How fast should you respond to an enquiry?

What the research says

In 2011 Harvard Business Review published the article “The Short Life of Online Sales Leads”. The researchers sent an enquiry to 2,241 US companies. 37% replied within the hour, 24% took more than a day and 23% never replied.

The same article says that those who made contact within the hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify the lead as those who responded an hour later, and more than sixty times as likely as those who waited a day or longer.

It wasn't about car dealers and not about Belgium. So it doesn't say how much you gain, but it does show which way it works.

Why car dealers need to be even faster

A buyer browsing listings in the evening often sends a question to several dealerships at once. Whoever gives a useful answer first, with price, mileage and a time to come and see the car, sets the tone. The biggest delay is usually in the evening and at the weekend, when nobody sees the question.

How to make it within the hour

1. For one week, measure when an enquiry comes in and when the first real answer goes out.
2. Bring all channels together in one place, so no question is left sitting in a mailbox or on a private phone.
3. Give the car's details in the first reply, not just “we'll call you back”.
4. Suggest two times straight away to come and see the car or take a test drive.
5. Cover evenings and weekends, that is where the biggest backlog is.
6. Measure again after four weeks, in the same way.

How Helvaro helps

Helvaro gives the first answer within a minute, also in the evening and at the weekend, with the data from your own stock. Your salesperson reads along and takes over where it counts.