What Is Managed DirectChat?
DirectChat is the chat window on your dealership's website. With standard DirectChat, your team answers every chat and qualifies the customer by hand.
With Managed DirectChat, Genius is the first responder. Genius greets the shopper, answers their questions, and asks for their name and phone number or email. Once Genius has that info, a lead is created in DriveCentric automatically and sent to the right person on your team.
Your store can choose to have Genius manage chats during business hours, after hours, or both.
Where to Find It
Sales leads from Managed DirectChat
Look at the notification bar on the left side of DriveCentric.
Click the Leads drawer (crosshairs icon).
Managed DirectChat leads show with a source of Chat and a source description of DirectChat / Genius.
Service leads from Managed DirectChat
Click the Service drawer (wrench icon) on the notification bar.
Open the lead to see the full chat between Genius and the customer.
Live chats Genius is handling
If your store has this option turned on, you can watch Genius chat with shoppers in real time.
Click Conversations at the top of DriveCentric.
Click Chat in the left-hand menu.
A green dot on the chat icon means the shopper is still on your website.
Work a Managed DirectChat Lead
Open the lead from your Leads drawer or notification.
Read the chat history on the customer's Activity timeline so you know exactly what the shopper asked.
Follow up by phone, text, or email using the contact info Genius collected.
If the shopper asked about a specific vehicle, Genius will try to add it to the deal. Genius matches vehicles by VIN, stock number, year/make/model, or the vehicle page the shopper was chatting from.
Jump Into a Live Chat
You can take over a conversation from Genius at any time.
Go to Conversations > Chat and open the conversation.
Type your message in the chat box at the bottom and send it.
The shopper sees your reply in the website chat, and Genius stops responding so you can take it from there.
Tips for Your Team
Read the full chat before you call. Opening with "I see you asked about the 2024 Tacoma" builds instant trust.
Use after-hours management so night and weekend shoppers get an answer right away, then work those leads first thing in the morning.
Only jump into a live chat when you are ready to stay with it. Once you reply, Genius steps back.
Make sure your Chat lead distribution is set up so Genius leads reach a real person fast.
Good to Know
Only users with the Manage Store permission or Expert Users can change DirectChat settings.
To see and reply to chats, you need Chat Messages > Unassigned Sales and/or Unassigned Service turned on in User Management.
Chats where the shopper has not shared contact info show a placeholder name until they are qualified.
On the mobile app, reply to chats from Conversations. Replying to a chat from the mobile Customer Card is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to click Qualify Customer on Managed DirectChat leads? No. Genius collects the shopper's contact info and the lead is created for you.
Can I turn Genius on only after hours? Yes. Business hours and after hours are separate settings, so you can turn on one or both.
What happens if I reply while Genius is chatting? Your message goes to the shopper and Genius stops responding in that conversation.
Need Assistance? For assistance, reach out to your Customer Success Team using the Support Icon in the bottom-right corner of DriveCentric!