BOCA RATON, Fla. -

In an effort to help dealers generate more high quality trade-appraisal leads via mobile technology and social media, Black Book Online revealed Tuesday an upgrade to its Activator platform.

The sales-lead generator noted that the new enhancements include “a mobile version of Trade-In Activator, full social media integration,  a new Lead Insight tool to work leads more effectively and video training.”

Moreover, the company contends a redesigned user-interface improved user experience.

The upgrades will be automatically deployed to existing Activator dealer customers starting June 1.

Commenting on the upgrades, Mike McFall, president of Black Book Online, told Auto Remarketing, "The core of the Activator upgrade is the social media and mobile technology. We have seen a shift in traffic that favors these two platforms. Social media, particularly Facebook, has grown rapidly and more people are using it as their primary online source of information. If those customers using Facebook are staying within the Facebook environment, we need to be there or we miss those opportunities.

"For mobile, we want to be proactive and aggressive. Our research, which includes polling our OEM customers, has indicated as much as 20- to 30-percent of normal browser traffic has shifted to mobile. Having a mobile solution puts our customers at an advantage," he added.

Highlighting the tool in more detail, Activator by Black Book Online works to help dealers  identify customers, set appointments, close sales and build used-car inventory, officials explained.

Mobile Expansion

And with the new upgrade, users have access to a dealer-specific mobile version of the Black Book Online Trade Appraisal technology that works to determine whether the user is on a mobile device.

“Similar to the Black Book Online website application, this service delivers incremental, high quality leads directly into a dealer’s CRM platform and is compatible with all leading smart phone devices,” the company further explained.

Commenting on the company’s expansion into the mobile world, Chris Fousek, e-commerce director of Cadillac Village of Norwood, expressed his enthusiasm for the new tool:  "Mobile technology is a significant part of our business strategy as we look to interact with customers who are increasingly on mobile devices.

"Activator allows us to identify more qualified customers who are using mobile devices,” he added.

The company also cited the reasoning behind the mobile upgrade, noting the recent increase in mobile usage across the consumer base.

“Dealer customers today report mobile and tablet platforms support between 15- to 30-percent of total customer traffic,” the company reported.

“What’s more, completion rates for the Black Book Online application are similar between mobile devices and the web. This suggests customers have become accustomed to using mobile devices and illustrates perfect timing for this service,” officials continued.

Commenting on the features of the new mobile upgrade, McFall told Auto Remarketing, "The technology we’re using here at Black Book Online is truly state-of-the-art. It is designed to detect the browsing device version and adjust dynamically to the user experience. You can use the same link that can be pointed to a web-based desktop, a tablet or to a mobile experience.

"Whichever version is being used by the customer, the technology detects the device and serves the appropriate experience. We modified the online trade experience to make it better fit the mobile environment," he continued.

Taking Note of Social Media

And the Activator upgrade also provides tools for dealers leveraging social media.

In an effort to capitalize on the importance of social channels, the company explained dealer customers can easily find out the value of their trade-in vehicle, as well as receiving a free credit score estimate via  the dealer’s Facebook page.

“This feature will increase dealer ‘likes’ and leads through an enhanced social experience for the user,” the company asserted.

Offering his take on this piece of the upgrade, Sean McLean, marketing manager for the Mungenast Automotive Family, said, "Social media is an important part of our multi-faceted marketing effort at the Mungenast Automotive Family

"Remaining engaged with our customers has resulted in increased leads. The Black Book Online Facebook pilot helped increase engagement, fans and leads,” he added.

McFall chimed in, noting, "Using services like Black Book Online Activator’s social component brings transparency to the buying relationship and is regarded as being friendly to the social media environment compared to a hard sell. We know that our app, in a controlled environment, increases the number of Facebook ‘likes.’ This is a measured, proven fact. We believe that Facebook can be used to create more likes, and likes lead to sales."

Lastly, featured in the upgrade, the new Lead Insight tool is “a customized webpage that provides an expanded view of the lead that is not available on most CRM systems.”

Furthermore, the video training element of the upgrade is a series of tutorials that include tips to help improve closing rates.