Test drive follow-up call: when to call and what to say
Sado AI team · · 5 min read
In short
After a test drive, call that evening or the next day, before the customer compares other showrooms. Ask, don’t pitch: did they like the car, what didn’t they like, what holds the decision back — price, payment, colour or the family’s view. Then offer one concrete step that fits: a payment calculation, a second test drive or a meeting with a manager, with a day and time. Log the answer in your CRM. An AI operator can make these calls and pass ready buyers to a manager.
Why call after a test drive
After a test drive, the decision takes a few days. The customer visits other showrooms, compares prices and talks it over with the family. The dealer who calls first answers their questions and stays in their mind. If nobody calls, the customer thinks: “They’re not interested in me.”
During the drive the manager has little chance to ask much: the customer is at the wheel and the talk is about the car. The follow-up call is for the questions they thought about at home.
When to call
- The same evening or the next day, in working hours. The impression is fresh and they haven’t visited another dealer yet.
- If they said “I’ll think until the weekend”, call on exactly that day. Calling when agreed builds trust.
- No answer? Try again a few hours later, then the next day. Stop after three attempts.
- If they ask you not to call, don’t, and note it in the CRM.
The call plan: five steps
- Greet, give your name and the dealer’s, and mention the drive: “You drove the Tracker yesterday.”
- Ask an open question: “How did you like it?” Then stay quiet, listen and write down their words.
- Find the obstacle: “What’s holding the decision back?” Usually it’s the price, how to pay, trading in the old car, the colour or trim they want, or the family’s view.
- Offer one step that fits. Price: a manager prepares an instalment calculation. Family: a second test drive. Trim: show another version.
- Agree a day and time and repeat them. If the customer is ready to buy, transfer them to a manager right away.
Quote prices, discounts and instalment terms only from the dealer’s approved information. Don’t promise terms: the manager does the exact calculation.
Sample call
Sado: Assalomu alaykum, is that Bekzod? This is Shohruh from Chinor Motors. You drove the Tracker yesterday. How did you like it?
Caller: Yes, hello. I liked the car, but the price seemed a bit high.
Sado: I understand. Have you looked at paying in instalments? Our manager can work it out with a down payment.
Caller: Not yet. But my wife needs to see it too.
Sado: Of course. Would you both come on Saturday and drive it again? Ten or three is free.
Caller: Saturday at three.
Sado: Done, Saturday at three. The manager will have the calculation ready by then. Have a good day!
Next step by the customer’s answer
| What the customer said | Next step | CRM stage (example) |
|---|---|---|
| “I liked it, thinking about the price” | Manager sends a payment calculation | Offer |
| “My family should see it” | Second test drive with a day and time | Test drive |
| “It’s cheaper at another dealer” | Manager calls back today | Negotiation |
| “I’ll buy in a month” | Call again on the agreed date | Later |
| “I didn’t like it” | Note the reason, suggest another model or close | Closed |
Handing these calls to an AI operator
Managers spend the day with customers in the showroom, so yesterday’s follow-ups slip to tomorrow. In Sado you bring the day’s test drives into the portal’s Auto-calls section as an Excel file or from a CRM stage, write the questions and set the calling hours. Preparing the list: calling a list from Excel.
The operator holds a live conversation with each customer in Uzbek or Russian: asks for the impression, finds the obstacle, books a second test drive or agrees when to call back. If the customer is ready to buy or asks for a person, your rule transfers the call to a manager. Every call’s recording, transcript, short summary and next step are in the portal, and the call card goes into Bitrix24. More: AI operator for car dealers. Try it live.
Questions
Won’t a follow-up call annoy the customer?
One short, useful call doesn’t annoy: it answers their questions. What annoys is a daily “So, have you decided?”. Call when agreed and respect “don’t call me”.
Should a manager or an AI operator make this call?
Both. The AI operator calls everyone on time and collects the answers; managers spend their time on ready buyers, calculations and negotiation.
How much do these calls cost?
Sado charges only for talked minutes: 800 so‘m a minute, no monthly fee. For example, 15 test drives a day with a two-minute call each: 30 minutes × 800 = 24,000 so‘m.