A BDC helps increase service appointments
A BDC in the automotive service department can play an important role in increasing the number of appointments a dealership books. Every day, customers call to get information, schedule a service appointment, or reach a point where their vehicle needs attention. Added to this are all the customers in the database who could be followed up with.
The challenge, therefore, is not always to generate more opportunities, but rather to ensure that the ones that already exist are handled effectively.
That is precisely the role of a Business Development Center (BDC). At Contacto, for example, the Service division supports dealerships in reaching out to customers, handling incoming calls, and managing appointments to ensure consistent follow-up on various opportunities.
What is the role of a BDC in an auto service department?
When people talk about BDC in the automotive industry, the first thing that often comes to mind is sales and managing online leads. However, a BDC can also directly support the service department.
Her role primarily involves handling certain communications with customers to help them through the process of scheduling an appointment.
Depending on the dealership's needs, a service BDC can, among other things:
handle incoming calls;
schedule appointments at the department;
follow up with customers;
remind customers of their maintenance needs;
re-engage customers who haven't returned in a while;
confirm or follow up on appointments.
The BDC thus acts as an extension of the dealership’s team. While advisors and other members of the service department focus on customers and vehicles at the dealership, a separate team handles communications and follow-ups.
At Contacto, follow-up calls, handling incoming calls, and appointment scheduling are just some of the services we offer to car dealerships.
How does a BDC increase service appointments?
The value of a BDC is not based solely on the number of calls made or received. Its value lies primarily in its ability to make better use of various opportunities to schedule appointments.
Handling Incoming Calls
When a customer calls the service department, they often already have a clear idea of what they want to do: they want to ask a question, check availability, or make an appointment.
Effective customer service makes the customer’s experience smoother and helps them move quickly to the next step. Conversely, a call that goes unanswered or requires multiple attempts can result in a missed opportunity.
The BDC makes it possible to allocate resources specifically to these requests. The goal is to respond to customers, understand their needs, and, when appropriate, turn their request into a service appointment.
Follow up with customers at the right time
Not all appointments start with a call from the customer. A significant part of a sales development center’s work involves following up with the dealership’s customers.
A vehicle requires regular maintenance, but drivers don't necessarily think to contact their dealership themselves when the time comes. Some may also put off a service appointment or simply not have visited the service department in several months.
A follow-up message then allows you to reconnect with them, remind them of their needs, and directly offer them an appointment.
For example, a dealership can provide Contacto with a list of customers to follow up with. The team can then handle the communications on behalf of the dealership and work to turn these interactions into appointments, based on the service department’s needs and availability.
Reactivate customers already in your database
To increase the number of service appointments, it isn't always necessary to seek out new customers. The dealership's database itself is a source of opportunities.
Some customers bought their vehicles at the dealership but haven't returned for their most recent maintenance visits. Others have visited the service department before but haven't scheduled another appointment in quite some time.
The BDC can identify these opportunities for follow-up and reconnect with these clients.
This approach allows the dealership to better serve its existing customer base while maintaining a relationship with customers after they purchase a vehicle. The service department thus becomes a regular point of contact between the dealership and its customers.
Ensure greater consistency in follow-ups
The teams in a service department must juggle many priorities: greeting customers, answering questions, coordinating work, handling unexpected situations, and tracking vehicles.
In this context, it can be difficult to maintain the same level of consistency when making calls and following up, especially during busier periods.
This is one of the main advantages of a BDC: follow-ups become a role in their own right rather than a task to be done when there’s time left over.
A dedicated team can track customer lists, make the necessary follow-ups, and maintain a consistent pace of communication. For the dealership, this consistency helps ensure that no opportunities slip through the cracks.
Why Outsource Your Service Call Center?
A dealership can manage its BDC in-house or outsource certain functions to an external partner. The choice depends, in particular, on its resources, call volume, and follow-up needs.
Outsourcing provides access to a team dedicated to these communications without necessarily having to build out the entire structure in-house.
An external BDC can, in particular, handle follow-up campaigns, incoming calls, and appointment scheduling to supplement the dealership’s existing team.
This is the approach offered by Contacto. The team acts as an extension of the dealership to handle various communications with its customers, while allowing in-house teams to focus on service department operations.
Turn every interaction into an opportunity for a meeting
Increasing the number of service appointments doesn't necessarily mean stepping up efforts to attract new customers. There are already plenty of opportunities in incoming calls, service follow-ups, and the dealership's database.
The challenge is to identify them, follow up at the right time, and facilitate the transition from conversation to scheduling an appointment.
Thanks to its services for follow-up, inbound call handling, and appointment scheduling, Contacto helps car dealerships better capitalize on these opportunities and support the operations of their service departments.