Not every automotive retailer is ready to make the transition to an outsourced auto BDC. If you’re on the fence about moving forward with an internal vs. external BDC at car dealership locations you manage, we understand. This decision affects your staffing, training, after-hours coverage, technology, scalability, CRM integration, sales funnel, and compliance – it shouldn’t be made lightly. Give us the length of this page to tip the scales and show you why turning to an outsourced BDC partner like Strolid can help you stay on top of customer communications and convert more high-quality leads.
Strolid has helped hundreds of clients weigh the drawbacks and the advantages of an outsourced BDC for dealerships like yours. Schedule a complimentary demo call to learn more about the meaning of automotive BDC or explore answers to commonly asked questions below so you can make the best choice for your business’s reputation, growth, and long-term profits. With recent studies noting that nearly 25% of dealership calls go unanswered while customers expect near-immediate responses, you might just discover that the cost of losing customers is far greater than the cost of outsourced auto BDC.
Outsourced vs. In-House BDC at a Glance
In-House Auto BDC
- High overhead costs for continual BDC training
- High staff turnover due to workload burnout
- Unavailable after-hours customer communication
- Scalability limited to your dealership’s hiring capacity
Outsourced Auto BDC
- Lower, more predictable overhead
- Trained professionals by your side at no extra cost
- 24/7, high-quality customer communication
- 100% dedication to BDC operations
- Instant scalability as your business grows
PROVEN TRACK RECORD, EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS
The Invisible Costs of In-House Automotive BDC: Is Your Dealership Leaving Money on the Table?
The first step toward deciding on an in-house vs. outsourced auto BDC is to examine the efficiency of your internal processes. Operating an in-house automotive BDC is possible, but it’s also costly, difficult to maintain, and highly susceptible to mistakes. One of the biggest errors we see dealerships make is mishandling their existing leads. It’s easy to assume that a wider customer base equals more conversions. In truth, optimizing the leads you already have yields better results than shelling out more time and resources chasing new ones. Let us highlight some of the key pain points most dealerships face to see if any resonate with you:
- Unmet Sales Goals: When sales numbers drop, many dealerships turn to cheaper, low-quality lead sources instead of optimizing their lead-gen process. Unfortunately, this path doesn’t solve any conversion problems; it only inflates numbers, worsens conversion rates, and lowers efficiency.
- Inconsistent Performance: Managing an internal BDC team requires hiring and training employees and then continuously monitoring their performance. Training periods can lead to inconsistent BDC operations – not to mention adding more to your already full plate. With Strolid, you get expertly trained partners who are ready to go from day one.
- Undifferentiated Leads: Not all leads are created equal. Some customers are ready to purchase, others are narrowing their search, and many are just window shopping. Failing to differentiate between high-intent and low-intent leads results in wasted effort and missed opportunities.
- CRM Frustrations: Your CRM is an integral system that manages customer interactions, data, and sales processes, but if you’re noticing a downtick in lead capturing or slower movement through sales funnels, you’ve likely reached the end of your CRM’s usefulness. Traditional CRMs can’t address the dynamic needs of the dealership funnel – our outsourced auto BDC team fills in those gaps.
Today's Automotive BDC Trends: Are You Leading the Way or Behind the Curve?
The second factor to consider when deciding between an in-house or outsourced auto BDC is evolving market trends. The automotive industry has seen seismic shifts in the past 10 years with the rapid expansion of plug-in-hybrid and all-electric vehicles, but dealership needs and customer perspectives have changed as well. You can evaluate if your traditional BDC system is holding you back or propelling you forward by examining the following dealer and customer expectations.
Quick, Custom Responses
Today’s shoppers expect fast, personalized responses to their queries, regardless of their point of contact. This means that, if you’re operating with an in-house automotive BDC, you must take your dealership communication a step further than before to ensure no email, phone call, voicemail, website request, or social media comment goes unanswered. If maintaining that level of connection is impossible with your current setup, an outsourced auto BDC is a must-have. Strolid delivers rapid customer responses to make sure every warm lead gets the attention it deserves.
