Providing your customers with timely, relevant information and prompt answers to their questions is key to helping them make well-informed purchase decisions – but people also want the freedom to look, browse, and think without feeling shadowed or pressured. Knowing what’s needed at a given time, particularly when interacting with customers remotely, can sometimes be a challenge. That’s why Quote has a recently enhanced its Customer Portal dedicated to engaging your customers with all the information they need to trade up. And it works by enabling them to browse their vehicle quotes, swap inventory, change payments and/or value of the quote, and schedule test-drives.

Above: Customer Portal

Quote email campaigns and the recently enhanced Customer Portal work in tandem to specify and clarify customer actions and help you provide the best responses. Each campaign is designed to clearly identify actual “hand-raisers”, those customers who want specific help and are actively asking to be contacted about their selected trade-up opportunity, versus individuals just exploring offer details or browsing inventory.

Alert Email Notifications

You can choose to receive email notifications that alert you when a customer interacts with certain Quote email campaign call-to-action buttons (which will drive them to the Customer Portal). Customers are given two choices in each campaign for a call-to-action – “View Offer Details” or “Explore My Options” – as well as an ongoing “Contact Me” option that requires a separate action on their part. Each email notification you receive correlates directly to a specific call-to-action and entails a different response.

View Offer Details

Their action: Customers clicking the “View Offer Details” button within a campaign are simply getting the details of their particular Quote offer and are not asking to be contacted. Again, the “Contact Me” button requires a separate action and generates a separate specific notification to you.

If you have elected to receive the email alerts mentioned above, however, you will get a notification with the customer’s contact information when the “View Offer Details” button is clicked. The email will show details for the Trade Vehicle and Quote Vehicle viewed, and a link to a Quote lead sheet will be included in the email.

Your response: Any personal email or phone follow-ups for these customers should take an informational approach only: it’s highly likely that individuals at this step are not in-market to purchase another vehicle, but are merely curious about the information being presented. As sales professionals, you’re simply providing necessary details so your customer can make the most informed decision.

Explore My Options

When a customer selects the “Explore My Options” button, numerous choices are displayed: various trim levels, payment amounts, even entirely different models with new re-calculated monthly payments. As they can spend unlimited time in this section, toggling between options and researching all available possibilities, no email notification to you is generated unless/until the “Contact Me” button is clicked.

Contact Me

Their action: the “Contact Me” button in tab #3 generates additional action steps for the customer as well as a different email alert to you. Customers are asked how they want to be contacted – via phone or email – and prompted for accurate, and preferred, contact information.

These customers are your real “hand-raisers” – and the notifications you receive will reflect that: the subject line in the email will show that they have actually clicked “Contact Me” and are asking for follow-up about a particular quote they’ve selected within the Customer Portal. Along with providing their confirmed information, this alert gives you details about the customer’s vehicle of interest. As with the previously mentioned notification, this email will also include a Quote lead sheet as an attachment, and a link to the Customer Details Page for more information.

Your response: “Contact Me” inquiries should be treated with the same level of importance as an email lead or phone call, with particular attention given to the customer’s preferred communication method. Once you’re notified, you should reach out to that customer promptly with an introduction and explanation that you’re following up on their request about their vehicle exchange offer – and ask how you can help.

Quote is designed to help start conversations with your customers at every point – and connect those customers to your store. To sign up for email notifications that instantly identify your best prospects, please contact your Performance Manager.