Proactive Dealer Solutions

Huntersville,  NC 
United States
http://www.Proactivedealersolutions.com

Brooke.ai powered by Proactive Dealer Solutions

Book a demo with Brooke at NADA

Brooke.ai is automotive’s first digital voice assistant to answer, handle, and appoint inbound service calls for dealers, improving customer experience while reducing operational expense. As a specialized AI digital voice assistant specifically built for automotive service scheduling, Brooke delivers more accurate responses leveraging Natural Language Understanding. Loading historical data from millions of real voice conversations within the automotive industry ensures that the digital assistant understands the context of what a customer is saying. Unlike traditional bot technology, Brooke.ai has the ability to handle the unknown.

We are Modern Retailing. Founded in 2001, Proactive Dealer Solutions is known for having disrupted the automotive industry as the authority in the Business Development concept. We have built more than 4,000 BDCs across the US and Canada, and we continue to evolve around customer experience (CX) expectations in today’s highly competitive market.

Proactive Dealer Solutions focuses on partnering with dealers to drive their gross profit and service revenue by transforming the dealership’s culture through people, process, and technology. As a single-source solution, our comprehensive, customizable training, coaching, and lead management programs support a range of clients from single-store solutions to national programs in the automotive, RV, marine, and powersports industries. We help dealers & OEMs build customer and brand loyalty through a customer retention strategy focused on delivering an excellent customer experience across the entire organization.

We believe that every dealer has the ability to be GREAT and deserves that opportunity.

 Press Releases

• Evolving Your BDC With a Digital Assistant (Jan 09, 2023)
  November 9, 2022

  Evolving Your BDC With a Digital Assistant

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  The automotive industry continues to see difficulties with personnel hiring and employee retention. Some reports, such as this one released by Cox Automotive, back this up with solid data showing that 72% of franchised dealers feel it is difficult to identify and hire the proper workers.

  This report also shows that the BDC Specialist function is one of the top roles dealers plan to increase. More specifically, approximately 41% of dealers that lean heavily on technology, those that outsource three or more aspects of their digital retailing, intend to expand this BDC function.

  Based on data such as this, it seems obvious that adding BDC agents, especially to handle incoming service calls, is a wise use of funds. After all, up to 30% of inbound calls to service at a typical dealership currently go unanswered. 

  After all, up to 30% of inbound calls to service at a typical dealership currently go unanswered.  According to statistics, 68% of those missed calls result in lost opportunities, which is obviously unacceptable for business growth.  When considering the lower pay of entry level jobs, such as those responsible for answering phones, it makes finding and keeping agents much more challenging.

  

  A Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) can help with that. DVAs of the present day behave and speak just like real humans. Considering the millions of consumers who have grown accustomed to using Alexa or Google Home in everyday life, a DVA will feel much more comfortable and familiar than in days past. This allows for the use of this same voice technology when it comes to service calls and scheduling appointments.

  A DVA overcomes the challenge of missed calls without the complexities of sick days, PTO, and other human needs. A digital voice assistant consistently and efficiently returns every call, collects contact information, and ensures requests for appointments are made on every call. The superior performance of a DVA therefore allows for drastic improvements in how your BDC handles customer calls.

  A Digital Voice Assistant for Dealerships

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  An AI digital assistant offers so much that human employees cannot. This is not to say that your employees are not valuable to your business. Quite the contrary, in fact. Your human employees are capable of handling important tasks that require a living person with emotions and intellect. This is the exact reason why these employees need to be free for the more pressing matters of day-to-day operations.

  AI digital assistants allow for that focused effort to continue while also ensuring other tasks are accomplished efficiently and effectively.

  Among the tasks that AI helpers are capable of performing, some of the most valuable are those that free up employees to focus on the matters at hand. All incoming calls for Service can be handled by the conversational AI-enabled voice assistant, ensuring that customers are immediately connected to the appropriate person or department during business hours. An efficient digital voice assistant can also provide customers with a professional experience 24 hours a day, seven days a week at a lower cost than employees or outsourced BDC operations. 

