When you enter the showroom at Bilservice's new car center, located a stone's throw from the waterfront in Tønsberg, one striking feature sets this dealership apart from others. The showroom has 14 interactive touchscreens from Short Shift, giving customers access to all the information they could need about the vehicles Bilservice sells.
– We saw the value very early on, and we understood that this could help us work smarter and more efficiently.
Frank Gjersøe, Sales Manager at Bilservice Tønsberg
The screens have different functionality and are placed at carefully selected locations in the room, according to their intended use. Next to each display car stands a screen with information about that specific vehicle, updated prices, and financing options. One screen stands in the middle of the room, where customers can explore Volvo's entire range. At the service counter, there's a screen with an overview of all used cars available for sale across the Bilservice group.
Gjersøe's colleague Tom Petter Hatlestad, who is a Volvo salesman, believes the screens make customers feel better taken care of. When they have multiple customers in the store at the same time, customers don't have to stand and wait – they can use the screens to find the information they need themselves. Many prefer to explore a bit on their own first, and then the salespeople can help them further when they need it.
The salespeople's digital assistant
With the screens, the salespeople have also gained their own assistant. They receive all kinds of questions about the cars, and it's impossible to know everything by heart. But with the screens, they have all the information available right by the vehicle.
Preparing quotes was previously a cumbersome process where the salesperson had to bring the customer into the office to create a quote on the PC. Now Hatlestad can build the car on the screen together with the customer. The price remains visible in the upper-right corner, so there are no surprises after they have added the equipment the customer wants. This creates a much more open and dynamic sales process.
– The technology allows us to find a solution that meets the customer's needs and budget faster. We write fewer quotes now than before, but we don't sell any less. We've become better at hitting the mark with the offers we give.
Frank Gjersøe
Automatic updates
If you've worked in the automotive industry, you know how much time goes into updating prices and campaigns. With the screens from Short Shift, this is much more efficient. It has always been a struggle to have updated prices on the cars in the store, but now everything updates automatically – both on the screens and on Bilservice's websites.
All campaign planning happens via the same platform for the entire Bilservice group, which ensures they communicate the same message to all customers – regardless of whether the customer visits Bilservice in Tønsberg, Sandefjord, Larvik, Kongsberg, Holmestrand, or Notodden. This used to be very time-consuming. Now it's done with a few clicks.
Easy for everyone
At Stoltenbergsgate 54 in Tønsberg, where Bilservice has sold cars since 1961, several customers often visit at the same time. Most approach the salespeople, while others prefer to walk around alone, look at the cars, and explore the screens. The screens are used frequently, which should not be taken for granted. The system is so simple and intuitive that it invites interaction – if you have used a smartphone, you immediately know what to do.
With a twinkle in his eye, Gjersøe refers to the 59-year-old Hatlestad as "the young, promising one," since he's by far the youngest salesperson at the new car center. They're a mature group of salespeople, so age is no barrier to benefiting from the technology.