Car buying starts with a chat. Saka doubled their leads.

Saka, a Finnish car dealership, knew its customers were doing their research online, often in the evenings and on weekends. The only ways to get in touch were a contact form or the phone, and neither matched how people actually wanted to buy.

After rolling out Serviceform live chat backed by after-hours bots, Saka made it far easier for buyers to start a conversation, and the lead volume coming from its website more than doubled.

The challenge

Before Serviceform, getting in touch with Saka meant filling out a contact form or picking up the phone. Both channels worked, but neither kept up with what customers now expect, fast and effortless answers.

Filling out a form takes time and adds extra steps. At the same time, buying behavior had shifted. People were increasingly researching cars online in the evenings and on weekends, exactly when forms and phone lines were least useful.

What we deployed

Saka launched Serviceform live chat, supported by automated bots outside business hours. Today the live chat is staffed six days a week from morning to evening, while automation takes care of customers around the clock.

In car sales, trust is built through real human interaction. Live chat works as the bridge between the customer and the salesperson, making it simple to start that conversation.

The result

Lead volume doubled quickly, and it has kept growing thanks to easier contact and faster response times.

It is not unusual for a customer to reach out first through chat, then talk with a salesperson, and have the car delivered the very next day.

Filling out a form takes more effort. Chat makes it easier for the customer to start the conversation.

— Otto Valtonen, Digital Customer Service Team Leader, Saka Finland