  AI digital assistants can respond to frequently asked questions, schedule appointments, and capture messages. Many dealerships have found that a digital voice assistant's capacity to handle many service calls at once is advantageous to their human workforce, allowing staff to look after in-dealership clients while the BDC concentrates on outbound calls.

  Through standardized procedures, a digital voice assistant improves the customer experience and frees up the managers' time that would otherwise be spent on recruiting, supervising, and training BDC workers. With each call that is handled, the AI learns, allowing this technology to become more refined and advanced every day. 

  Artificial intelligence (AI) digital voice assistants use real-world communication tactics that feel human, with questions and answers leading to the intended results, rather than requiring a caller to dial a specific number to reach their chosen department. This lifelike experience is more engaging and appealing than the robotic experience we have all unfortunately grown accustomed to.

  How a Digital Assistant Makes a Difference

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  Auto dealers lose money as a result of missed opportunities due to unanswered calls. Using a voice assistant for dealerships, you can achieve a response rate of 100%. Regardless of when a call comes in—late at night, at lunch, or after business hours—a digital voice assistant will answer that call and take care of the caller professionally and consistently.

  The conversational AI-enabled voice assistant can manage all incoming calls for Service, making sure that customers are connected to the right department or individual right away.

  

  One of the most frequent reasons customers call a dealership is to seek an answer to their questions, which can easily be answered by an AI voice assistant. Consumers can get a professional experience with an AI voice assistant seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, for less money than they would spend on staff or an outside BDC company. An AI voice assistant has added receptionist skills, with quick assimilation and curation of information, when it comes to managing customer sales demands. 

  The software, which is simple to set up and easily communicates with current VoIP networks, controls the entire phone system. An auto dealer digital voice assistant enhances customer service while saving managers time on recruiting, managing, and training BDC staff through the use of standard procedures. That equates to saving money and fewer lost customers.

  Keys to the Evolution of your BDC

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  When it comes time to move your dealership forward and evolve your BDC, even when preparing to implement a digital assistant, there are some key things to consider. Here are five of the top points to consider for evolving your BDC in general that you should be mindful of before investing time and effort into this journey.

  Empower BDRs to handle escalations and service recovery

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  You need to be prepared to empower your BDC agents. A manager shouldn’t have to handle every call, however, when your agents don’t feel enabled to deal with emotionally elevated situations themselves it leads to more escalations. Train your agents to get out of a reactionary mindset, and train them instead to proactively seek out solutions and then deliver those solutions to the customer. 

  A great way to gauge your progress in this effort is when you can measurably see reduced phone calls ringing through to the service drive. BDC agents should not be in the mindset of being a switchboard or order taker, but rather, they should feel capable of dealing with most any situation themselves.

  Build sales skills and the ability to overcome objections 

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  You hire your BDRs for their people skills and their ability to deliver results. Help them to use those skills more effectively. Training your BDRs to do this more effectively is the key to growing your dealership. Teach agents to proactively look for customer needs and then plant seeds in the customer’s minds about what to expect on this and future interactions. 

  

  Remember, consistency is key. It does no good to run a competition once, and then forget about those skills the next month. Train your team in sales and positioning skills. Help them recognize opportunities for positioning the customer with a mindset for upcoming service needs. This ongoing training will further help your team know how to take ownership of the call and be true representatives of your dealership.

  Identify and fill capacity gaps

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  Service BDC managers should be well aware of what goals need to be hit, how cancellations are impacting workflow, and how upcoming schedules will further create opportunities and challenges. This is about communication, and it takes practice. BDC managers need to know how to pivot when there are gaps, utilizing BDRs to reach out to customers and rescue cancellations. Leveraging a DVA tool can simplify and improve this effort.

  Master reducing scheduling horizons

  
  Does your BDC know how to backfill scheduling? Can you book an appointment on the same day, and if not, how far out will the appointment have to be? Master your scheduling tool with daily communication between the service manager and the BDM. Reach out to customers and try to pull them forward when opportunities present themselves. Understanding the schedule and how it will impact each day, week, and month will not only allow you to more effectively run your dealership, but will also allow you to maximize your resources and use them more successfully.

