Solve Staffing Headaches with an Outsourced BDC

Do you keep most services in-house to maintain control and brand consistency? You’re far from alone if you do. But doing it alone isn’t always best for your business— especially when it comes to business development.

As you know, the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend auto retail. More dealers are investing in new digital sales tools as consumers demand more online and personalized anytime, anywhere service. This requires a highly trained staff, but that can be hard to find due to the recruitment and rapid turnover issues that have always plagued our industry.

An automotive BDC trained on your processes and preferences can deliver a great customer experience online and by phone or text without the headache of recruiting employees and the overhead of salaries, benefits and training. Emerging services in the BDC industry make this a better time than ever to explore your options. Consider:

Around-the-clock email responses

More call centers are offering 24/7 email lead response. Not auto responses, but rather a live person that answers emails and responds to questions in real time. More people are working from home, and many companies plan to continue remote work no matter the trajectory of the pandemic. As the line between work and home blurs, more customers are online at all hours of the day to shop for vehicles. An external BDC can afford to staff the graveyard shift whereas most dealerships cannot.

24/7 digital retailing lead responses

BDCs are also exploring real-time digital retailing lead responses to inquiries submitted on a dealer’s website. This is a huge advantage when more consumers expect immediate, personalized service – no matter the time of day or night. Consumers who complete some or all of the digital retailing steps are lower-funnel shoppers who have narrowed down vehicle choice and are typically looking for answers to questions about model options and vehicle availability. A prompt response from an actual person who can thoroughly answer every question before asking for the appointment can be the final factor in winning that sale.

These emerging services add to the existing benefits that a dealership-focused external BDC is known for, including:

Experienced agents

Highly trained agents work as an extension of your dealership to provide the customer experience and expertise that you dictate. Proven call guides, training and coaching generate more appointments and sales.

Dialing platform

This state-of-the-art technology tracks every interaction and ensures consistent communication at the right cadence so customers are getting the right messages at the right time. Quality controls tied to agent bonuses encourage the highest levels of professionalism to convert more opportunities into loyal customers.

Remote environment

A BDC with an advanced dialing platform is structured for remote work. Many call centers already have employees working remotely, so there’s no ramp-up time if widespread shutdowns occur again. Dialing platforms track every action – from who agents contact to when they take breaks. Relying on remote dealership employees to get the job done without insight into how they spend their days is risky. I know of at least one dealer who was shocked to learn his at-home internal BDC employee was taking the credit (and the bonuses) for appointable leads transferred by his external BDC. It’s no surprise that he fired her and turned all his business over to his external partner.

Scalability and flexibility

An external BDC is scalable to keep up with changes in your dealership or in the market. You can run several campaigns at once, put campaigns on hold, or scale back your entire operation, all without hiring or laying-off staff.

These new and existing services help you deliver a great experience, while remaining in control of your processes and brand. A BDC is an agile extension of your dealership so you can continue to develop customer relationships no matter what challenges the market and pandemic bring.