How do I capture leads from used car inquiries?

Start by embedding Chatref's website widget. Copy one snippet of code into your dealership website, and a chat bubble appears on every page - vehicle listings, financing info, or the contact page. The widget stays on-brand with your logo, primary color, and no third-party branding. Visitors ask questions about a particular used car, and the agent responds from your uploaded inventory, policies, and FAQs. All chats, including potential leads, appear in your shared inbox.

Inside Chatref, go to the lead capture settings for your agent. Define what information you want to collect: full name, phone number, email, preferred vehicle model, budget range, or trade-in details. The AI agent will weave these questions naturally into the chat flow - for example, after showing VIN details, it asks "Would you like to schedule a test drive? What's the best number to reach you?" Every captured lead saves with the conversation context, so you know exactly what the shopper was interested in.

Use Chatref's custom actions to instantly route new leads into your CRM or email alerts. When a visitor submits their contact info, you can trigger an action that sends the lead details to your sales team's Slack channel, creates a task in your follow-up system, or sends an automated SMS via your dealership tool. This makes AI lead capture work for you in real time, turning a chat into a hot lead within seconds.

Your Chatref agent can handle basic qualification before a human takes over. Based on the vehicle interest, budget, and timeline, it can tag the lead (e.g., "Hot - 2020 Camry under $20k") and even schedule a test drive if the shopper is ready. The AI grounds its answers in your used car inventory data, so it can confirm availability and specs without guessing. This reduces the back-and-forth for your salespeople and focuses them on ready-to-buy customers.

The Chatref conversation inbox shows all captured leads alongside the chat history. Filter by tags like "used car inquiry" or "trade-in" to see leads at a glance. You can reply directly from the inbox to continue the conversation or hand it off to a sales rep. Every interaction, from initial vehicle question to final contact submission, is stored and searchable.

What information should I collect from potential customers?

For used car lead capture, collect the contact details that matter most: full name, phone number, and email are essential. Then add vehicle-specific fields: the make, model, and year they're interested in, budget range, financing needs, and whether they have a trade-in. The more relevance you capture, the better your team can prioritize.

How can AI help qualify leads for used car sales?

Chatref's AI agent asks qualifying questions during the chat, then uses the answers to score the lead. It can check if the shopper's budget matches the vehicle price, if they're ready to buy now or just browsing, and if they have a trade-in to speed up the deal. All of this happens automatically, without any manual work from your team.

What's the best way to follow up with captured leads?

Speed and personalization win in used car sales. Use Chatref's custom actions to fire an immediate email or SMS notification to the salesperson that includes the lead's name, vehicle interest, and conversation summary. Then have the salesperson call within 15 minutes while the chat is still fresh. Keep the follow-up grounded in what was discussed - mention the exact used car they asked about and any trade-in details they shared.