  Become comfortable with status updates

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  BDCs are often left holding the bag when there is uncertainty about the status of a customer's vehicle. Being proactive and using tools such as text messaging allows for clear communication with customers while also maintaining order. Scheduling tools can also help by offering accurate information, but it requires someone to move a vehicle through the stages correctly and on time. Being mindful of this will help to prevent advisors from spending their time on this type of work. 

  Getting Your Dealership Started

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  Using a digital voice assistant for automotive dealers turns you into an AI-powered dealership. During business hours, this system manages and answers all incoming calls automatically. After hours, the system can handle all customer needs the same as a human would, without costly overtime or excessive staffing requirements.

  There are beginning to be more options on the market for this advance in your auto dealer efficiency, but the original and leading solution is Brooke.ai, created by the long-trusted automotive consulting experts at Proactive Dealer Solutions.

  Get started today with a free consultation call to our team or Book a Demo to see this digital assistant in action. 

• Proactive Dealer Solutions Enhances Brooke.ai with Service Recall & Recommended Maintenance Capabilities (Jan 09, 2023)
  July 1, 2022

  Digital voice assistant upsell enhancements for inbound service calls build value for returning customers while increasing service revenue.

  Huntersville, NC – June 20, 2022 – Proactive Dealer Solutions, a  leading provider of proprietary software and training solutions that revolutionize the automotive customer experience today announced two enhancements to Brooke.ai, the intelligent conversational Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) for the retail automotive industry. Brooke.ai can now check and promote open recalls and recommended maintenance when handling inbound service calls from existing customers, and offer scheduled maintenance suggestions to new customers when they provide vehicle year, make, model and mileage.

  “Up to 20% of vehicles on the road have an open recall and many more are due for a manufacturer recommended service. The easier we make it for consumers to recognize the work that needs to be done the more likely they are to schedule a service. These enhancements enable dealers to seize the opportunity to make vehicles safer and build trust with their existing and new customers while also increasing service revenue,” stated Jason Beckett, Chief Operations Officer for Proactive Dealer Solutions.

  

  Brooke.ai is integrated with a dealership’s DMS and online scheduling tool. When an existing customer calls in to make a service appointment, Brooke.ai automatically cross-checks the vehicle VIN to find open recalls and manufacture recommended maintenance and offers to add any needed services to an appointment. All options are determined by the dealership, so Brooke.ai will only offer services which a dealership is prepared to complete.

  When a new customer calls in, Brook.ai prompts the caller to provide vehicle year, make, model and mileage. Once this information is provided, the DVA can check for recommended maintenance and offer to add services to the appointment.
  “These enhancements represent a significant revenue opportunity for dealers,” said Beckett. “The average RO we see is anywhere from $370 to $430. The average recall RO is upwards of $560. Capturing more of this business represents a big boost for a dealership’s bottom line.”

  

  Brooke.ai answers 100% of inbound calls and has the ability to set, cancel, change appointments, and answer common questions such as operating hours and pricing. The DVA communicates in a conversational and natural way with contextual awareness and adaptive behavior, much like common DVA home devices such as Alexa and Google Home. Brooke.ai delivers an exceptional customer experience by eliminating hold times and dropped calls, and by scheduling an appointment in as few as three minutes, compared with six minutes for a human.

  Recall and recommended maintenance enhancements are available as an add-on for existing customers of the Brooke.ai stand-alone solution, which is closely tied to Proactive Dealer Solutions’ popular CallerCX platform. CallerCX monitors, evaluates, and scores inbound sales and services calls using proprietary artificial intelligence technology to coach staff on how to better handle calls and to notify managers of mishandled opportunities. Brooke.ai complements CallerCX by alleviating service advisors and BDC agents from the demands of inbound service calls.

