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The Dealer Assigns Contacts to Sales Consultants

The showroom log allows dealers to capture information about walk-in customers and customers contacting the retailer through phone, email, or the Web. It allows the dealer to record the customer's profile information, identify the purpose of the customer's visit or call (sales, service, or parts), and identify the customer's vehicle preferences, so customers can be assigned to the appropriate sales, service, or parts personnel.

This scenario illustrates one typical use of the showroom log. In dealerships, prospective customers may talk to the receptionist when they arrive at the store, or they may talk to the sales manager or to another dealer employee.

NOTE:  This scenario uses the receptionist as the example of the dealer employee who assigns customers to sales consultants as they become available, but in other business models, different employees might do this.

The receptionist can use the showroom log to enter information about customers and their vehicle preferences. This information is automatically used to create an Contact record and an associated Opportunity record for the customer.

Then, when a sales consultant is available, the receptionist uses the showroom log to assign the customer to this representative.

After the customer has been assigned, the sales consultant can find the information about this customer in the My Contacts screen, and can use this screen to work with the customer using all the information that the representative has captured in the showroom log.

This scenario has the following steps:

The Dealer Receptionist Enters Information about the Customer

When prospective customers enter a dealership, they typically talk to the receptionist first. By filling out the fields in the showroom log, the receptionist enters the key information that the sales consultant will need to work with the customer.

To enter information about the product

  1. The dealer receptionist navigates to the Showroom Log screen.
  2. In the Showroom Log list, the receptionist clicks New.
  3. In the new record and the More Info form, the receptionist enters information about the customer and the customer's vehicle preference.
The Dealer Receptionist Assigns the Customer to a Sales Consultant

As sales consultants finish other work and become available to work with new customers, the dealer receptionist assigns the new customers to them. The information that was entered in the showroom log has automatically generated an Contact record and an associated Opportunity record.

The receptionist can assign this customer to a sales consultant by choosing the sales consultant in the Employee field.

To assign the customer to a sales consultant

  1. The dealer receptionist navigates to the Showroom Log screen.
  2. In the Showroom Log list, in the record for the customer, the receptionist clicks the Select button in the Employee field.
  3. In the Pick Position dialog box, the receptionist selects the available Sales Consultant and clicks OK.
The Dealer Assigns Unassigned Opportunities

In addition to the walk-in customers who are entered in the showroom log, there may be other opportunities displayed in the Unassigned Opportunities screen, which the dealer receptionist or some other dealer employee can assign to sales consultants.

The Unassigned Opportunities screen does not display opportunities entered in the showroom log. It displays other opportunities that do not have an assigned sales consultant. For example, it can display internet leads which were imported into the system from other sources, so they do not have assigned sales consultants.

To assign an unassigned opportunity to a sales consultant

  1. The dealer receptionist navigates to the Unassigned Opportunities screen.
  2. In the Unassigned Opportunities Log list, the receptionist selects the opportunity of the next customer.
  3. The receptionist clicks Assign.
  4. In the Pick Position dialog box, the receptionist selects a sales consultant and clicks OK.
The Dealer Sales Consultant Works with the Customer

Now, the information about this customer is available to the sales consultant in the Contacts screens. The sales consultant uses this screen to work with the customer, for example, by entering activities or by sending the customer a letter or email. The sales consultant can also work with the customer using sales steps and printing forms, as described in the following sections.

To work with the customer

  1. The dealer sales consultant navigates to the Contacts screen, My Contacts view.
  2. In the Contacts list, the sales consultant selects the record for this customer, and reads information about this customer in the record and the More Info form.
  3. The sales consultant clicks the Opportunity view tab to read more information about this opportunity.
  4. The sales consultant selects the Opportunity record.

    5. The fourth-level navigation appears under the Opportunity form.

  5. The sales consultant can use the fourth-level navigation to enter the buyer and cobuyer, to use sales steps, to enter activities, to capture trade-in information, to enter information about the vehicles that were shown to the customer, and to print forms.

 Siebel eDealer Administration Guide 
 Published: 18 April 2003