Managers with the Dodge Inside Sales Department say there is an increase in the number of real-time chat sessions with customers. Last August, the team launched the live-chat option, which is available through PT Place, an online E-commerce site for customers. Those customers use the chat to ask questions about Dodge products, orders, and services.
“We – the chat team are all rock stars. We definitely take pride in going the extra mile and giving customers excellent service because I think that’s what they expect,” Melissa Bryant said.
Bryant is a specialist with the Inside Sales Department. She says she sets an alert, which tells her a customer is ready to chat.
“You don’t want them just sitting there,” Bryant said.
Managers with the Inside Sales Department wanted to ensure the sales team could efficiently handle call volume, emails, and orders from customers. They recognized the challenge and designated six people to become chat team members. Since then, team members say there has been a decrease in wait times.
“I had a recent chat that only took two minutes. If we don’t reply to a chat pretty quickly, the customer gets a note that there’s no one available. We never want that to happen. Time is of the essence because they could be at a parts’ counter and need information,” Bryant said. “We also have global team members. So, for example, if someone speaks a different language or they’re asking about a contact in the ABB South America region, I can message that team member for assistance.”
Team members say customers are becoming more engaged. Recently, the team received 63 chats in a day – the highest number since they launched the chat feature.
The customer is always the number one priority and every request that comes in is important,” Aaron Haynes said.
Haynes is a member of the chat team and is an Inside Sales lead.
“We’re sort of on the front lines. A lot of the customers we get to know and it’s good to see those same names because that means they’re coming back. They recognize the service and they’re using the chat as a means to get in contact with us and they feel it’s a reliable form of communication,” Haynes said.
He says the chat option provides customers with a quick response.
“It’s a great feature for us to help us assist our customers and to work with such a great team to help do that. It not only makes it rewarding to help the customer but with the team, it also makes it fun and easy to do. It’s a great environment,” Haynes said.
He says the team supports one another by sharing knowledge and assisting in a team member’s chat.
“Anything we can provide to the customer to communicate with us and to do it effectively is a win for us and the company,” Haynes said.