“Possibly the best example of improving the customer experience in 2020.”
Those are the words of Clive Brook of Clive Brook Volvo, one of many satisfied CitNOW users who have transformed how they connect with their customers using our Live Video feature within their CitNOW Sales app.
Our primary aim when the COVID-19 restrictions first hit was to support our customers in the best way possible and help them maintain strong customer experiences when in-person visits were impossible. With this in mind we launched our Live Video feature ahead of schedule. The feature complemented the recorded video function already available and enabled real-time, two-way conversations to facilitate remote appointments, feature demonstrations, vehicle handovers and part-exchanges.
In just a few months, Live Video has become an essential part of the sales process for our customers worldwide. What’s more, it’s also become clear that its benefits will continue to be enjoyed in the longer term, too. The average daily count of live videos recorded across our platform at the beginning of this year was 244% higher than during the same period in Fall.
Pam Cameron, CitNOW’s Business Development Director for North America, is delighted at Live Video’s popularity among retailers: “Live Video is a fantastic addition to the toolkit for our partner stores. In these difficult times the ability to engage with their customers, both face to face and in real time, allows both parties to discuss, review and question just as they would if they were actually in the store.”
“With the growth in out of state sales, CitNOW recorded video provides the initial information that the customer has requested – but with the addition of live video, sales teams can further emotionally engage the customer, follow up on any specific questions on the vehicle, and introduce other team members such as Finance or Fixed Ops. Retailers can take the customer on the journey to the final sale, delivery and beyond without the need for extensive travel. Dealers are excited about utilizing live video as an everyday tool and the future possibilities they can explore with it.”
CitNOW’s Head of Academy, Amir Rizvi added: “Live Video is here to stay – and with the combination of recorded video, arms retailers with a great set of tools to enhance the customer experience and build great relationships. Feedback from dealerships has been hugely positive. It will be very interesting to see the uses of Live Video evolve over the next year”.
Rapid response: Colin McAllister, Group Training and Development Manager, John Clark Motor Group
Colin McAllister has found that one key benefit of using CitNOW Live Video is being able to deliver quick answers to customers’ questions – helping them maintain customer interest and enabling greater transparency.
“COVID-19 has taught us a lot of lessons,” he explains. “It has made us advance what we do and how we make use of digital technology. CitNOW has been a fundamental part of that – in particular through Live. If the customer asks a question it can be instantly answered, or if they raise an objection, we can handle that objection really quickly.”
Colin adds that the adoption of Live Video has taken off throughout the John Clark group and has been integrated with their other digital functions: “CitNOW Live is now part of our whole online sales model. It’s been an absolutely fantastic tool for us, with our sites using it really embracing it.”
Dealers are taking their customer experiences to the next level with CitNOW – and with our learning resources, so can you. Explore the tips and advice available in our How2CitNOW video series on YouTube.
