What Percentage of BDC Calls Should Generate an Appointment?

As the internet made way for a simpler car-buying experience, many dealerships turned to a concept called a BDC, or Business Development Center, to handle the influx of phone calls from customers. These days, a BDC is practically a necessity in a thriving dealership. However, how do you tell if your BDC is functioning properly and ensuring the most customers are coming through your doors?

Qualify Leads

We all know the car sales game has changed dramatically over the past several years as customers become more savvy and educated about their desired vehicle. A proper BDC should be responsible for processing and filtering leads to better determine who is serious about purchasing a vehicle and who is just window shopping on a website.

Track Conversion Rates

Conversion rates are an excellent way to determine the success of your BDC. The conversion rate should be easily measured for inbound and outbound calling depending on how leads are approached. For example, if Joe from the BDC is making 20 calls per day based on quality leads that have come through the website and he is only booking four appointments, this is a low conversion rate, and Joe’s tactics should probably be examined more closely.

Hitting Goals

Customers will come from various sources in a typical BDC for a busy dealership. There will be internet requests, who will fill out a short form on the website and request a callback, and the customers who skip the red tape and just call the dealership. Then, there will be calls made to former customers.

All of these customers hold great potential for success for your BDC agents. Generally, a BDC should be shooting for a 50% conversion rate on inbound calls and a 20% conversion rate on outbound calls. This means half of the calls that your reps are receiving and making should result in an appointment. However, a highly successful BDC should be expecting higher numbers than this.

Rely on Calls

For every call that comes in or is made by the dealership, the BDC reps should function like a finely tuned machine and ensure that each customer is getting the same treatment. Streamlining the phone call process allows the BDC agents to move more fluidly through a call and keep everything strictly business. This ensures that the rep has time to make or receive more calls.

At this rate of functionality, your BDC can expect up to 80% conversion rates on inbound and 25% on outbound calls with proper ongoing coaching. Imagine the success of your dealership if the team on which you’re relying to follow up with leads is driving 80% and 25% of those customers through your doors. Certainly, not every customer who comes through the door is going to purchase, but that’s where your sales team comes in.

In a highly functioning dealership, the sales team and BDC should work together. There shouldn’t be competition, as there often is between internet sales and floor sales. A successful salesperson is only as good as their BDC agent, and the metrics will prove that. However, your BDC rep needs to be properly equipped to handle as much call volume as possible to better convert leads into customers.

When considering the option of transitioning to a BDC (whether in-house or virtual), make sure your agents have a process on board to better handle the calls. You want to ensure that they’re working smarter and maximizing their efficiency. With Phone Ninjas, we can ensure a better
working relationship for everyone in your dealership and better conversion
rates across the board.

Contact us today for more information on obtaining an 80%, or better, appointment set rate.