  
  To schedule a time to see Brooke.ai, click here. To learn more visit https://www.proactivedealersolutions.com/
   
  This article was released through EIN Presswire

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  About Proactive Dealer Solutions:

  Proactive Dealer Solutions serves the automotive industry as a leading provider of proprietary software and training solutions that revolutionize the automotive customer experience. The company helps dealers connect and convert more leads, increase customer loyalty and revenue for both fixed and variable ops. Founded in 2001, Proactive Dealer Solutions quickly became known as the authority in the Business Development concept and is an industry disruptor in this space, establishing more than 4,000 BDCs across the US and Canada. Pioneers in BDC activity and performance tracking software, the company continues to evolve as the leading customer experience (CX) solutions provider in today’s competitive marketplace. Proactive Dealer Solutions approaches partnerships with automotive dealers and OEMs through comprehensive, customizable training programs and a robust software suite that transforms the dealership’s culture through people, process, and technology; believing that every dealer has the ability to be GREAT and deserves that opportunity.

• The 4-Step Marketing Roadmap for Fixed Ops (Jan 19, 2023)

  How much attention does your fixed ops department get when it comes to your marketing budget? If you’re like the majority of dealerships, it’s a slim 10 percent or less. Why should sales get all the attention? It’s time to give some marketing love to your fixed ops. Here’s why:

  Yes, your service department is likely slammed right now. Customers waiting weeks to a month for an appointment is more the norm than an abnormality. Yet, our current climate is anything but normal. Inventory levels will stabilize, more customers will be able to get into newer vehicles that require less maintenance, and your service bays will experience a slump in business within the next couple years. 

  Today’s leading dealers are strategizing now for the future. This includes thinking about ways to create greater connectivity between existing service customers and develop relationships with new customers. 

  Driving retention and new business is not a new idea for anyone. You’ve likely spent a lot of money training your team in the service introduction, offering discounts and coupons, and post-sale communication techniques. All key tactics of retention success…but you can always do more with your marketing dollars. 

  Below let’s explore the four components of a successful marketing roadmap for your fixed ops department.  

  1. Define short and long term goals. Break your goals down into short and long-term buckets. Short-term goals should be based around retaining current customers. Long-term goals should be based around developing new customers. How do you define your goals? Recruit leaders in your dealership, including your service managers and BDC manager, to help brainstorm. You’ll likely get some new ideas, plus when you involve more people in the process you’ll have better buy-in and commitment for what you’re trying to do. 

  

  To work through the rest of the roadmap, let’s choose one short-term goal and one-long term goal to illustrate how it works. Let’s say our fictional service department wants to improve the appointment scheduling process for current customers and staff. That’s our short-term goal. The same department wants to develop 10 new customer relationships per month. That’s our long-term goal. 

  2. Build a content strategy. The next step is to build your marketing messages, or content. Let’s start with our short-term goal from above. Our fictional service department wants to improve appointment scheduling, so leadership decides to implement a Digital Voice Assistant (DVA). The DVA will handle 100 percent of incoming calls and schedule appointments. Customers may be used to interacting with DVAs (through Alexa and Google Home, for example) but they still need to be educated on the what and the why of this new technology. Messaging should be around efficiency (schedule an appointment in three minutes instead of an average of six minutes with a human), 100 percent call connectivity (no more waiting on hold or dealing with frustrating call menus!), and ease of use. Remember, messaging needs to call out the benefits to customers, not to your service department.  

  

  Now, let’s look at the long-term goal of building 10 new customer relationships per month. Where do you start? Current market conditions are always a good bet. And there’s nothing more current now than high gas prices. Create a campaign around maintenance musts for fuel efficiency with a coupon for a free, no-obligation multi-point inspection that customers can download to their phones. 

  3. Choose marketing channels. Business is nothing without an audience. Your messages need to hit the right customers at the right time through the right channel. Your CRM is invaluable here. Use filters to segment current customers by mileage, date of last service, or recall data. Craft email and text messages that include the benefits of your new DVA (following our fictional service department example again) for scheduling that needed appointment. Use use A/B testing to see what’s working. Also create a script for BDC agents and service advisors explaining the new technology and its benefits. 

