Contact At Once! (http://www.autodealerchat.com), the leading dealer chat provider to the automotive industry, today announced the beta release of a new SMS text-to-chat feature for automotive advertising. Delivered as an extension to the Contact At Once! chat solution already in use at over 9,000 dealerships, the new feature enables car shoppers to easily initiate live SMS text-based conversations with an auto dealer using their mobile phone. Shoppers can connect with dealers via widgets placed on websites or banner ads as they navigate the internet. They may also scan a QR code or send a specified text message to a number found in a dealership’s print ad or signage.

Other text-based solutions for dealers already exist, and include the ability to: 

These features complement the Contact At Once! dealer chat solution which is the first to be centered on one-to-one personal communication between a car shopper and a dealership sales person.

The QR option makes it possible for dealers to include a text-response capability in both online and offline advertising, increasing the ROI of ad spends by improving response rates. An example QR code is included with this press release and, when scanned, will initiate a text conversation with Contact At Once! personnel.

The upgraded dealer chat software also provides dealers with comprehensive management tools required to ensure a positive consumer experience and compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act legislation, which sets rules for how businesses may contact consumers. A further benefit to dealers is the ability to initiate a text conversation, with the consumer’s consent, from within the Contact At Once! client software enabling proactive follow up with prospective customers.

“A published study by Neilsen documented that users of mobile phones send and receive nearly twice as many text messages as they do phone calls. It then follows that consumers who prefer texting are more likely to contact a car dealer that accepts text messaging,” said Contact At Once! Founder and Executive Vice President, Marc Hayes. “We’ve built the industry’s first solution for dealers that want to improve the ROI on their ad spend and sell more cars while managing the compliance issues associated with texting.”

The beta is currently available on a limited basis. General availability is anticipated early in 2012. Contact At Once! customers interested in the feature may contact their account representative for additional information, or may visithttp://www.autodealerchat.com/schedule-demo to request a demonstration.

About Contact At Once!
Contact At Once! is the leading automotive chat software provider and operator of the industry’s only dealer chat network connecting more than 9,000 auto dealers with the websites car shoppers visit most often. Adding Contact At Once! dealer chat software to a website typically increases a dealership’s sales conversations by at least 25%. Named to the Inc. 500 as one of America’s fastest growing businesses, Contact At Once! is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information about the company’s auto dealer chat product, please visit:http://www.autodealerchat.com.

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