While retail looks different than it did just a few months ago, people are still shopping. Customers and businesses alike are adjusting to our new environment, with online orders for everything, no-contact pickups, and limited face-to-face interaction.

Dealerships are a part of this new retail environment, and many of your customers still want to buy a car under these new circumstances. And even if they are planning to delay their purchase a bit, customers are doing their research on the best options online — and even starting deals remotely — now.

Working car deals remotely isn’t just new for your dealership staff; it is new for your customers too. They need certain information and tools to shop — and buy — remotely. Here are a few things to make sure you give your customers for the best remote buying experience possible.

Consistent Communication Across Channels

Consistent communication with your customers is key to the success of remote deals. Whether you’re texting, sharing videos or video chatting — all great ways to reach your customers — you should clearly explain new processes for remote vehicle purchase and socially distant delivery.

To ensure that your customers don’t have to start over every time they communicate with your dealership, make sure every customer interaction is entered into the CRM. Logging every customer interaction in the CRM enables your customers to pick up where they left off — regardless of which salesperson or manager they spoke with previously. Make sure every text is sent using an integrated tool like VinSolutions Connect Texting, and take notes about any video chats you have with customers outside of the CRM.

You should also audit all your auto-responses and make sure that they are aligned with your current operating model. You don’t want to confuse your customers with auto-responses that
contain outdated information about when your doors are open, how customers should contact you, and what they need to do next to keep the deal moving.

Streamlined Shopping

A streamlined online shopping process is critical to your customers being able to shop and buy remotely. Digital retailing tools are a big part of that, as they provide customers a way to quickly get customized offers and your team a way to quickly understand your customers’ needs.

But the streamlined shopping processes that digital retailing enables cannot live and die on your dealership’s website. If your customers spent time filling out forms and customizing their payment options online, they are going to want that work to be recognized by your dealership. Don’t push them away by ignoring all that hard work when your salesperson calls to follow up.

This is where a digital retailing solution that integrates with your CRM, like Cox Automotive Digital Retailing integrates with VinSolutions Connect CRM, becomes very important to providing a good experience for your customers. With these integrated tools, your salespeople know exactly where customers are in the deal-making process, and they can more easily provide recommendations that streamline the shopping experience.