Kia UK has rolled out new live chat, online showroom and live video functionality to help dealers facilitate consumer interactions in a more flexible way.

The South Korean manufacturer is the first OEM in the UK to go live with RAPID RTC’s Live Dealer platform on dealer websites this month and then on its own national site from October.

Simon Hetherington, Kia Motors UK commercial director, said: “We think these new features are especially relevant in these challenging times.

“Live Dealer enables a real face-to-face interaction from the comfort of your own home, representing a great step towards a true omni-channel experience.”

Glen Demetrioff, RAPID RTC president chief executive, said the tools can help sales executives engage with pre-qualified online leads who are ready to start their journey.

He said: “The customer is given the confidence to choose the communication channel they’re most comfortable using – chat, voice, or one or two-way video – facilitating a personalised journey from step one.”

Kia said Live Dealer can help to replicate much of the showroom experience online, with the ability to transition between channels (chat, voice, 1 or 2-way video) at any time during a conversation.

Screen sharing allows for guided walkthroughs of any digital processes or tools including stock look-up, car configurator, finance applications, trade-in appraisals, and more.

With video enabled, the ability to transfer in-progress conversations from desktop to mobile (and vice versa) offers full mobility, making live product walkarounds possible inside and outside the dealership.

When an online customer initiates a chat on the dealer site, they are instantly greeted and pre-qualified by RAPID RTC’s certified Concierge team, who notifies available sales executives that an online customer would like to chat.

Any salesperson who isn’t busy with showroom opportunities can use any device to accept the chat and connect in real-time.

The salesperson and prospect agree on their audio-visual settings and choose the channels they are most comfortable continuing with.

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