ChatGPT, a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence technology, is getting lots of news coverage and buzz lately about its different applications across industries. Car dealership owners may be wondering whether generative AI includes any features they can use in their businesses. The answer is yes—dealers can use ChatGPT in a variety of ways, like automating marketing tasks to save time and money.

3 Tasks Car Dealers Can Automate With ChatGPT

1. Writing Better Website Content

The pandemic changed a lot, including car buyers’ willingness to shop online for vehicles. Today, 92% of buyers research vehicles online before they purchase one¹, and 80% are open to completing a vehicle purchase online². These statistics highlight the importance of having a great website for your dealership. ChatGPT can remove some of the stress and time investment involved in developing that website content by doing it for you automatically. 

All you have to do to write website content using ChatGPT is to provide the chatbot with some details and a prompt. For example, you could include the name and location of your business, the products and services you offer, and what makes your dealership different, then ask the chatbot to write a more detailed and engaging homepage.

2. Creating Social Media & Blog Posts

The majority of car buyers use social media and review sites to research dealerships³. As a result, these businesses are rapidly embracing social media and on-site blogs as avenues for connecting with customers—especially Gen Z and Millennials—but creating those posts can be a challenge. It can be especially difficult to decide what types of topics to cover in your content, no matter where it lives. Luckily, you can use ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas or even write entire posts for your dealership within seconds. Use the chatbot to generate snappy headlines and the content itself—just remember to fact-check before posting to ensure the resulting text is an accurate representation of what you want to say.

3. Providing Customer Service

Many of the customer service requests dealerships get revolve around similar, straightforward topics. Rather than having a human employee or several devote their time to answering these requests, use ChatGPT to answer the customers. Chatbots can provide quick answers to customers’ questions at any time of day, meaning you can even offer automated service outside standard business hours. 

Often, the chatbot is even able to take care of the entire service request. Chatbots handle nearly 70% of chats from beginning to end without ever needing a service agent’s involvement⁴. If an agent is necessary, the chatbot can seamlessly refer the service request to the next available employee, ensuring your team only handles the highest priority queries. 

When Should You Still Rely on Human Involvement?

Automotive chatbots have many applications for dealerships, but some tasks are still best left to skilled human employees. Since ChatGPT is just an AI-powered chatbot, it lacks the human element necessary for most sales. Like many other purchases, buying a car has a significant emotional aspect⁵, and you need human salespeople to connect and build trust with your customers. Leave closing sales to your experienced professionals. 

ChatGPT can assist with some marketing tasks, but you need actual people—not bots—to cultivate relationships and offer personalized advice to customers. Find a balance between using the chatbot for automating tasks and counting on your experienced pros for the personal, human aspect of car sales. 

Modern Solutions for Modern Dealerships

ChatGPT is the next of a long list of innovations that car dealership owners can use to their advantage. If you use it strategically, ChatGPT will help your dealership cut costs while bringing in plenty of new business. Make sure you have top-quality inventory to meet this demand by registering with ACV Auctions today. Our convenient and user-friendly vehicle auction platform connects dealers with quality vehicles from all over the country.  

Sources

1. Hyder, S. (25 June 2019). How Online Automotive Sellers Are Shifting Their Sales Into High Gear. Forbes. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/shamahyder/2019/06/25/how-online-automotive-sellers-are-shifting-their-sales-into-high-gear-3-strategies-for-fueling-roi/?sh=47f34af361cf 
2. Creech, L. (11 March 2021). New Independent Study Finds Majority of Car Shoppers Open to Purchasing Online. Business Wire. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210311005113/en/New-Independent-Study-Finds-Majority-of-Car-Shoppers-Open-to-Purchasing-Online 
3. 8th Annual Automotive Digital Retailing Consumer Trends Study. Digital Air Strike. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://digitalairstrike.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-8thAnnual-Trends-Study.pdf 
4. Moran, M. (2 January 2023). 25+ Top Chatbot Statistics For 2023: Usage, Demographics, Trends. Startup Bonsai. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://startupbonsai.com/chatbot-statistics/ 
5. Chiertotti, L. (26 March 2018). Harvard Professor Says 95% of Purchasing Decisions Are Subconscious. Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2023, from https://www.inc.com/logan-chierotti/harvard-professor-says-95-of-purchasing-decisions-are-subconscious.html