  

  Do the same for your long-term goal of pulling in customers with a free MPI. Segment leads and craft messages that hit on the benefits to customers. Make sure and also create scripts for BDC agents, service advisors, and sales so everyone is on the same page and ready to push the campaign.

  Don’t forget video and social media. Video is exploding as an efficient and entertaining way to grab customer attention. Brainstorm other channels to broadcast your content. For example, customer testimonials on your website, sample vehicle walk-arounds on TikTok. Be creative – the best road to success in this market is super customer retention and acquisition.  

  4. Measure results. You have to measure results to do less of what’s not working and more of what’s making you money. It’s fairly easy to measure DVA adoption by analyzing dropped calls and opt-outs (those who choose to transfer to a human rather than engage with the DVA). Other campaigns may require you to review BDC and/or DMS analytics. Coupon campaigns can be manually audited by a receptionist or service advisors. A campaign that isn’t producing results can be refined or replaced – but you can’t manage without measuring. 

  

  Your fixed ops department deserves a bigger chunk of your marketing budget. After all, fixed ops is your best bet for steady revenue growth. Use this four-step marketing roadmap to get started. It’s not something you have the time to dig into correctly? Bring in industry experts to help.

• Answer the “What” & the “Why” to Increase Service Business (Jan 19, 2023)
  October 26, 2022

  Low inventory and sky-high vehicle prices mean fat profit margins for dealers today. However, as inventory levels normalize and prices drop, many customers will be in a negative-equity position and will likely hold onto their vehicles longer than they normally would. This could mean a significant slump in front-end profits within the next couple years that must be replaced by service revenue. 

  There are hundreds of articles out there about how to boost service business with service specials or targeted post-sale communications or loaner cars…all key ingredients to success. Yet, I think a big part of the puzzle is employee training, specifically: how to handle customer objections using a “what” and “why” communication approach. 

  For one reason or another, many consumers believe the dealership is the most expensive place to get their vehicle serviced. Another pervasive belief is that dealership employees talk customers into services that are not needed. That’s why many customers stop visiting the dealership service drive once their warranty expires – or even before it expires. 

  Yes, there are shops that are more aggressive in pushing fluid exchanges and other services. Even if a vehicle is running great and brought in just for an oil change, a customer may get a laundry list of maintenance and repair items that add up to hundreds of dollars.  Unless safety is an issue, this approach will drive away customers.  

  Radical Price Transparency. 

  The “what” and “why” approach employs radical price transparency, with the help of a detailed multipoint inspection, to earn the customer’s trust and sell from a position of integrity. When you can back-up recommended services with hard evidence and sell from a place of integrity, you can embrace objections as a way to educate your customers and an opportunity to build value as a trusted vehicle consultant.  

  

  Start by addressing customer pricing concerns head on. Put transparent pricing on your website so customers can’t immediately assume your shop is more expensive. Audit the independent shops in your area and note price differentials. Prepare your team so they can explain to customers why your shop may charge more for certain services. For instance, you have direct access to the quality benefits of OEM-certified technicians or you offer service guarantees. 

  The What & The Why

  Building value in the service drive requires employees to fully understand recommended services and why they are important for the customer, not for the dealership. It’s always smart to emphasize how needed services will make a vehicle safer for the driver and passengers and/or protect the customer’s investment. 

  Let’s look at an example. A multipoint inspection reveals a customer needs a tire rotation. The employee should explain that rotating tires ensures a more even pattern and wear, and helps promote longer tire life which saves money. The employee then backs-up the recommendation with images of the customers’ tires and points out the wear and tear. 

  In this example, a natural progression is to then recommend front and rear brake service as combining the two saves time and money. The employee should explain that brakes are exposed to outside elements like slush and water so they need to be cleaned and lubricated to move properly and not bind or stick. This maximizes the life of pads and rotors, and more importantly, makes the vehicle safer. 

  I recommend creating a What & Why document for service employees. The What column should list your most common services. The Why column should detail why the service is important for the customer in language the customer can understand; no industry jargon. Employees shouldn’t share this document with customers, but rather use it as a cheat sheet to guide conversations. 

