One way people can speed up the process of getting into a car is by using our safe and easy online application. A lot of our customers at Russell Smith Auto have gone online to get everything started.
If someone goes online and fills all that out, we can basically get them approved for our in-house financing and let them know ahead of time what we can get them approved for. So then basically all they have to do is bring the information in that we need to see and verify.
At that point, they’ve already talked over the phone about the vehicle they want from our inventory with one of our salespeople, and when they come in, they really just want to test drive it.
After the customer fills out the online application, a gets a notification overnight or the night before. The salesperson gets that first thing in the morning when they get to our dealership.
Those applications are their main priority in the morning to take a look at those and call the customer back. If there's more information that they need in order to get it approved, they’ll call or email for that.
During the day their salespeople are at their desks getting those notifications, but the manager also gets them to make sure that nothing falls through the cracks. So we are quick to get ahold of the people who send in those online applications.
The average time to get back to somebody after they put the online application in is usually within the hour, if not sooner. If the salesperson is on a test drive or busy with someone else, it may take them a little bit to get back to their desks, but they do see those notifications as soon as they get back.
After the online application is made and they’ve spoken to the salesperson, the customer just needs to come in with their driver’s license or ID, proof of residence, which is a lease or utility bill, three current check stubs from their job, and six references. We use references to get in touch with the customer if the payment is late and for some reason we can’t reach them.
One issue with bringing in check stubs that sometimes we run into that can be taken care of ahead of time is that the customer has automatic deposit and doesn’t have check stubs. Sometimes they don't know how to get that information. Our salespeople will help them figure it out. They can use our computer, or we’ll help them call their HR department to get that information.
