When you measure the ways you ensure your shop’s success, customer care should be one of your top priorities. Even though your highly skilled team members have specific duties based on their training and strengths, every one of them is responsible for customer service.
Oftentimes, the first encounter with a customer is over the phone, and an increasing number of those calls are the result of mobile advertising, according to Seattle-based Marchex.
A recent study issued by the Marchex Institute sought to answer some of the most pressing questions about consumer call behavior.
Marchex analyzed more than 65,000 phone calls placed to auto dealers, repair shops and national call centers. These calls resulted from consumers who engaged with mobile ads in several ways, including mobile directories, mobile apps, mobile display, mobile voice search and traditional mobile search.
Following are some of Marchex’s findings regarding consumer engagement with mobile ads and their call behavior:
• Consumers are placing millions of calls to service shops through mobile advertisements.
• When the phone is picked up, 79% of conversations are purchase-oriented. Consumers use mobile phones to select repair shops, ask detailed questions and book appointments.
• Consumers who engage with mobile advertisements are younger than the general population, and men call more often than women.
So, what is the takeaway for your business?
• A phone call is most popular response to a mobile search, underscoring the importance of someone answering the phone each time it rings, and making a positive first impression with the caller.
• When the phone is answered, there is an opportunity in nearly every conversation to add to the bottom line. Many calls result in confirmed appointments.
• Customers leave voice-mail messages infrequently, so for each voicemail a prospect leaves, there are at least four others who did not.
For more information, go to www.marchex.com and search for the article: Mobile Ads and Phone Calls — The Auto Industry’s Holy Grail.