  Handling Customer Objections

  Customer objections are a part of doing business. The problem is when employees view them as negative and become defensive or apologetic – both of which erode trust and call into question your shop’s integrity. Instead, objections should be taken as a request to clarify or provide additional information as customer and employee work together to ensure a safe and protected vehicle. 

  Let’s look at an example. The most prevalent objection is that the price of services is too high. Never apologize, always support why! An employee should say: “What makes you say that? Have you seen this service with factory components advertised for less?” If the customer says “yes” your employee should find out what was offered, who offered it, and the amount. Then follow up with service management. 

  

  If the customer says “no,” the employee demonstrates the value. For example: “As you can appreciate, we only use factory parts. What that means to you is that our parts are designed and manufactured to manufacturer specifications. They also carry a mileage warranty for both parts and labor, which is good at any manufacturer dealership in the country. Inferior parts on your vehicle may save you a few dollars, but they will not be as safe nor carry a warranty.” 

  Another value point is the expertise of your technicians. For example: “Our technicians are manufacturer certified. What that means to you is they have undergone extensive factory training and can quickly and accurately complete the repairs your vehicle needs.” 

  A third value point is the diagnostic equipment and inspection technology your shop offers. For example: “Our technicians have the latest diagnostic equipment available for your vehicle. You can see in this video the works that needs to be done to make your vehicle safer. Keep in mind that every dollar in maintenance can actually save you much more on unexpected repair costs.” 

  Create sample scripts for your most common objections and share them with employees and BDC agents. Role playing is an effective way to train employees on the “what” and “why” communication strategy. I think it’s acceptable to set aside 15 to 30 minutes a day to role-play, share success stories, and listen to customer calls, both good and bad. Focus on what went right first, then talk about areas of improvement. 

  The Future is Now

  The modern service lane leverages technology to help employees handle objections, build trust, and streamline the experience for customers. Modern tools can set your shop apart from the independent down the street. 

  Today’s multipoint inspection software promotes consistency, transparency, and customer communications. Capturing video and images of parts needing repair allows you to show not tell customers what needs to be done, which is a great way to build trust. Text integration makes it easy to communicate issues to customers and get faster approvals. 

  

  Digital voice assistants (DVA’s) make it easier for customers to access your shop and make an appointment, but they can also help inform customers of recommended maintenance or recalls. Many customer objections are the result of being taken by surprise when they come in for one service and are informed they need others. 

  Today’s DVA’s can cross-check a returning customer’s VIN with manufacturer recommended services and/or open recalls and offer to include these services on an appointment. Even if a customer declines, you have planted a seed that services need to be done, which makes it more likely the customer will approve when an employee brings up the services again in person. 

  Highly targeted marketing using your CRM is also a powerful way to plant the seed of needed services before customers arrive in your drive. A customer who has been notified via email or text of a recall or manufacturer recommended maintenance arrives readier to hear the “what” and “why” and approve the service. 

  A normalization of inventory levels may arrive sooner than you think. Offset a potential slump in front-end profits with a service strategy focused on overcoming customer objections by detailing the “what” and “why” of needed services. Create service scripts, practice role-playing, and leverage modern technology to build trust and capture more opportunities in your drive. 

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• Make it a Summer of Recall Repairs (Jan 19, 2023)
  August 31, 2022

  The Takata airbag recall crisis last year led several states to declare June as airbag recall month. But it shouldn’t just be airbags. And it shouldn’t just be June. Let’s declare June, July and August as the season to focus on all recalls. The summer months are a natural time to highlight vehicle safety (despite high gas prices a record number of drivers are planning a road trip this summer), especially when you consider more than one in four vehicles on US roads have at least one open recall. 

  A targeted approach to drive-in recall repairs is a solid way to keep business high through the summer while keeping your customers safe. Recall work can also boost your bottom-line. Our internal data pegs the average RO anywhere from $370 to $430. The average recall RO is upwards of $560.

  Yes, recall work can be a headache because you have to coordinate customer communications, special parts ordering and delivery, and service lane scheduling. A few tips and best practices can alleviate the pain while increasing results. Here are some suggestions. 

