs, including comprehensive support and how-to guides to quickly enhance your various communication touchpoints.
Nevertheless, some industry-leading communications automation vendors provide no-code and low-code applications that feature plug-and-play setup. From automation to advanced business payment processing connectors, you will have access to everything your dealership needs, including comprehensive support and how-to guides to quickly enhance your various communication touchpoints.
Of course, after implementing all these new channels and applications, it’s critical to know if they are working. Rather than crossing your fingers, you can determine if customers actually engage with text and social messaging through monitoring and analytical tools powered by AI and machine learning.
Various communication workflow providers include these analytic features, allowing dealers to capture insights from customer interactions across their CRM and other third-party applications. Whether customers call, text, or communicate through social media, your marketing and sales teams can readily compile the data they need to improve existing services.
Integrate IntelePeer’s solution into your existing CRM
If you want to give your CRM system a modern tune-up to appeal to multiple generations and demographics, look no further than IntelePeer’s powerful digital communications platform. Moreover, you can easily add new applications with little coding experience with Marketplace while simultaneously tracking interactions across your CRM with our Insights solution.
Do you want to learn more about modernizing your contact center and accelerating customer engagement with generative AI and automation? Schedule an AI and automation Customer Interaction Intent Study with IntelePeer now.