Why Phones Are Still the Dealership's Unsung Hero

Top line: The car buying journey might start online, but that doesn't mean dealerships are off the hook for phone calls — here’s why.

State of play: Research from Podium shows that 71% of customers who shop at local businesses still have a phone conversation somewhere along the journey of making a purchasing decision. What’s more, 60% of customers will call a business after finding them on Google.

How customers want to communicate:

• 37% of consumers still prefer speaking to businesses on the phone.

• 36% prefer text.

• 14% still primarily use email.

• 10% prefer website chat.

• 2% use other messaging functions.

• Phones are the king of first contact. 62% of consumers still prefer to contact a business for the first time via phone.

• 53% prefer to call for repeat purchases.

• Missed calls can be deal breakers. A staggering 85% of customers who don't get through the first time will take their business elsewhere, and they won't wait around.

• Less than 24 hours is all it takes for an unanswered caller to move on to the competition.

Anyone in sales, or business, for that matter, understands the importance of picking up the phone. But how much does one missed call really impact the bottom line?

Quick math: Hypothetically, let's say your dealership gets 100 sales calls a month (most get a lot more) with a 50% conversion rate and a $5,000 average profit. Missing just 10% of those calls means:

• $25,000 in lost revenue per month
  

• $300,000 lost annually

More to the story: Understanding the importance of phone communication is just the first step. Businesses that utilize Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) report a significant 20% increase in productivity compared to traditional phone options.

What is it? VoIP technology allows businesses to handle phone calls over the internet rather than traditional phone lines. It also lets teams handle all business phone calls live on their mobile devices in a systematic way regardless of where they are or if the dealership is closed.

Follow up: If a human can’t get to the phone, 80% of callers prefer to receive a text from a business rather than leaving a voicemail. 

• Research shows that 58% of callers who receive a missed call auto-reply text end up getting back in touch with the business. Why? Responsiveness and personalization. 

Leveraging AI: AI-powered call summaries provide a quick overview of each call, eliminating the need to listen to full recordings. This allows teams to catch up on conversations, identify next steps, and personalize service for each customer.

Keyword = personalization: 71% expect it, and 76% get frustrated without it. A major pain point for consumers (33%) is having to repeat information.

Missed calls = missed leads, plain and simple. But Podium Phones bridges the gap by answering every call, even when you can't.

How? While other tools might leave some leads hanging, Podium consolidates all your leads, missed callers included, giving you one central hub to connect with every potential customer before they go to the competition.

Podium Phones offers every caller the opportunity to switch to text, and follows up every missed call with an automated text, so you can focus on closing deals instead of playing phone tag. 

Upgrade your dealership’s phone system with Podium and never miss a lead again.

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