  

  Communicate across departments. Management may spearhead campaigns, but everyone needs to be on-board for them to run smoothly. This includes service advisors, your parts team, and your BDC. Start by narrowing down what recalls you want to tackle. Pick three or four to start. Research what each requires. Some are easy fixes, others require a vehicle inspection first. Then create a shared Google spreadsheet listing the recalls you are able to fix, parts availability, and specific requirements. Designate a parts employee to update the doc on a daily basis, and hold quick daily parts availability meetings. This real-time communication ensures everyone is on the same page and prevents a BDC agent or service employee from scheduling a service that can’t be fulfilled. 

  Train your staff. Every manufacturer provides information about safety recalls. Visit your brands websites to download information about recalls and distribute to your staff, especially BDC agents. They are on the front-lines with customers and need to be able to speak knowledgeably about why a repair is needed and how it will be completed. 

  Be proactive. Capturing open recalls in the lane is not the best option because the customer may not have time to leave the vehicle and you may not have parts in stock. Instead, work proactively by pulling targeted lists of customers from your CRM so you can notify customers before they show up for an appointment. 

  Proceed with a plan. An omni-channel approach is the best way to reach out to targeted customers. Start with an email notification about the recall followed by a series of texts and/or phone calls over a 45-day period. If your lists are long, consider breaking them down into increments of 100 customers. BDC agent burn-out is a real worry if they’re working from a list of 1,000 names and not gaining any traction. Don’t forget advertising on your website. Designate space on the homepage for recall information. 

  

  Measure your metrics. You don’t know what’s making you money if you don’t measure activities. Trace key KPIs including contact, appointment, and service rates. A good contact rate for service is a minimum of 30%; appointment scheduling should hit 20% at the bare minimum. If your contact rate is low, first look at your customer lists. They may be filled with inaccurate contact information or they’re too unwieldy. Start with a smaller subset that has the most opportunity for success. A low appointment rate may indicate agents need more training or there’s miscommunication leading agents to call on recalls your shop can’t fix. 

  Get help when you need it. If you don’t have a service BDC, or agents are struggling to answer inbound calls and tackle outbound opportunities, outsourcing some activities can alleviate the pressure. There are many external dealership-focused BDC service providers that will ramp up or down depending on your needs. It’s especially important to get help if you have safety recalls that must be communicated to stay in your OEMs good graces. 

  Another option is to leverage technology platforms like a Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) to handle inbound calls so employees can focus on outbound revenue-producing opportunities. When an existing customer calls for an appointment, the most advanced DVAs can cross-check open recalls against VIN and suggest adding services. The DVA integrates with your scheduling tool and DMS so only recalls that you are prepared to address are offered. 

  

  Summer is here – make it a season of recall repairs. Use these tips and best practices to help create effective marketing campaigns and streamline internal processes. The payoff will be safer vehicles for your customers and a healthier bottom-line for your store.

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• Proactive Dealer Solutions to Showcase Brooke.ai, Integrations, OEM Partnerships and Training Programs at NADA 2023 (Jan 24, 2023)

  Proactive Dealer Solutions to Showcase Brooke.ai, Integrations,

  OEM Partnerships and Training Programs at NADA 2023

  Auto dealers will learn how PDS can help maximize their potential by

  turning mishandled opportunities into opportunities for growth

  Huntersville, NC –Jan 23, 2023–, Proactive Dealer Solutions, (PDS) a  leading provider of proprietary software and training solutions that revolutionize the automotive customer experience, will showcase Brooke.ai, the intelligent conversational Digital Voice Assistant (DVA) for the retail automotive industry, along with OEM partnerships, integrations with CDK, Tekion, DealerSocket and other leading companies, and its effective training programs, at the 2023 NADA Conference and Exposition in Dallas, TX, January 26-29, at Booth #4269. NADA attendees can learn how PDS can help maximize their potential by turning mishandled opportunities into opportunities for growth.

