The use of mobile phones continues to soar, and car dealerships are leveraging text messaging as a way to communicate with leads more than ever. However, a concerning trend has emerged where dealerships are allowing their salespeople and BDC representatives to use their personal cell phones to send text messages to leads. This practice can create significant liabilities for the dealership, including compliance issues, data security risks, and difficulties with record keeping.
One of the main concerns is that the use of personal cell phones for text messaging can put the dealership at risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations, such as the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This can result in penalties and fines. Additionally, personal cell phones may not have the same level of security that a dealership requires, increasing the risk of data breaches, which can lead to loss of sensitive information and loss of trust from customers.
Another issue is the difficulty in keeping records of text message conversations. This can not only make it hard for dealerships to ensure compliance with policies and procedures, but it can also make the information difficult to retrieve in case of legal action. Additionally, without access to these conversations, dealerships can’t ensure that their brand is represented properly.
To address these concerns, car dealerships can use a text messaging platform specifically designed for this purpose. These platforms provide compliance features, robust data security measures, and built-in conversation tracking and archiving capabilities, eliminating the liabilities associated with personal cell phones and providing a better customer experience.
In conclusion, using a text messaging platform can provide a compliant, secure, and professional way for car dealerships to communicate with leads via SMS. It also provides an easy way to manage and maintain the communication while avoiding the hidden liabilities of personal cell phones.