Automotive sales is a highly competitive industry. So, car dealerships constantly search for innovative ways to increase leads, conversions, and sales.
With the adoption of digital tools, one powerful emerging strategy is call tracking. Call tracking is not just about recording the number of calls; it’s a sophisticated technology that provides insights into customer behavior campaign effectiveness and leads to a data-driven decision-making process.
Increase Sales with Call Tracking for Dealerships
By reading this article, you will learn:
- How call tracking can improve sales for car dealerships.
- The benefits of using call tracking for auto dealers.
- Strategies for implementing call tracking effectively.
Table of Contents
Understanding Call Tracking for Car Dealerships
At its most basic, call tracking for dealerships is an analytics platform that monitors phone numbers for calls, allowing dealerships to track which marketing strategies are working.
Depending on your dealership call tracking platform, you may only be able to track inbound calls. In contrast, other platforms, like In-Telecom Cloud DX, enable you to track all inbound and outbound calls.
This insight is invaluable for assessing marketing efforts’ return on investment (ROI) and fine-tuning future campaigns to maximize effectiveness. With additional features like sentiment analysis, keyword alerts, and call recording, you can better understand gaps in your processes and where you need to improve sales or service departments.
Insider Tip: Integrate your call tracking software with your customer relationship management (CRM) system to centralize data and get a holistic view of customer interactions.
The Importance of Call Tracking in Automotive Sales
The automotive industry thrives on personal interactions. Potential buyers often start their journey online, but picking up the phone to talk to a sales representative is a crucial step toward closing a sale. Call tracking allows dealerships to capture these interactions, understand the customer’s journey, and identify what prompted them to call.
The right platform will let you quickly identify buying signals, missed opportunities, and ways to improve future calls based on sentiment analysis.
Benefits of Implementing Call Tracking
- Lead Attribution: By understanding which marketing efforts lead to calls, dealerships can allocate their budget more effectively.
- Improved Customer Service: Listening to recorded calls can help improve the training of sales teams and refine customer service skills.
- Conversion Tracking: Call tracking can identify which calls led to sales, giving insights into conversion rates.
- Keyword Level Insights: For digital campaigns, it can show which keywords and ads are driving calls, allowing for more targeted SEO and PPC strategies.
Insider Tip: Use dynamic number insertion (DNI) to assign unique numbers dynamically. This will give you precise data on which webpage or digital ad drove the call.
How Call Tracking Integrates with Other Dealership Tools
Call tracking should not exist in a vacuum. Integration with other tools like CRM systems, analytics, and marketing automation platforms is critical for a seamless flow of information across all customer touchpoints.
Advanced Features of Call Tracking Software
Recording and Scoring Calls for Quality Assurance
Recorded calls are a treasure trove of information. They can be scored based on predefined criteria to evaluate lead quality and sales representative performance.
Dynamic Number Insertion (DNI)
DNI is a feature that swaps out phone numbers on your website based on the visitor’s source. This allows for highly accurate tracking of online campaigns.
Real-time Analytics and Reporting
Timely data is crucial. Modern call tracking systems provide real-time analytics so dealerships can make swift decisions based on the latest information.
Integrating Call Tracking with Marketing Campaigns
By linking call tracking to specific campaigns—whether on TV, radio, or online—dealerships can assess the effectiveness of each channel and optimize accordingly.
Keyword Alerts & Sentiment Analysis
Dealership call tracking platforms like In-Telecom Cloud DX utilize AI to quickly summarize calls, listen for specific keywords in calls, monitor tone for sentiment analysis, and use this information to create instant alerts.
These alerts enable managers to quickly review calls, get notified of problems, and even intervene in situations where a missed opportunity may occur.
Optimizing Your Marketing Strategy with Call Tracking
Identifying Effective Marketing Channels
Use call tracking data to understand which marketing channels are performing best. This could be traditional media, online ads, or organic search traffic.
Enhancing Local SEO and Online Presence
Local SEO is a crucial driver of calls for dealerships. Call tracking can help optimize local listings and ensure your online presence leads to more phone inquiries.
Streamlining the Sales Funnel
With insights from call tracking, dealerships can refine their sales funnel, ensuring that no potential sales slip through the cracks due to inefficiencies or missed follow-ups.
ROI Measurement and Budget Allocation
Understanding the ROI of different marketing strategies is essential for budget allocation. Call tracking enables precise measurement of the value derived from each dollar spent.
Insider Tip: Compare the cost of each marketing channel with the revenue from sales attributed to calls from that channel for accurate ROI calculations.
Implementing Call Tracking Without Disrupting Customer Experience
Ensuring Consistency in Phone Numbers
While using multiple phone numbers is part of call tracking, it’s essential to maintain consistency where it matters, like on your main website or Google My Business listing.
Respecting Customer Privacy
Ensure that your call tracking practices comply with privacy laws and regulations, and always inform customers if their calls are being recorded.
Maintaining Call Quality
The technical setup of call tracking must not affect call quality. Choose a reputable provider like In-Telecom Cloud to ensure a seamless customer and sales staff experience.
Troubleshooting Common Call Tracking Issues
Technical Glitches and Setup Challenges
Technical issues can arise during setup or use. Having a dedicated support team and clear documentation from your provider can help mitigate these challenges.
Analyzing and Acting on Data
Collecting data is one thing, but analyzing and acting on it is another. Ensure your team has the skills or support to make the most of call-tracking insights. You need to use the platform to the fullest to ensure you get opportunities and insights to improve outcomes.
Integrating with Existing Systems
There can be hurdles when integrating new software with existing systems. Work closely with your provider to ensure a smooth integration process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Call Tracking For Auto Dealers
Is call tracking expensive?
No! Call tracking platforms are inexpensive and can even be bundled with VoIP phone service to make it even more seamless and affordable.
How does call tracking work with mobile devices?
Call tracking monitors your inbound and outbound calls on phone numbers you identify. As long as you’re tracking the number, it doesn’t matter what type of device the call is made on.
Can call tracking help with customer service training?
Yes! Sales isn’t the only department that benefits from call tracking. Service managers can use the platform to review calls, identify issues, and refine processes. You can even identify missed opportunities where additional revenue could have been created.
Call tracking technology offers many benefits for car dealerships, from enhancing customer service to fine-tuning marketing strategies and increasing sales. By implementing call tracking, dealerships can gain valuable insights into which marketing efforts drive calls and sales, optimize their budget allocation, and, ultimately, sell more cars. With the right approach and tools, the path to increased sales with call tracking for dealerships is clear.