  Highlights of what will be showcased at the booth include the following:

   

  • Brooke.ai has been installed in over 350 stores within 15 months of launch, with close to 50 more stores actively onboarding her today. 

  • Maintenance and recalls upsell enhancements: Brooke can now check and promote open recalls and recommended maintenance when handling inbound service calls from existing customers. She can offer scheduled maintenance suggestions to new customers when they provide vehicle year, make, model and mileage. According to industry data, the average recall RO amounts to upwards of $600. Data from PDS pilot dealers shows that 82% of customers say “YES” to recall repairs when asked by Brooke, so she becomes a frontline tool for capturing these opportunities on every inbound call.

  • Brooke’s Scheduler & Garage with Enhanced Integration with CDK Drive DMS: Dealerships using the CDK DMS can now schedule service appointments and optimize shop management using the scheduling tool and Brooke.ai

  •  Transportation Options: Brooke.ai now offers transportation options when handling inbound service calls according to the availability set by the dealer. According to data from Brooke.ai, up to 53% of service customers want a transportation option while their car is serviced. This can include loaner vehicles, shuttle service, or even concierge service if a dealership offers the convenience of picking up and dropping off.

  • Industry Integrations: In addition to CDK, Brooke.ai is now integrated with both Auto/Mate and the Reynolds and Reynolds DMS systems.

  In addition, dealers can learn about various highly effective training options including:

  •  Onsite Training and Consulting. PDS offers immersive, hands-on training from experts that have extensive dealership experience. In 2022 alone, with its Toyota SmartPath initiative, PDS helped launch 350 Toyota dealers into Modern Retailing.

  •   PDS also offers Automotive Retail Training Masterclasses for both sales and service, where dealership employees can learn hands-on customer experience best practices and how to master modern retailing.

  PDS is also participating in an interactive NADA workshop, “Evolving your Service BDC for 2023 and Beyond,” to help dealers discover just how far their BDC can grow with new skillsets in service recovery, upselling competence, overcoming objections, and learning how to fill capacity gaps to drive fixed ops profitability. The workshop will be held Thursday, January 26, 2:30 - 3:30 PM Room: D174.

   Lastly, dealers can learn about upcoming developments including how Brooke.ai will soon have the capability to make outbound calls to a dealership’s most valuable customers, including proactively managing customer VINs that have open recalls. Brooke always adheres to state and federal time restriction laws and can leave a pre-recorded message if voicemail is detected. With PDS’s advanced administration capabilities, outbound campaign management is 100% customizable to the capacity and needs of the dealership. 

  “What a fantastic year it has been for PDS, I am proud of our employees and excited to share all the latest developments with dealers at NADA,” said Jason Beckett, Proactive Dealer Solutions President. “PDS is quite literally Modern Retailing. We have been around since 2001 and are respected for having disrupted the automotive industry as the leading authority for the Business Development concept. PDS has built more than 4,000 BDCs across the US and Canada, and we continue to evolve around customer experience (CX) expectations in today’s highly competitive market. I can’t wait to share our plans for 2023 and beyond.”

  To schedule a time to visit click here: To learn more visit PDS at the 2023 NADA Conference and Exposition in Dallas, TX, January 27-29, in Booth #4269. Or visit https://www.proactivedealersolutions.com/

   

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  About Proactive Dealer Solutions:

  Proactive Dealer Solutions serves the automotive industry as a leading provider of proprietary software and training solutions that revolutionize the automotive customer experience. The company helps dealers connect and convert more leads, and increase customer loyalty and revenue for both fixed and variable ops. Founded in 2001, Proactive Dealer Solutions quickly became known as the authority in the Business Development concept and is an industry disruptor in this space, establishing more than 4,000 BDCs across the US and Canada. Pioneers in BDC activity and performance tracking software, the company continues to evolve as the leading customer experience (CX) solutions provider in today's competitive marketplace. 

  Proactive Dealer Solutions approaches partnerships with automotive dealers and OEMs through comprehensive, customizable training programs and a robust software suite that transforms the dealership's culture through people, process, and technology; believing that every dealer can be great and deserves that opportunity.

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