Ian Godbold, group marketing director, Cambria Automobiles

Dealers need to incorporate live chat into all elements of their digital business for it to make it have a positive impact.

Godbold said: “Make your websites send out a drop down invite to chat as a call to action for customers visiting you online.

“We also include a link to our live chat on every digital communication and on all stock adverts.”

Cambria held digital workshops across the group to establish the best way to approach live chat. Dealing with customers out-of-hours was the biggest challenge.

Cambria’s peak time for live chat is between 7pm and 10pm. Initially, sales managers were responding on iPhones.

Godbold looked at outsourcing the out-of-hours live chat communications. and went with American company Contact At Once because of the service it provides and the fact that its in-service hours coincided with Cambria’s out-of-hours.

It took a little bit of time to make sure CAO were using the right terminology, but it also dealt with automotive customers in the USA so it didn’t take long to get them up to speed.

All conversations are reviewed by Godbold.

The lead conversion from live chats has gone from 22% to 68%.

Godbold said: “I would rather take a live chat lead over an email lead.”