By John Carpenter

Dealers I've worked with around the country often ask the same question about calling customers: "How many messages should I leave? What do I say after leaving multiple messages?" The answer lies in the type of outbound phone call you are making and the desired outcome of that phone call. I can offer some guiding thoughts based on best practices in relation to these two types of calls and their desired outcomes for your dealership.

1. Sales or Service CSI Calls Are For:

• Building your relationship with customers.
• Making sure expectations are met to ensure a good survey.

Recommendation:
Make one attempt per available phone number per day. When calling the final customer contact number, leave a detailed message. In this message explain the intent of the call, mention you attempted to reach them at their other contact numbers, and thank them for their business. This customer has already purchased from you, so there is no need to pursue beyond this point.

2. Unsold Follow-up Calls Are Seeking:

• Actual contact with the customer.
• To gather critical information not known at this point.
• To set an appointment.

Recommendation:
A more aggressive call, this often requires multiple attempts on multiple days. The goal is to get the customer to see the need to return your phone call. An easy way to dramatically increase your callback percentage is by simply leaving the message you wish to convey and politely ending the phone message with, "By the way, if I don't hear from you by tonight, I will call you back tomorrow."

Changing the time frames is acceptable as needed. This lets the customer know what you want them to do and what the next step will be if you don't hear back from them. Many return phone callers will let you know they are no longer interested; however, wouldn't you rather concentrate your valuable time and effort on people who may be interested?

There are few times when you should not leave a message. You do not have to feel uneasy about leaving a message that clearly and politely states the purpose for the call and your desired action from the customer. The biggest error is failing to give proper instruction to the customer as to what you want them to do and why.

Overall, clear communication is key when leaving phone messages for customers. Your targeted efforts will result in more callbacks to your dealership and help you achieve your desired goal with each phone call contact.

John has worked 20 years in the automotive industry, focusing on the variable operations side of the business. He has extensive experience in consulting, training, and process improvements for business development centers, lead management, direct marketing, eBusiness marketing, sales and sales management, and lease portfolio and renewal efforts.

Who We Are Reynolds Consulting Services, one of the most skilled and knowledgeable consulting groups in the automotive industry, offers dealers a fresh perspective on common challenges. Experience proven results from over 25 unique process improvement projects, specially designed to focus on specific departments and drive results for your dealership. Contact Us: Phone 866.850.8194 option 2 E-mail consulting@reyrey.com