Artificial intelligence has become a part of our lives. Many industries today depend on AI-powered chatbots to handle their customer support by providing 24/7 query resolution to customers. The automotive industry is not much different. More and more car dealerships are looking beyond manufacturing innovations to invest in customer-centric solutions like chatbots and voice assistants that offer personalized shopping experiences and better support.
AI-Powered Chatbots in the Automotive Industry
Chatbots have the capability to transform the sector, especially in customer-facing roles. AI-powered chatbots can offer personalized shopping experiences by matching individuals with the right type of vehicles, providing on-demand customer services that are swift and reliable, and improved after-sales services. AI-driven systems can also report the performance of equipment and parts to the manufacturer regularly, and send pre-emptive inspection or repair notifications to users to prevent accidents or damage.
Here are some of the ways in which chatbots are transforming the car industry:
1. Hassle-free Sales Conversations
Car dealers offer tons of information on their digital interfaces like websites and social media to help potential customers in the early stages of the car buying process. However, this information is often all too much for the customers to absorb, and dealerships that can connect and assist customers at this stage are the ones that end up with maximum sales and popularity.
By deploying their chatbots live in apps like Facebook Messenger, dealers can reach out to a broad audience, generate awareness, and simplify the way their prospects research and assimilate information. With such an advantage, a customer can simultaneously chat with a friend on Facebook while checking the estimated trade-in value of his or her car and making an appointment for a test drive with a bot. Chatbots can also be trained to answer questions regarding the make and performance of various vehicles and other common queries.
2. Reduced Wait Times
Today, customers are used to instant satisfaction – be it same day deliveries or immediate query resolution. The same holds for the automotive industry, and, to remain competitive, automotive dealers must invest in more convenient solutions like chatbots to cater to the growing customer expectations of personalized, 24/7 support.
3. Reduced Costs
Research indicates that chatbots will help businesses save over $8billion annually by 2022 by automating people-intensive processes like customer support, sales and marketing, and after-sales service. Automation in customer service can save significant expenditure in hiring and training multiple customer service agents and providing faster query resolution to customers. In the automotive industry, chatbots reduce costs on the fixed operations side through end-to-end concierge services like scheduling maintenance and service appointments.
4. Smooth After-sales Service
Chatbots can change the situation of car repair and maintenance occurring each year by increasing customer engagement by automating the delivery chain’s various aspects – from information gathering and consideration to after-sales service. Chatbots can automate all steps like enabling customers to schedule appointments and receive the estimates they need in just a few seconds.