AI Integration
Some automotive retailers are attempting to circumvent their need for outsourced auto BDCs by supplementing their existing CRM with AI tools like chatbots, a move that can pay small dividends by helping customers feel seen after hours. The trouble is, even the most robust artificial intelligence platforms still require human supervision and can’t replace people when following up on leads and closing sales, meaning your internal BDC will likely feel just as overwhelmed by customer support demands as it did before the AI adoption. Strolid eliminates this overwhelm by pairing AI-powered tools with our own highly trained staff.
Greater Demands for Dealer Transparency
In the ever-changing automotive market, dealerships are not only forced to adjust to economic factors like inflation, tariffs, and interest rates, but they’re also facing greater scrutiny on marketing ROI. Owners want proof that their ad spend is translating to real conversations and conversions, which means the need for organized consumer data and clear reporting on leads and sales teams is higher than ever. Traditional automotive BDC systems offer limited data collection and lackluster communication. In short, they aren’t capable of the lead optimization you could get from an outsourced auto BDC.
The Outsourced BDC Advantage: How Strolid Increases Sales & Success
Most dealers think their CRM and BDC have lead optimization covered. That is until they discover automotive BDC best practice methods and realize how poorly their internal systems are performing. Your dealership should be reaching multiple goals with its BDC: auto sales, increased customer satisfaction, and boosted brand reputation, to name a few. If your current BDC sales are lacking, that’s a clear indicator that an outsourced auto BDC is necessary for sustained growth.
Strolid gives your dealership the outsourced BDC advantage by managing leads, follow-ups, and conversations with ease. We function as your performance engine, delivering unmatched speed, volume, and accuracy in all forms of customer communication. We provide complete lead transparency and measurable results, and our built-in training methods ensure your team follows the automotive BDC best practices that actually drive sales. Through seamless onboarding and integration with your existing CRM, Strolid handles customer operations so your staff can focus on sourcing, repairing, and selling cars.
Explore Our Outsourced Auto BDC Tools Today
Strolid gives you the clarity, control, and consistency you need to outperform your competition, all without adding complexity to your day. Our process tracks accountability across BDC and sales teams, shines a spotlight on inadequate follow-up or missed conversations, and then approaches your dealership’s highest-value leads with improved engagement strategies that actually close deals and elevate profits.
If you know a change is needed but still have questions about our outsourced auto BDC process, request a complimentary consultation. Just like the leads we’ll nurture and keep warm for your dealership, Strolid understands the importance of quick, transparent communication. Ask for a call with our Strolid team to learn more about how we organize lead sources, improve communications, analyze performance metrics, and unify all your most critical data in one always-accessible portal to give your dealership the upper hand.
Request your complimentary Strolid consultation today to learn more about auto BDC cost, how to convert leads into sales, and why our automotive BDC is your ticket to growth and success.
Handling The HEAT Since 1987
FAQ
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How is Strolid different from my CRM or BDC tools?
In-house CRMs and BDCs are limited solutions to a complex challenge that often don’t possess the infrastructure or resources to track all lead sources and customer interactions effectively, causing a loss of consumer trust along with thousands of dollars in potential sales. Strolid integrates with your existing CRM and then multiplies its capabilities to give you 24/7 customer coverage, proven conversion strategies, and continuous scalability.
How quickly can I see results?
Strolid’s streamlined integration and onboarding process is quick – it typically takes fewer than 10 days – meaning you’ll start seeing impactful results almost immediately. Our data-driven analytics are always accessible, so you can check in with our automotive BDC at any time. Curious how our lightning-fast customer responses are converting? We provide immediate insights into your dealership’s performance. We also publish success metrics to ensure continuous improvement.
Will this reduce my team's workload or add more tasks?
An outsourced auto BDC like Strolid will drastically reduce your team’s workload. Rather than continuing to task your staff with returning phone calls, managing online customer requests, and monitoring social platforms, Strolid removes operational headaches, ensures timely customer follow-ups, implements automotive BDC best practices, and tracks performance automatically. We also remove any need for external BDC trainers; Strolid guides your team in real time, ensuring they’re always working smart.