Skip to main content

According to CallRevu, 42 percent of inbound service calls are never answered. How many of these missed calls are revenue opportunities? How many are unhappy customers with issues that need to be resolved?

by Anthony Giagnacovo

Dealerships receive hundreds of phone calls every day. According to CallRevu, 42 percent of inbound service calls are never answered. How many of these missed calls are revenue opportunities? How many are unhappy customers with issues that need to be resolved?

One way to capture more revenue and increase customer satisfaction is to use conversational intelligence (CI). This software is a form of artificial intelligence (AI) that records, transcribes, and analyzes phone calls.

The analysis capability is where CI takes traditional call monitoring and management to the next level. The technology can quickly gauge customer sentiment and identify keywords that require an action item. It can even alert you to phone routing and connectivity problems!

Dealership principals and managers realize that on any given day, at least several service opportunities slip through the cracks. But trying to find lost opportunities by listening to phone calls is like sifting through a bale of hay to find a needle: it is time-consuming and inefficient.

With CI, managers no longer need to listen to individual phone calls. Instead, they receive real-time alerts every time a problem occurs, so they can proactively intervene and better manage outcomes.

Imagine how much more revenue your service department could generate and how much better your customer experience would be if your service staff received the following alerts.

Lost opportunity

A potential service customer calls for a price quote. He is put on hold for several minutes, then hangs up in frustration. The service advisor and/or manager receive an alert that this customer needs a call back. By prioritizing this as an action item, the return call doesn’t get pushed to the back burner.

CSI warning

A service customer is upset because she was promised that her vehicle would be ready at 1 pm, and it’s now 3 pm, and she has not heard from the service advisor. The analysis of words and tone of voice allows CI to discern when a caller is upset. A CSI warning alert enables a manager to step in and smooth things over sooner rather than later.

Voicemail waiting

During a busy day, it can be challenging to take the time to check for voicemails. Some service advisors might check voicemails once or twice a day if that. With CI, service advisors and managers receive alerts for every waiting voicemail (along with a link so they can see a transcript?), so staff can prioritize which voicemails to respond to right away and which ones can wait.

Broken promises

How often does a service advisor promise a customer something, then forget about it? For example, “I’ll check on that part price and get right back to you” or “Your vehicle will be ready at 2 pm. I’ll call you when it’s ready.” CI is intelligent enough to know when these promises are kept or broken and will alert accordingly so that service advisors can keep their commitments to customers every time.

Heads up to parts

CI monitors every conversation and identifies when words like “warranty” and “recall” are mentioned. At the end of the day, service managers can tally up these conversations and give a heads-up to the parts manager to ensure the parts department has enough parts on hand for incoming service work.

Conversational intelligence provides incredible insight and analysis of interactions between service department customers and employees. By helping to identify customer needs and staff to prioritize calls, it increases revenue opportunities and improves the customer experience. Additionally, CI is a valuable educational tool that can be used to coach staff on how to respond appropriately to particular incidents.

Leave a Reply